High School

Garfield Heights Cruises Past North Ridgeville 63-40, Advance to District Championship

by
Devin Lowe
March 2, 2023

Photo by Devin Lowe

It was a defensive struggle early, but the Bulldogs got hot and pulled away in the 2nd half for a 63-40 victory over the Rangers. Garfield Heights got a big performance from freshman and Lake Erie League Player of the Year Marcus Johnson, who led the way with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.

After a low-scoring first quarter, the Bulldogs offense started to hit its stride in the second, taking a 30-18 lead into the half. Steven Cornwell Jr. led the way for Garfield Heights with all 11 of his points coming in the first half.

Photo by Devin Lowe

Unfortunately for North Ridgeville, the Bulldogs continued to find their groove in the 3rd and started to pull away for good, taking a 46-29 lead into the final frame. The Rangers would try and ramp up the defensive pressure in the fourth, but the Bulldogs made the extra pass to find the open man and hold on for the convincing win, 63-40.

Despite tough defense all night long, Rangers junior Griffin Turay tried his best to keep his team in the game, finishing with 17 on the night. Senior Jake Boynar chipped in nine points and five rebounds while junior Collin Jones added five points.

Outside of a big performance from freshman phenom Marcus Johnson, the Bulldogs also got big games out of Stephen Cornwell Jr., Calvin Little Jr., and Germainn Marshall, all three finishing with 11 points. Garfield Heights advances to Saturday afternoon’s district championship against the winner of Brunswick/Cleveland Heights. Tip-off is set for 2 pm.

Photo by Devin Lowe

Key to the Game

One of the keys to beating Garfield Heights is limiting LEL POTY Marcus Johnson and, early on, North Ridgeville was able to do that. Unfortunately for the Rangers, Johnson’s teammates were there to make up for it. Johnson finished the game with 18 points, but the Bulldogs also had three others break double digits. When Garfield Heights can get contributions like that across their lineup, they are going to be a tough team to beat.

Top Performers

North Ridgeville

Griffin Turay: 17 points

Jake Boynar: 9 points 5 rebounds 1 assist 1 block

Collin Jones: 9 points 3 rebounds 1 block