Medina picks up road win over Walsh Jesuit as offense finds its way in the second half
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio - Defense always travels. Sometimes it takes the offense some time to catch up. That was the case for Medina on Wednesday night in a 53-42 road win over Walsh Jesuit.
After a first half that saw the Bees score just 23 points, but hold Walsh to only 18, the Medina offense moved the ball well in the third quarter, setting up shooters for open looks, including three 3-pointers, two of those by J.T. Mog and they put 21 points on the board in the quarter to pull away from the Warriors.
"We were disciplined, and we took good shots," Medina head coach Chris Hassinger said. "And I tell you what, Luke (Hassinger) really got deep in the paint multiple times against their zone and and when you get in deep, you can make one or two guys come over and help and guys like J.T. Mog are really, really important and really, really efficient."
One of the reasons for the slow start offensively for the Bees was this was their first game since Dec. 28, when they were in Florida for a pair of games. To make matters even more difficult, those two games were played at a different pace than what Walsh likes to play.
"We played completely different style teams down in Florida," Hassinger said. "This was a much slower tempo game, and possessions count. And we have not been in one of these yet. And I knew it was coming. And to come to this place, we've seen film with them how good they are at home, and how well they shoot it, and to hold them to 18 points in the first half, we were pretty excited about that. We were a little frustrated with our offensive efficiency in the first half but I thought the kids did a nice job in the third quarter figuring that out."
Part of figuring it out on the offensive end was the unselfishness that has become commonplace with the Bees. Instead of taking the first shot they see, they work the ball around for the best available shot, even if that means six or seven passes or a 45-second possession.
"That's the makeup of those guys, they're just the nicest kids in the world," Hassinger said. "And we're trying to bring out some meanness in them but they're really nice kids. They're really unselfish. They build each other up in practice, and they just love each other to death."
Helping out Medina in the third quarter as well were the quick responses each time Walsh scored. After the first Walsh basket of the third quarter, the Bees responded with a 3-pointer less than 10 seconds later. And then after a made 3-pointer later in the quarter, a quick outlet pass for Medina led to an open 3-pointer in the corner by Mog a mere seconds after Walsh had just cut the lead to seven.
"We just had to stay in the game and stay focused," said Medina senior Brock Beech, who led all scorers with 19 points. "When they would score, we just had to punch right back."
Mog finished with 10 points and Connor Smith had nine for the Bees, as did Jase Holland.
And while the Medina offense found its rhythm, the Medina defense kept Walsh off-balance by mixing up their defensive coverages.
"We stayed in the zone mostly but we switched it up with man and zone," Beech said. "We just kept their shooters putting the ball on the floor instead of giving them open shots. Everybody was communicating and playing well."
Leading the way for Walsh was Sean Spicer with 14 points, Joe Sitarz with 10 and Jesse James with eight. Tyler Bell had five points, including a turnaround 3-pointer from 25 feet as the buzzer sounded to end the first half.
The play that capped the night for the Bees came with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter and Medina leading by nine. Smith had the ball about 25 feet from the basket and let a pass fly towards the rim for Holland, who grabbed it and threw it down for his third dunk of the second half.
"Jase is a tough kid and we're really proud of his progress," Hassinger said. "He comes off the bench for us and a lot of kids have egos that they're upset about that, but not Jase. And it's nice to see his teammates reward him for his toughness and how hard he plays."
Medina (4-4) beefed up their non-conference schedule this season, which helped the Bees persevere through the tough times on Wednesday night and play well down the stretch.
"We've just been in so many tough games this year, including Walsh, our schedule is just ridiculous," Hassinger said. "And so we've been in this situation before, and we've been up at half a possession or two. And sometimes we try to overthink the game and kids try to make spectacular plays, but (we tell them) just do your job. And that's what the kids did in the second half."
Despite the early offensive woes, the stars seemed aligned for the Bees early in the game, when a pass from Bryce Zufra went off the hand of Holland and somehow found its way into the basket for two points to give Medina a 6-5 lead.
"It's like the half court shot," Hassinger said. "You know it's a good night for you when you throw a fadeaway 3-pointer and then something like that goes your way."
-- Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh
(Feature image: Medina head coach Chris Hassinger yells out instructions to his team during a win over Walsh Jesuit on January 3, 2023. Photo credit: Ryan Isley, SBLive Sports)
