Boys basketball: Buckeye too much for Medina Christian

MEDINA — A much bigger and deeper Buckeye boys basketball team pretty much got whatever it wanted, whenever it wanted Saturday against Medina Christian. Once the Bucks started making shots and the stubborn Knights tired, the first game of the "Battle of the 44256" at Medina High turned into a blowout. Final score: Buckeye 80, Medina Christian 49. "It started with us playing harder," said 6-foot-5 Bucks junior power forward Turner Dolata, who led all scorers with 23 points while adding six rebounds. "We lit a fire in us at halftime. Then we were getting steals and easy buckets. When you do that, you just go on crazy runs." Up 30-25 at intermission despite shooting a woeful 11-for-35 from the field, the Bucks (3-3) allowed Medina Christian (0-5) to get as close as 37-34 with 5:24 left in the third period. Buckeye then went on a 16-0 run that stretched to 20-2 and eventually to 31-4, giving it a 68-38 lead in a fourth quarter played only because it had to be. "In the second half we kept turning the ball over," Medina Christian center Jason King said. "I felt good about the whole team in the first half, but we definitely got lazy. We were still in the game, and we let it go." The game could not have started better for King and the Knights. They led 8-4 on four straight inside buckets by the 6-3 King, three coming on assists from 6-6 sophomore R.J. Walgate. Behind a 14-4 rebounding advantage in the opening period, Buckeye closed the first quarter on a 16-7 run and never trailed again. The Bucks maintained a 30-25 lead at halftime after shooting 5-for-16 in the second period. At that point, Dolata and guard Austin Hyre had combined for 19 points but were 7-for-24 from the floor with a number of easy misses. "We got everything we wanted," Dolata said. "We just had to put those shots away." Buckeye did exactly that while winning the second half 50-24, shooting a sizzling 21-for-32 from the field (.656). Dolata had 11 points in the third quarter, while backup guard Logan Brown had seven of his nine in the fourth. Hyre finished with 11 points and five boards, while 6-8 sophomore center Nolan Klingbeil dominated inside whenever he was on the floor, finishing with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocks. "He's been awesome," Dolata said of Klingbeil. "He's a great complement to me. We're learning to play off each other and make each other better. When we both are playing well, we're really hard to beat." The Bucks also got eight points, three boards and three assists from small forward Scott DiMarco, eight points and three assists from reserve Derek Snyderburn, three points and four assists from point guard Travis Avallone and a hustling seven boards from rugged backup Jacob Snyderburn. Medina Christian, meanwhile, had three players score 42 of its 49 points. The multitalented Walgate had 21 points, seven boards and three assists, with six of his points coming after Buckeye emptied its bench. King finished with 12 points and six boards and shooting guard Nick Malicoat added nine points. "We play a lot of schools bigger than us and we're a young team, but we compete with some teams," King said. "We're looking to set a foundation for now and the next couple of years. We have a tough schedule, but Coach (Rob Walgate) did that on purpose for future years." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Buckeye 80, Medina Christian 49 "Battle of the 44256" MEDINA CHRISTIAN 15 10 13 11 — 49 BUCKEYE 20 10 27 23 — 80 Medina Christian — R.J. Walgate 8-2-21, Sam Dorman 1-0-2, Jason King 6-0-12, Nick Malicoat 2-3-9, Isaac Maletich 1-0-2, Maddox Tousley 0-0-0, Adam Collier 0-0-0, Noah Perko 1-1-3. TOTALS: 19-6-49. Buckeye — Scott DiMarco 3-0-8, Turner Dolata 7-7-23, Nolan Klingbeil 5-1-11, Austin Hyre 5-1-11, Travis Avallone 1-0-3, Logan Brown 4-1-9, Derek Snyderburn 4-0-8, Jacob Snyderburn 0-0-0, Andrew Tessman 2-0-4, Blake Zacharias 0-0-0, Rees Perkins 0-0-0, Zach Stough 1-0-3. TOTALS: 32-10-80. 3-point goals — Walgate 2, Malicoat 2, Dolata 2, DiMarco 2, Avallone, Stough. Rebounds — Medina Christian 30 (Walgate, Dorman 7), Buckeye 45 (Klingbeil 13). Assists — Medina Christian 8 (Walgate 3), Buckeye 17 (Avallone 4). Records — Medina Christian (0-5), Buckeye (3-3).