Boys basketball: Medina Christian can't hold off the mighty Quinn

MONTVILLE TWP. — Quinn Kwasniak wasn't happy with how he played Thursday night. Neither was his father Babe Kwasniak, the Willoughby Hills Cornerstone Christian boys basketball coach. Nicknamed "Turtle" because of the way he crawled on the floor as a baby, the 6-foot-2 Quinn Kwasniak was so bad that he finished with 57 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Patriots defeated Medina Christian 87-57 in non-league play. Played pretty much straight up by the Knights (6-13), especially when compared to some of the defenses he's faced in his career, Quinn Kwasniak was 22-for-53 from the field, including 11-for-30 on 3-pointers, as Cornerstone improved to 13-6. "Nobody, including LeBron Ramone James, gets guarded like he does in high school," Babe Kwasniak said. "The expectations have become absurd, including from me. I thought he absolutely, positively stunk tonight and he had 57." With 2,948 career points, Quinn Kwasniak ranks fourth in state history behind Jon Diebler (3,208, Fostoria and Upper Sandusky), Luke Kennard (2,997, Franklin) and Jay Burson (2,958, New Concord John Glenn). His 506 career 3-pointers, which include five games with 10, two with 11, one with 12 and one with 13, are a state record. The Army commit has had 32 games with at least 30 points, 13 with at least 40, six with at least 50 and scored a career-high 60 against Horizon Science Academy. He had 51 points against Medina Christian as a sophomore and hasn't been held to single digits or had a game without a 3-pointer since February of his freshman season, when he averaged 22.3 points. That scoring averaged leaped to 29.1 as a sophomore, 33.1 as a junior and was at 36.9 this season prior to Thursday, with the guard also averaging 9.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals in 2024-25. For good measure, Kwasniak has made 597 free throws in his career, which ranks ninth in state history. "I just try not to focus on any of that," he said. "I don't worry about the accolades or the numbers. I'm just having fun. These are my boys." Cornerstone Christian is 75-23 in Kwasniak's four-year career playing for his legendary father, who led Villa Angela-St. Joseph to five straight state championship game appearances in Division III or IV and three state titles from 2013-17. Babe Kwasniak also won three state championships while playing at VASJ for his father Tedd, who led the Vikings to four crowns overall and passed away on Oct. 29, 2024. The Patriots were eliminated from the postseason by eventual D-IV state champion Richmond Heights in Quinn Kwasniak's first three seasons, but this year will compete in D-VII along with Medina Christian in the Ohio High School Athletic Association's expanded playoff format. Thursday, Quinn Kwasniak had quarter scoring totals of 12, seven, 19 and 19. He took 15 shots in the first period, 11 in the second, 14 in the third and 13 in the fourth, which began with the Patriots up 64-46. "That's not normal, but when someone has put in the work that he has, he deserves those shots," said 6-6 Medina Christian point guard R.J. Walgate, who finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. "You've got to give credit where credit is due." The Knights, who also got big games from center Jason King (18 points on 8-for-23 shooting, 16 rebounds), shooting guard Nick Malicoat (21 points, 7-for-14 3-pointers) and small forward-by-necessity Noah Perko (1 point, 12 rebounds, 4 assists), played very well in the first half, aside from one terrible stretch of turnovers. They led 19-18 after the opening period, fell behind by nine in the second quarter, then hit three straight 3-pointers to tie at 30 before going into the half down 33-30 when Kwasniak hit a three. The Patriots upped their pressure and intensity in the third period and outscored Medina Christian 31-16, with Kwasniak scoring 13 points in the first 2:52. By the end of the quarter, the point guard had hit a few 22-footers, mixed in some drives, canned a mid-range jumper and launched several shots from 30 feet. "He was part of the better team tonight, which is unfortunate," Walgate said. The Patriots also got 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting, 14 rebounds and four assists from 6-5 center Darrien Davis and eight points and four assists from shooting guard Hudson Funk, but Kwasniak was the main reason his team took over the game, scoring 38 points in a 54-27 second half. "We were able to pick it up in the second half," he said. "We were all mad about the first half, so we came out and played better." Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4046 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on X. Cornerstone Christian 87, Medina Christian 57CORNERSTONE 18 15 31 23 — 87MEDINA CHRISTIAN 19 11 16 11 — 57Cornerstone — Asiah West 2-0-4, Kolsen Keeper 2-0-4, Darrien Davis 7-0-14, Hudson Funk 3-0-8, Quinn Kwasniak 22-2-57, Ay'den Pettis 0-0-0, Carter Sims 0-0-0. TOTALS: 36-2-87. Medina Christian — Noah Perko 0-1-1, Sam Dorman 1-0-2, Jason King 8-2-18, Nick Malicoat 7-0-21, R.J. Walgate 6-1-15, Adam Collier 0-0-0, Jaxon Longsdorf 0-0-0. TOTALS: 22-4-57. 3-point goals — Kwasniak 11, Funk 2, Malicoat 7, Walgate 2. Rebounds — Cornerstone 33 (Davis 14), Medina Christian 57 (King 16). Assists — Cornerstone 18 (Kwasniak 9), Medina Christian 13 (Perko, Walgate 4). Records — Cornerstone (13-6), Medina Christian (6-13). Junior varsity — Cornerstone Christian 59, Medina Christian 44 (M: Troy Reidl 18).