High school basketball: Corey Tripp's thunderous dunk highlight of hastily-scheduled game against Avon

MEDINA — Incredible highs and frustrating lows aside, Medina's boys basketball team was grateful that Avon made a long trip on short notice. The Bees were originally scheduled to play Andrews Osborne Academy on Tuesday, but the Phoenix backed out due to injuries. Athletic director Todd Hodkey and coach Chris Hassinger searched to find a replacement, and the Eagles agreed once busing was secured late Monday night. In what will end up as the final Medina game of the regular season despite two openings available, the Bees got off to a brilliant start and took two naps sandwiched around a poster-worthy Corey Tripp dunk. The final score was 77-69, but the Bees held a 35-15 lead with 5:10 left in the second quarter. "It was great — one last game to get ready before the postseason," center Christian Howard said. "We knew this was a game to tune up for everything so we can practice for the next few weeks before the tournament and go hard." Tripp finished with 25 points on 10-for-17 shooting, giving him 1,213 in his 95-game career. The senior passed county legend Tony Stockman (1,211; 1997-2000) for third place on the school's leaderboard with a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter and can realistically overtake Kyle Szumski (1,229; 2016-20) and Dontaie Anthony (1,230; 2002-05) in a Feb. 27 home sectional final against Firestone or Westlake. Howard was a matchup problem all night and finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Drew Hensley (8 points), Matt Spatny (6, 3 rebounds), Jajuan Jackson (6, 3 assists) and Carter Hipp (game-high 4 assists) also had their moments, with Spatny scoring inside to give Medina its biggest lead at 58-37 with 3:18 left in the third quarter. Medina (14-6) again had serious issues with defensive consistently and allowed Avon (9-8) to make the game at least somewhat interesting with a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. The Bees more than made up for that, however, by making 14 of their first 18 shots in a brilliant start. "I liked how we pushed," Howard said. "Everybody got the ball, not just me." Tripp's dunk with 6:03 left in the third quarter was the talk of Richard H. Clevidence gymnasium afterward, and some longtime Medina fans believe it may be the best by a Bee. The 6-foot-3 point guard began the sequence by grabbing a loose ball and splitting two defenders with a behind-the-back dribble near the timeline. He quickly sprinted down the left side of the lane and took flight with a defender scrambling to get into position for a potential charge. Tripp then threw down a thunderous one-hander with such force — his knees were at the defender's neck — that the rim spring echoed. Jackson almost immediately shoved Tripp in celebration, and Tripp tapped his long, curly hair as he ran back down the court. "Oh, my god, that was absolutely disgusting," Howard said. "Like, I know Corey can do things like that — I've played with him my whole life — because he can jump like crazy. "I mean, when I saw him go up, I started to pray (for the defender). I knew Corey was about to end him." Scrappy Avon made 11-of-23 3-pointers and got a game-high 29 points from shooting guard Dominic Rini. Small forward Mike Matlak added 18 and first-team All-Ohio quarterback Niko Pappas had 15, but no one else recorded more than three as Medina consistently abused the overmatched Eagles within 15 feet to set up kickouts for nine 3-pointers. The Bees will now rest and get some much-needed practice time before the tournament. Hassinger is relieved that he will no longer have to burn up his phone to simply find games. The county's top tournament team over the last 10 seasons still believes it has something to prove. "We're ready for the playoffs," Hassinger said. "Our guys are so gassed right now. They really are. I told them they have (today) off and that was the loudest cheer we've had in the locker room." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Medina 77, Avon 69 AVON &emsp;&emsp;15 17 14 23 — 69 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;30 12 20 15 — 77 Avon — Mike Matlak 7-0-18, Jacob Siegert 1-0-2, Colin Ladegaard 0-0-0, Dominic Rini 9-6-29, Niko Pappas 5-3-15, Ben Rehner 1-0-2, Connor Allomong 0-0-0, Max Emerine 1-0-3, Matt Fischer 0-0-0. TOTALS: 24-9-69. Medina — Jajuan Jackson 2-0-6, Bryce Beech 2-0-6, Christian Howard 7-6-20, Brandon Geschke 1-2-4, Corey Tripp 10-2-25, Drew Hensley 3-0-8, Michael Rodak 0-0-0, Carter Hipp 1-0-2, Matt Spatny 3-0-6, Tre Hammond 0-0-0, Robbie Wittenauer 0-0-0. TOTALS: 29-10-77. 3-point goals — Rini 5, Matlak 4, Pappas 2, Emerine, Tripp 3, Hensley 2, Jackson 2, Beech 2. Rebounds — Avon 23 (Siegert 5), Medina 30 (Howard 9). Assists — Avon 14 (Rini, Emerine 3), Medina 19 (Hipp 4). Records — Avon (9-8), Medina (14-6). Junior varsity — Medina 62, Avon 37 (M: Brennen Schramm 17, Luke Klanac 15).