Boys basketball: Luke Klanac, Carter Hipp lead Medina to season sweep of Mentor

MENTOR — The Greater Cleveland Conference victory parade in Mentor is going to have to wait at least one more game, as the Medina boys basketball team kept itself alive with a fantastic 68-63 win Friday. Luke Klanac got things started and Carter Hipp closed the door. Klanac (15 points) was tremendous in the first half with 14 points, including half his team's points in a 14-0 run to start the game for the Bees (14-6, 6-3). "Preparation," Klanac said of his fast start. "Coming into this I had to get my mind ready and get my body ready. That's all that matters." The shooting guard dropped in another seven in the second quarter to help Medina to a 36-32 halftime lead. "We've been preaching to our guys that we run good stuff for a reason," Bees coach Chris Hassinger said. "They have to run our stuff. We break away too early sometimes from how we run our stuff because we want to get certain guys' looks. When we do that we shoot at a high percentage. We gave them some freedom at times, but they followed the game plan to a "T'.'" Mentor (14-6, 7-2) started cooking behind Ian Ioppolo (29 points, 7-of-10 3-pointers) and clawed back into the game. The Cardinals took their first lead at 45-42 with 3:30 to play in the third quarter. With the collapse against Strongsville last Friday still fresh in their minds, the Bees were determined not to let history repeat. "It feels great to get this win," Klanac said "We just have to focus on one game at a time, especially in this conference and with our tough schedule. You can't look past anyone." Jaylen Payne scored six points in an 8-3 run to close the third quarter as the Bees got back in front at 50-48. Hipp (26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) took over from there. The senior point guard scored 10 of Medina's points in a 12-8 start to the fourth, putting his team in front 62-56. "We lost two in a row and had a come to Jesus moment," Hipp said. "We just ran our stuff, and our stuff is designed to get our two best players on the ball in Klanac and me. I was able to hit shots tonight." Hipp was perfect on four 3-point attempts on the night. Knowing full well that the Cardinals can catch fire at any point from behind the 3-point line, Medina had to close things out at both ends of the floor. Mentor cut the margin to 64-61 with 35 seconds left, but Hipp sealed the deal from the line by making all four of his attempts. "The free throws were massive," Hipp said. "We talked about it a lot. We have been poking towards the playoffs since the preseason. Once you have teams like that fouling, you have to finish them. We did a good job as a team." It was the second win for Medina over Mentor this season and sets up a must-win for the Cardinals in a week against Strongsville. The Bees can still finish in a tie for first in the GCC if the Cardinals lose and they beat Euclid. Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Medina 68, Mentor 63 MEDINA 23 13 14 18 – 68 MENTOR 18 14 16 15 – 63 Medina – Connor Smith 2-2-6, Brock Beech 2-1-6, Hunter Smith 1-0-3, Luke Klanac 5-3-15, Carter Hipp 8-6-26, Luke Hassinger 0-0-0, Benny Meyers 0-0-0, Jaylen Payne 4-0-8, Kellon Johnson 2-0-4. TOTALS: 24-12-68. Mentor – Ryan Calo 1-0-3, Ryan Ioppolo 4-0-12, Ian Ioppolo 11-0-29, Kobe Frasure-Azzano 2-0-4, Matthew Biddell 5-4-15, Connor O'Brien 0-0-0, Marcus Sierputowski 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-4-63. 3-point goals – Hipp 4, Klanac 2, Beech, Smith, I. Ioppolo 7, R. Ioppolo 4, Biddell, Calo. Rebounds – Medina 20 (Hipp 7), Mentor 18 (R. Ioppolo 5). Assists – Medina 11 (Hipp 5), Mentor 15 (Biddell 4). Records – Medina (14-6, 6-3), Mentor (14-5, 7-2). Junior varsity – Mentor 56, Medina 52 (Med: J.T. Mog 13, Bryce Zufra 12).