Boys basketball: Medina dominates in sectional win over John Hay

MEDINA — The Medina boys basketball team opened tournament play Wednesday night with a game in which the Bees did whatever they pleased, including winning by the eighth-largest margin in school history. In a Division I, Northeast 2 Sectional semifinal, No. 26 Medina never gave No. 67 John Hay a chance in a 76-24 victory that tied for the second-largest tournament win in program history, behind only a 90-24 win over Max Hayes on Feb. 27, 2019. The 24 points allowed by the Bees tied for the fewest given up in a tournament game since Medina defeated Holmes County's Big Prairie 30-17 on March 5, 1931. The Bees surrendered quarter scoring totals of five, two and four before allowing 13 points in the final period. "It was a big first-round win," reserve center Jase Holland said. "We can't underestimate anybody. It doesn't matter what the rankings say because it's one game and anything can happen. We knew we had to come out strong and that's what we did." Medina (13-10) will host No. 44 Bedford (11-12) in a sectional final Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bearcats topped No. 54 Cleveland John F. Kennedy 61-52 Wednesday. The lopsided victory gave the Bees plenty of opportunities to utilize their bench, with 14 players seeing action and 12 players cracking the scoring column, led by Holland's 12 points. Center Connor Smith (10 points) and starting forwards Brock Beech (9) and Kellon Johnson (8) led the way, with reserves Everett Rodriguez and Coen Miller chipping in seven apiece. Coach Chris Hassinger removed the starters midway through the third quarter with Medina ahead 53-9. "It's always really fun," especially, when the young guys that don't really get to play a lot got the chances to show what they can do," Johnson said. "It's always special when you get to the end of the game and you get to cheer for them." Medina opened the game on a 17-0 run. After assisting on the first two baskets, Beech sank two foul shots to contribute on the first eight points. He tied Beckett Miller for the team lead with four assists. The Bees' offense was sparked by 20 forced turnovers, including 17 in the first half. When the Bees got too loose with the ball, allowing the Hornets' Demetrius West to get a steal and a layup to finally crack the scoreboard with 1:29 left in the first quarter, Hassinger immediately called a timeout. "Our coaches made an emphasis on starting fast," Johnson said. "We didn't want to have a close game with them and give them confidence they could compete with us." West and DeAnthony Moore each scored seven points for John Hay (9-14), while Santonio Doss (6 points) and Willie Henderson (4) rounded out the scoring. Holland had two of his three rim-rattling dunks in the middle of that run, while Smith scored five points during the streak. "It feels good to get the dunks, but my teammates get me the outlet passes," Holland said. "Our point guards made great plays, so I give credit to Luke (Hassinger) and Bryce (Zufra)." Medina went on a 25-0 run from the middle of the second quarter into the first two minutes of the second half to grab a 53-7 lead on a basket by Luke Hassinger (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists). Coen Miller scored all seven of his points during the spurt, while Johnson had five, Holland (game-high 8 rebounds) and Zufra (4 points) each had four. Brandon Colosimo closed the scoring with a 3-pointer for his only points and Medina's largest lead of the game. Contact John Urchek at jurchek@medina-gazette.com. Medina 76, John Hay 24 Division I, Northeast 2 Sectional Semifinal JOHN HAY 5 2 4 13 — 24 MEDINA 20 28 10 18 — 76 John Hay — Demetrius West 3-0-7, Santonio Doss 3-0-6, A'Chauntez Glenn 3-1-7, Willie Henderson 2-0-4, DeAnthony Moore 0-0-0, Deysean Rosser 0-0-0, Mario McCoy 0-0-0, Malory Harris 0-0-0, Aidon DeSilva 0-0-0, William Seals 0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-1-24. Medina — Brock Beech 2-4-9, Kellon Johnson 2-3-8, Connor Smith 4-1-10, J.T. Mog 0-0-0, Luke Hassinger 2-0-5, Jase Holland 5-2-12, Bryce Zufra 0-4-4, Ryan Harubin 2-0-5, Everett Rodriguez 2-2-7, Brandon Colosimo 1-0-3, Talan Posey 0-0-0, Coen Miller 2-2-7, Brody Kopkas 1-1-4, Beckett Miller 1-0-2. TOTALS: 24-19-76. 3-point goals — West, Harubin, Rodriguez, Smith, Colosimo, Miller, Beech, Johnson, Kopkas, Hassinger. Rebounds — Medina 33 (Holland 8), John Hay 16 (Glenn 4). Assists — Medina 16 (Beech, B. Miller 4), John Hay 6 (Moore 3). Records — John Hay (9-14), Medina (13-10).