By Don DiFrancesco
Berea-Midpark 19 15 17 14 8 8 8 = 81
Westlake 16 14 20 15 8 6 = 79
WESTLAKE, OHIO – An enthusiastic holiday-season crowd saw a great basketball game in Westlake on Friday night. Southwestern Conference foes Berea-Midpark and Westlake went at each other for 32 minutes plus two overtime sessions, with the Titans knocking off the previously undefeated Demons 81-79.
Berea-Midpark (4-1) led throughout the first half and held a narrow 34-30 margin at the intermission. Titans’ senior guard Josh Finkovich led all scorers with 11 at the break.
But Westlake (5-1) turned up the defense, using a press effectively in the second half. The Demons took their first lead of the game with 4:06 to play in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Ray Ellington that made the score 41-40.
The teams traded leads as Berea-Midpark senior Jordan Cupach (a trio of 3-pointers in the period) and Westlake junior Justin Garcia (4 baskets including a 3-pointer) heated up. The third quarter ended with the Titans holding a slim 51-50 lead.
The fourth quarter was played like a chess match with neither team able to get a lead of more than four points. When Finkovich hit both ends of a one-and-one to give Berea-Midpark a 65-62 lead with 0:20 remaining in regulation, it looked good for the Titans.
But Garcia hit a miraculous 3-pointer—with Berea-Midpark’s Dominic Zarzicki-Hall draped all over him—to tie the game at 65 as the buzzer sounded.
The teams continued to match points through two overtime periods. Garcia stayed hot with three additional 3-pointers in the extra sessions to pace the Demons.
Zarzicki-Hall split a pair of free throws to tie the game at 79 with 0:46 to play, and then the Titans forced a turnover on the other end with 11 seconds left.
After a timeout, Finkovich dribbled the ball upcourt and threaded the needle with a pass to junior forward Alex Kvak who banked home the layup with the clock showing 0:02.5.
The Demons had a final chance after another timeout, but the inbound pass was intercepted and the Titans had secured an early Christmas present with an 81-79 victory.
Berea-Midpark
Finkovich 9-7-26
Cupach 6-1-19
Kvak 5-4-14
Johnson 5-3-13
Zarzicki-Hall 3-1-7
Petkac 1-0-2
TOTALS 29-16-81
Rebounds 34, Turnovers 13
Westlake
Garcia 13-0-32
Bednar 2-5-9
Ostrowski 3-1-9
Klessel 4-0-8
Klima 2-2-6
Kolocouris 2-1-6
Ellington 2-0-5
Wolfe 1-0-3
Norris 0-1-1
TOTALS 29-10-79
Rebounds 32, Turnovers 17
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