High school basketball: Anthony McCarthy helps Twinsburg hold off Wadsworth

TWINSBURG — Maxx Bosley, Caden Madigan and Alex Risher were up to the challenge. So was the rest of the short-handed Wadsworth boys basketball team. Anthony McCarthy refused to allow them to complete their task Friday night. McCarthy scored seven of his game-high 29 points in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter, allowing Twinsburg to escape with a 70-66 win over the Grizzlies in Suburban League National Conference action. Sophomore Bosley had 24 points, including five 3-pointers, and junior Madigan collected 13 points, a team-best seven rebounds and three assists for Wadsworth. The Grizzlies (6-6, 2-4) played without top scorer Solomon Callaghan, who injured his hip against North Royalton earlier in the week. "We knew it would be tough without Solly, but we looked at it as an opportunity to go out and show our fight against a really good team," Bosley said. "We controlled the pace and got McCarthy in some foul trouble, but didn't quite have enough at the end to pull out the win." After Connor Sams nailed a 3-pointer to give Wadsworth a 50-48 lead late in the third, the Tigers answered with a 21-10 run fueled by the 6-foot-4 McCarthy. McCarthy leads all Northeast Ohio Division I players with a 28.5 scoring average after taking last season off for precautionary health reasons, and is the main reason why Twinsburg (8-1, 5-1) is in the thick of the SL National race. "We know we're never out of a game because of the way we compete," Madigan said. "This team loves to play together and I know it shows on the court." Senior Risher stepped up with 16 points and junior Alex Neville dished out a team-best four assists, while senior Sams finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Every Wadsworth starter played between 27-30 minutes with Callaghan on the sideline serving as a de facto assistant coach. "Tremendous effort by our guys," Grizzlies coach Mike Moser said. "We gave (Bosley) a tough defensive assignment guarding McCarthy and we needed him to score, and he thrived doing both. "(Madigan) is our heart guy, our effort guy, and he did what he does every day for this team. And Alex Risher did exactly what a senior needed to do. Sometimes I don't think he realizes how good he can be." Wadsworth didn't wilt after falling behind 69-60 with 46 seconds remaining, scoring six straight points capped by a Bosley 3-pointer. Bosley missed a free throw that could have completed a four-point play with 6 ticks left and the officials failed to call an obvious, immediate Grizzlies foul until just 1 second remained. David Coniglio made 1-of-2 free throws to seal the deal for the hosts. "You saw Alex Risher, Alex Neville, Elliot Simmons, all the guys come through tonight when each of our responsibilities increased," Madigan said. "The confidence that we gained is something we can build on." Coniglio had 14 points and undersized post player Reggie Bussey posted nine points, 10 rebounds and six assists for Twinsburg, which was 7-of-15 from the foul line after making 10-of-23 tries in a double-overtime win over Stow. The Grizzlies were 11-of-14 at the stripe with Madigan making all four attempts and Bosley hitting 5-of-6. Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDulik. Twinsburg 70, Wadsworth 66 WADSWORTH 13 22 15 16 — 66 TWINSBURG 20 14 18 18 — 70 Wadsworth — Alex Risher 7-0-16, Alex Neville 1-0-2, Connor Sams 4-2-11, Maxx Bosley 7-5-24, Caden Madigan 4-4-13, Elliot Simmons 0-0-0, Finn Schmitt 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-11-66. Twinsburg — Anthony McCarthy 12-1-29, David Coniglio 5-2-14, Reggie Bussey 4-1-9, Adam Williams 3-2-9, Jayden Patton 0-0-0, Jacob Bond 1-0-2, John Morris 3-1-7, Orion Hill 0-0-0, Brennan Hopp 0-0-0, Cameron Patterson 0-0-0. TOTALS: 28-7-70. 3-point goals — Bosley 5, Risher 2, Sams, Madigan, McCarthy 4, Coniglio 2, Williams. Rebounds — Wadsworth 22 (Madigan 7), Twinsburg 31 (Bussey 10). Assists — Wadsworth 9 (Neville 4), Twinsburg 14 (Bussey 6). Records — Wadsworth (6-6, 2-4), Twinsburg (8-1, 5-1). Junior varsity — Wadsworth 58, Twinsburg 43 (Matt Fahey, Sully Chadbourne 11).