Boys basketball: Medina gets hammered by Euclid

EUCLID — Arriving late to Richard H. Clevidence Gymnasium for a Greater Cleveland Conference boys basketball game against Medina didn't faze Euclid whatsoever. On the flip side, one could argue the Bees didn't show up once the ball finally tipped off at 8:42 p.m. Tuesday night. Medina learned the hard way there are no cupcakes on the hardwood in the GCC. Talented sharpshooter Mehki Asberry made the Bees pay, and the transfer-heavy Panthers led wire to wire in a 66-50 victory that never really saw the Bees grab any sustained momentum. "I did like how we responded," Medina coach Chris Hassinger said. "I told the boys, 'You need to get your butts beat sometimes.' We were riding a high thinking we're really good, but there's just no games off in this league." A 2-3 zone with great length had been a strength for Medina this season, but breakdowns proved costly in a 13-4 first quarter. Richmond Heights transfer Asberry simply parked in the corner and fired at will off skip passes, scoring 17 points as the lead extended to 21-9 midway through the second. Asberry kept chucking and the lead either maintained or kept growing. The sophomore outscored the Bees (6-3, 3-2) 21-18 in the first half and finished with 30 points on 10-of-20 field goals, 6-of-13 3-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws. Euclid (7-4, 4-1) also got 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks from 6-foot-8 Villa Angela-St. Joseph transfer Kye Owens, 14, four and three from Garfield Heights transfer Dontez Jones and six assists from 6-4 former Lutheran East point guard Demetrius Jenkins. The Panthers had 16 assists on 26 field goals and committed only eight turnovers. "I was disappointed in our zone defense early," Hassinger said. "It's been so good for us and the reason we've won games. We made some really simple mistakes early that got us down, and we're not a high-powered enough offense to get back in those games. "But good grief, credit to (Euclid)," he continued. "No. 0 (Asberry) had 21 in the first half. They've got guys who can play at all positions." Medina didn't have much to hang its hat on, though Garrett Myers was again effective with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, Beckett Miller made four 3-pointers and had 14 points and Ryan Harubin added nine points. The Bees elected to use one of the largest starting lineups in school history with Lucas Hogan (6-11), Myers (6-6), Brody Kopkas (6-5), Harubin (6-3) and Miller (6-1), but its first five possessions were comprised of two bricks, two charging fouls and two other turnovers. The Bees shot 1-for-6 with five turnovers in the first quarter, as they struggled when Euclid hedged high screens or went to a half-court trap. Medina righted the ship a bit in the second quarter and got a slight momentum boost when Korde Carey nailed a half-courter at the buzzer, but was promptly outscored 21-12 in the third quarter. There was no way around the fact Medina didn't have a good night, but Hassinger was already itching to break down film and learn from it. "We lacked a little toughness tonight," he said. "We've been really tough all year long, and tonight I thought we got scared early. Sometimes fear takes your toughness away." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Euclid 66, Medina 50 EUCLID &emsp;&emsp;13 14 21 18 — 66 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;4 14 12 20 — 50 Euclid — Tyree Williamson 1-0-2, Dontez Jones 6-1-14, Kye Owens 5-0-12, Mehki Asberry 10-4-30, Demetrius Jenkins 3-0-6, Da'Shun Williams 1-0-2, Kymari Carter 0-0-0, Jayden Basie 0-0-0, Wayne Hamilton 0-0-0. TOTALS: 26-5-66. Medina — Brody Kopkas 1-0-3, Garrett Myers 3-4-10, Lucas Hogan 0-0-0, Ryan Harubin 3-2-9, Beckett Miller 5-0-14, Bishop Burch 0-0-0, Luke Webb 3-0-6, Korde Carey 1-0-3, Owen Sturm 0-2-2, Tyler Minarcin 0-1-1, Sean Kungli 1-0-2, Brody Robison 0-0-0, Alex Wollmann 0-0-0, Andrew Kupec 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-11-50. 3-point goals — Asberry 6, Owens 2, Jones, Miller 4, Kopkas, Harubin, Carey. Rebounds — Euclid 28 (Owens 10), Medina 28 (Myers, Miller, Hogan 5). Assists — Euclid 16 (Jenkins 6), Medina 7 (Myers 3). Records — Euclid (7-4, 4-1), Medina (6-3, 3-2). Junior varsity — Euclid 72, Medina 58 (M: Tyson Riffle 19).