We’d like to start a new feature on NEO Sports Insiders, shining some light on the basketball stars in the Cleveland area.
Here’s our first edition of Northeast Ohio Boys Basketball Stars of the Month: January
Great Lakes Conference
Dwayne Cohill – Holy Name
You can’t have a conversation about best high school basketball players in the state without including Cohill in that list. January was no different than his phenomenal December, as the junior guard averaged 24.8 points per game, putting up 47 against conference rival, Bay, on Jan. 20.
Holy Name (13-2, 7-1) is one half game back of first place in the GLC and it’s largely because of Cohill’s brilliance. The 6-foot-2 shooting guard has already received scholarship offers from West Virginia, Northwestern, Penn State, Ohio State, and Xavier, among others…
RJ Sunahara – Bay
Sunahara is certainly the best big man in the conference, if not the entire region. The 6-foot-6 junior forward has been one of the leaders on an impressive Rockets team, which has aspirations of reaching Columbus for the second-straight year. He is averaging 23.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 blocks per game on the season.
Sunahara averaged 25 points per game in January, scoring 25 or more in five of eight games. The Rockets (11-6, 5-3) went 5-3 during the month of January, staying alive in the GLC Title race, 2.5 games out of first in the conference.
Dorian Crutcher – Elyria Catholic
One of Crutcher’s biggest games of the season came at the biggest time, as the junior forward scored 22 points in a huge win over Holy Name. The win catapulted Elyria Catholic (11-4, 8-1) into first place in the GLC.
Crutcher has been the most consistent scorer for the Panthers, averaging 22.2 points per game. If Elyria Catholic is going to hang on to its slim lead in the conference, Crutcher will be one of the main reasons.
Greater Cleveland Conference
Luke Schaefer – Medina
The senior forward has been one of the leaders of an impressive Medina (15-3, 9-2) squad, which is tied for first place in the GCC with Mentor, one game ahead of Elyria.
Schaefer averaged 21.1 points per game in January, in which the Bees faced some stiff competition.
Medina battled against Elyria, Mentor, Lorain, and Solon in the month of January, all of whom are among the best teams in Northeast Ohio.
The Bees went 6-3 on the month, with Schaefer erupting for a season-high 36 points against Highland.
Jack Korsok – Mentor
The senior guard has been one of Mentor’s leaders, helping the Cardinals keep pace with Medina for first place in the GCC. One of Korsok’s best games came against Medina, when he scored 20 points in a crucial win, which gives Mentor (11-2, 8-2) the opportunity to control its own destiny in the conference title race.
Medina and Mentor will face off in the final regular season game of the season on Feb. 24, which could turn out to be a conference championship game.
Leading up to that point, Korsok will look to continue his impressive season. He exploded for 44 points on Jan. 27, defeating Euclid, and is averaging 23 per game on the season.
Lake Erie League
Jalil Little – Lorain
For all the well-deserved hype regarding Lorain forward Naz Bohannon, Little is turning into a star in his own rite.
The senior guard had a monster January, leading Bohannon to call him “the best guard in the state.”
Little scored 24 points in a pivotal win over Cleveland Heights on Jan. 27, which kept the Titans (12-2, 5-0) in first place in the Lake Erie League.
He’s averaging 16 points on the season, but seems to be getting better with each game, as teams are well-aware of how deadly Bohannon can be, and there have been numerous occasions where Little picks up the slack in times where the forward doesn’t have his best game.
Lorain’s firepower goes well beyond one star player and Little is one of the reasons why this Titans team could make a deep run if it continues to play like it has through two months of action.
Octavius Wilson – Lorain
Along with Bohannon and Little, the junior center has been a force this season. Wilson is averaging 12.3 points and 10.5 rebounds.
He may not be as flashy as those two, but his presence is something that makes life difficult for opponents.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better frontcourt duo in Northeast Ohio than Wilson and Bohannon.
Fonse Hale – Maple Heights
The Mustangs (12-2, 4-1) are right behind Lorain for first place in the LEL and have a huge game coming up against the Titans on Friday, Feb. 3.
Hale, a junior guard, has been leading the way for Maple Heights all season.
He’s averaging 21 points per game this season and led Maple Heights to a 5-1 record in the month of January.
Hale will be motivated to have an even better performance when Maple Heights hosts Lorain, as he put up 19 points in a losing effort on Jan. 6.
North Coast League: Blue Division
Kevin Peterson – Padua
Although Padua (10-6, 3-3) has a ways to go in the NCL title race, Peterson is putting on a show in his junior season.
In the month of January, the 6-foot-5 forward eclipsed 20 or more points in five of eight games. He’s currently riding a four-game streak of 20-plus point performances.
Peterson is averaging 18 points on the season and his trajectory is pointing upwards, based on this passed month.
Collen Gurley – Archbishop Hoban
Hoban has gone about its work in a business-like manner this season, dominating its way to a 14-1 (6-0) start.
A pivotal win over Benedictine on Friday, Jan. 27 put the Knights in a comfortable two-game lead for first place in the North Coast League Blue Division.
Gurley, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, is averaging a team-high 18 points on the season. He scored 25 against Padua on Jan. 31 and a season-high 33 points against Gilmour on Jan. 11.
The Knights are riding a 14-game win-streak after losing their season opener. Not many teams would be comfortable standing in their way right now.
North Coast League: White Division
Jerry Higgens – Villa Angela-St. Joseph
In the NCL White Division, VASJ (9-5, 5-0) is the team to beat. Much of that is attributed to Higgens, He recently went off for 31 points against Cleveland Central Catholic on Friday, Jan. 27.
After that game, his coach, Babe Kwasniak told Cleveland.com, “If I had one pick in the city of Cleveland I’d take No. 15, just because the kid’s a warrior,”
If the Vikings go on to win the NCL White Division, Higgens will be leading the charge most of the way.
Miryne Thomas – Cleveland Central Catholic
It’s been a somewhat rocky season for Cleveland Central Catholic (8-6, 4-2), but through the ups and downs, Thomas has been a steady source of production.
The 6-foot-7 senior forward is averaging 19.3 points per game, and is committed to play college ball at University of Maryland (Eastern Shore) in 2017-18. He’s scored 27 or more points three times this season.
CCC is not out of the NCL race, but after losing both matches to VASJ, the Ironmen have an uphill climb in the month of February.
Patriot Athletic Conference: Stars Division
Joey Bartinelli – Buckeye
Part of the reason why Buckeye (12-3, 8-2) is dominating the PAC Stars Division is the outstanding production out of Bartinelli, a senior guard averaging 17 points per game. Buckeye finished off the month of January with six straight wins, receiving three 20-plus point games out of Bartinelli.
Braeden Stauffer – Buckeye
Another big reason for Buckeye’s success is the play of Stauffer, another senior guard.
Stauffer is second on the team in scoring, only 16 total points behind Bartinelli. This duo has been a handful for PAC opponents to guard and the two players are largely responsible for keeping Buckeye alive in the PAC overall conference race. Oberlin and Clearview appear to be the two favorites, but Buckeye still has to face Clearview on the road on Valentine’s Day – a game that could swing the conference race one way or another.
Buckeye is one of only two teams in the PAC so far to hand Oberlin a loss.
Patriot Athletic Conference: Stripes Division
Donald Johnson – Oberlin
If you like good, old-fashioned dominant big men, Johnson is your guy. The 6-foot-4 senior is averaging 18.5 points and 10.9 rebounds, near the top of both categories among Lorain County players.
Johnson’s biggest game came against conference rival Lutheran West on Jan. 20, when he scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Johnson also averages 4.0 blocks per game.
He was a big reason why Oberlin (12-4, 8-2) was able to defeat Clearview in their first meeting and the two teams will meet again on Feb. 17 in Lorain.
If Oberlin can take both games against Buckeye and Clearview, the Phoenix will be in great position to likely come away as PAC champs.
Deuce Martin – Clearview
One of the more cerebral point guards you’ll find in Northeast Ohio, Martin is a playmaker, both as a scorer and a facilitator. Martin is averaging 19 points per game on the season.
The junior point guard has led Clearview (12-3, 9-1) to the top spot in the PAC Stripes Division and the Clippers currently own a slight lead for best record in the conference, one game ahead of both Buckeye and Oberlin.
The Clippers’ conference championship hopes likely come down to how they will fare against Oberlin and Buckeye, who they happen to face back-to-back on Feb. 14 and 17.
We’ll be sure to follow that week of PAC closely.
Scottie Berghaus – Lutheran West
It’s been a rough season for the Longhorns (4-11, 2-8), but Berghaus makes any game entertaining for LW fans to head to the gym.
The senior forward is averaging 17 points per game and has impressive range for a guy who can score so easily from inside.
Southwestern Conference
Josh Hufstetler – North Olmsted
The senior guard has been on a tear for the Eagles (8-7, 6-6) this season, averaging 17.1 points per game. Hufstetler has as high of a motor as most guys you’ll see on the court and plays hard on both ends of the floor, averaging 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals.
Although it wasn’t his best individual statistical game of the season, Hufstetler scored 14 points in North Olmsted’s biggest win of the year, a major upset over first place Avon on Jan. 27.
North Olmsted is in the middle of the pack in the SWC, but a win like that shows no team will want to underestimate the Eagles this season.
Chad Elliott – Berea-Midpark
The Titans (11-4, 10-2) recently moved into a tie for first place in the SWC, and Elliott deserves a significant portion of the credit.
The senior guard is averaging 17.8 points per game this season and put up 24 or more points in three of Berea-Midpark’s eight games in January.
Berea-Midpark lost to Avon on Jan. 17, but faces the Eagles on Feb. 17 with a chance for revenge at home.
If both teams keep pace with each other, that game could end up being the SWC championship.
Meanwhile, Avon Lake (11-5, 9-3) is breathing down the necks of both teams.
Ryan Maloy – Avon
What makes Avon (12-3, 10-2) such an impressive team is that it truly is a collective effort. There’s not generally a “go-to” scorer. The Eagles just play good team basketball.
To make that work, it usually requires a great point guard, and that’s what Maloy has been for Avon this season.
The junior leads the SWC in assists, averaging 4.8 per game, and is second on the team in scoring (9.7 ppg).
Avon started the season 11-1, but lost two games in late-January. Despite those back-to-back hiccups against Avon Lake and North Olmsted, the Eagles have managed to stay in first place and still control their own destiny for the conference title.
Ryan Bertrand – Avon
While Maloy has been the playmaker and facilitator, Bertrand is Avon’s leading scorer and rebounder.
At 12.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, his numbers aren’t eye-popping, but the senior does a lot of the dirty work for Avon.
Bertrand has scored 18 or more three different times this season and has the potential for that kind of night any time he’s on the floor.
Avon recently returned one of its star players, Delshawn Orr, who led the Eagles with 16.1 points per game as a junior last season.
This season, Avon went 10-3 without him for almost two months to start the season. Much of that credit goes to the duo of Maloy and Bertrand, who led the way admirably.
There’s a good chance we’ll hear more from Orr and the Eagles, when time comes to highlight February’s stars.
****Thank you for reading and if you feel any players are being overlooked in Northeast Ohio, nominate your Northeast Ohio Basketball Stars by e-mailing NEOSportsInsiders@Gmail.com. We hope to shine light on all of the great student-athletes in the area and are excited to see who else will make their mark in an important February, which wraps up the regular season and heads into exciting PLAYOFF BASKETBALL. It doesn’t get much better than this time of year for high school hoops!******
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