Boys basketball: Reimer Road Baptist stuns Cloverleaf at Spartan Showcase

LAKEMORE — Slick-dribbling point guard Matt Fahey repeatedly said no one knows who Reimer Road Baptist Christian's boys basketball team is. They certainly will at least ask "who?" after the Golden Eagles pulled off an absolute stunner Saturday at the Spartan Holiday Showcase, beating Cloverleaf 66-56 in what can easily be considered one of the biggest Medina County upsets in years. Reimer Road Baptist Christian (4-1) is a faith-based club based out of a non-OHSAA school in Wadsworth that existed from 1977-2009. The school lives on spiritually through basketball and coach Dan Turner, plays legitimate bite-sized Christian opponents throughout Northern Ohio and requires players to attend one church function per week. The Golden Eagles lost to Shaker Heights 95-57 at the event last season. This time, they used a 25-16 second quarter and fearless, gritty play to upend the Colts (2-3), who are suddenly reeling after losing three games by a combined 14 points during the week. "Nobody knows who we are yet because we're a little school and whatnot," Fahey said. "But we're surprising people." The 6-foot-4 Fahey battled through trapping defenses and provided great help on 6-foot-9 Cloverleaf standout Logan Forbes en route to 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Physical forward Eric Decker, a 6-5 All-Gazette outfielder for Wadsworth, scored 10 of his 13 points in the pivotal second quarter, while Chance Few (13 points) and well-built 6-3 forward Sully Chadbourne (9, 7 rebounds) also contributed. The Golden Eagles trailed 13-12 after one quarter but made 9-of-13 field goals, 4-of-4 3-pointers and 3-of-3 free throws in the second to take a 37-29 lead. They extended to 44-29 to begin the third and switched to a 1-3-1 zone that allowed them to effectively double- and triple-team Forbes around the paint. Cloverleaf cut the deficit to 57-52 on a Carter Whitehair 3-pointer in the fourth, but Decker responded with a gutsy 3-pointer at the other end with 2:25 remaining and the Golden Eagles were never threated again. "Our approach was to outrebound them (36-25) and outhustle them," Decker said. "Everything else just fell into place." Fewer than 24 hours removed from a devastating 62-61 loss to Brooklyn in which it allowed the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left, Cloverleaf played lethargically until making a second-half push behind a half-court trap. The Colts shot 2-of-14 in the third quarter to handicap their comeback bid and made only 5-of-21 3-pointers overall to continue a troubling early-season trend. Whitehair was the lone Cloverleaf player who was consistent from start to finish, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Forbes added 13 points and eight boards, Ty Novak had nine points and Marty Moran posted seven points, five rebounds and five dimes. The Colts struggled to find a groove against 2-3 and 1-3-1 zones after the Golden Eagles began in man. Cloverleaf also was beaten on hustle plays throughout. "Obviously we lost the game, and we have to find that closer mentality and move on," coach Jack Banks said. "We're playing on Tuesday and Thursday and they're league games (against Field and Streetsboro), so it really doesn't change anything at all, to be honest with you. We'll focus on the league and move forward." Fahey, Chadbourne, Decker and post Preston Demiter (5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals) played for Wadsworth's junior varsity two seasons ago and appeared in a handful of varsity games. They then elected to join Reimer Road Baptist Christian, giving the Golden Eagles height and physicality. They also helped put the club on the map Saturday with one of the biggest victories it has ever been apart of. "We came out and shocked them," Fahey said. "We played amazing together and moved the ball." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Reimer Road Baptist Christian 66, Cloverleaf 56 Spartan Holiday Showcase at Springfield REIMER ROAD &emsp;&emsp;12 25 13 16 — 66 CLOVERLEAF &emsp;&emsp;13 16 10 17 — 56 Reimer Road Baptist Christian — Eric Decker 5-0-13, Sully Chadbourne 4-1-9, Preston Demiter 2-0-5, Chance Few 5-2-13, Matt Fahey 6-5-19, Mark Gal 0-1-1, Casey Hill 2-0-4, Alex Innocenti 0-0-0, Seth Tavani 1-0-2. TOTALS: 25-9-66. Cloverleaf — Carter Whitehair 5-5-17, Gavin Cauley 0-0-0, Logan Forbes 6-1-13, Ty Novak 3-2-9, Marty Moran 2-2-7, Isaac Smith 1-0-2, Dylan Bresnahan 1-1-3, Brady Jackman 1-0-2, Joe Cesareo 1-0-3. TOTALS: 20-11-56. 3-point goals — Decker 3, Fahey 2, Few, Demiter, Whitehair 2, Novak, Moran, Cesareo. Rebounds — Reimer Road Baptist Christian 36 (Fahey 10), Cloverleaf 25 (Forbes, Whitehair 8). Assists — Reimer Road Baptist Christian 14 (Fahey 5), Cloverleaf 13 (Moran 5). Records — Reimer Road Baptist Christian (4-1), Cloverleaf (2-3).