Boys basketball: Austin Hyre on fire as Buckeye hammers Bay

YORK TWP. — Behind a scorching start Friday, the Buckeye boys basketball team opened its season with a 71-57 Cleveland West Conference win over Bay. Senior shooting guard Austin Hyre was the spark that ignited the flame, scoring 14 of his game-high 30 points in the opening quarter as the Bucks jumped in front 29-14. "They came out in a zone and we weren't expecting it," Hyre said. "I was hitting shots and everyone was moving the ball, and I got good looks. I've felt good before but not like that." Hyre knocked down 4-of-6 3-pointers in the frame and finished the night 7-of-10 from deep and 11-of-18 overall, keying a strong offensive shooting performance for the Bucks. Buckeye knocked down 25-of-49 (.510) overall and 10-of-20 (.500) from behind the arc while showing very little rust. While Hyre dominated from deep, Buckeye senior center Turner Dolata took control inside with 16 points and 14 boards to help his team control the glass 38-25. Dolata also showed an early-season hot hand after helping the Buckeye football team advance to the regional semifinals, making 7-of-10 from the floor. "I think it is huge for our confidence," he said. "If you start out slow the team morale can go down. We started out really hot." Buckeye's second game will be Friday against defending CWC champ Lakewood, and its third won't be until the following Saturday against North Olmsted before business starts to pick up after Christmas. The Bucks maintained the 15-point margin for most of the game and the lead expanded to 20 multiple times in the second, third and fourth quarters. Hyre opened the fourth with a pair of trifectas, and a putback by Derek Snyderburn (10 points, 5 rebounds) pushed the edge to 63-43 with 6:20 left. Things got interesting over the next five minutes, as Bay (1-2, 0-1) got some offense to go along with the issues caused by its 1-2-2 trapping defense. "We haven't really been able to practice against that," Dolata said. "We just got back from football not too long ago. Being able to come out and handle stuff we aren't ready for is huge for our team." Bay forced nine Buckeye turnovers in the third quarter but couldn't close the gap. Six more in the fourth sparked an 11-3 run that cut its deficit to single digits for the first time since early in the first quarter. Highlighted by the efforts of Bay's Kelan Rose (16 points, 6 rebounds), the Buckeye lead shrunk to 66-57, but Rose missed a pair of free throws that could have got his team closer. The Bucks regrouped behind point guard Logan Brown (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) and reserve guard Zach Stough (6, 5 steals) to seal the win. Stough was a menace at the defensive end all night. He had two swipes late in the fourth quarter and converted the first into a layup and the second into a free throw split. "As a junior, my playing time wasn't really guaranteed," Stough said. "I knew I had to really work in the offseason and hustle to get my minutes. I really don't provide offense. I can make a few shots once in a while if they are open, but I think my minutes are my best when I am really active on defense." Brown was clutch after missing four consecutive free throws, knocking down two to close the game. "There a few different guys playing way bigger roles this year," Dolata said. "I thought they all handled it really well." The Rockets had four players finish in double figures in scoring, with Rose leading the way followed by Ethan George (15 points, 7 rebounds), Emmitt Naughton (14, 5) and Ryan Miller (10, 3). Contact Chad Grant at sports@medina-gazette.com. Buckeye 71, Bay 57 BAY&emsp;14 12 12 19 — 57 BUCKEYE&emsp;29 15 11 16 — 71 Bay — Ethan George 4-6-15, Ryan Miller 4-0-10, Brody Beggs 0-0-0, Kelan Rose 6-0-16, Emmitt Naughton 5-4-14, Jackson Smith 0-0-0, Henry Schriner 1-0-2, Jak Bly 0-0-0. TOTALS: 20-10-57. Buckeye — Jacob Snyderburn 1-1-3, Derek Snyderburn 3-3-10, Turner Dolata 7-1-16, Austin Hyre 11-1-30, Logan Brown 1-4-6, Zach Stough 2-1-6, Mason Dolata 0-0-0. TOTALS: 25-11-71. 3-point goals — Rose 4, Miller 2, George, Hyre 7, Dolata, D. Snyderburn, Stough. Rebounds — Bay 25 (George 7), Buckeye 38 (T. Dolata 14). Assists — Bay 4 (Miller, Naughton, Rose Schriner), Buckeye 14 (Brown 4). Records — Bay (1-2, 0-1), Buckeye (1-0, 1-0). Junior varsity — Buckeye 43, Bay 38 (Bu: Ethan Kaetzel 13, Devin Shrader 10).