Boys basketball: Medina beats Medina Christian in crosstown rivalry game

MEDINA — The night before Winter Storm Fern dumped a foot of snow on Medina County, former Medina Mavericks teammates Beckett Miller of Medina and Sam Dorman of Medina Christian produced a flurry of points on the basketball court. Miller and Dorman hit season scoring highs in the best performances of their careers, but the Bees' size, depth and massive enrollment advantage understandably loomed large as they pulled away for a 73-53 non-league win over the Knights in the "Battle of 44256." Miller finished with a career-high 26 points for Division I Medina (9-5), which was coming off a disappointing upset loss to Strongsville, while Dorman poured in a season-high 28 for the Knights (7-7), who continued to stake their claim as having the toughest D-VII schedule in Ohio. "(Friday) we got off to a slow start, and that ended up hurting us a lot," Miller said. "Today I felt like we got off to a hot start." The evening was a reunion of sorts for the circa 2019 Medina Mavericks, a youth organization that has produced some of the city's best players for decades. Miller, Bishop Burch and Sean Kungli represented the Bees, while Dorman, R.J. Walgate and coach Rob Walgate represented Medina Christian. Miller was magnificent and kept his season 3-point shooting percentage north of .500, making 6-of-10 attempts that included four in a row off Donte Cargill assists to put Medina in control up 36-20 late in the first half. The difference for Medina was balance, as Garrett Myers scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half, including two dunks, and Ryan Harubin added 10 points along with a transition two-hander of his own. "My shot felt good in the first quarter," Miller said. "I hit that first three and I just kept shooting." Dorman was arguably the best player on the floor for stretches, using his unorthodox scoop shots, quick hooks and rangy 6-foot-5 frame to finish with 28 points on 10-of-21 field goals and 8-of-10 free throws to go with a game-high nine rebounds. Outstanding defense from Medina's Brody Kopkas, Myers and Korde Carey limited 6-7 Knights 1,000-point scorer R.J. Walgate (9 points) to just two points through three quarters, however, as the Bees' trio kept Walgate from wiggling into his preferred area of the high post. Medina Christian led 10-7 in the first quarter before fading and won the rebounding battle 27-19. The Knights simply wore down heavily as the game progressed, as defensive breakdowns led to open Miller 3-pointers and allowed the Bees to shoot a gaudy 24-for-36 (.667) over the final three quarters. "It was pretty good, but ultimately I'd rather have the win," Dorman said. "Scoring a lot is good, but a win means a lot to me. "It's a Division I school. They have 10 times more kids than us — even more than that — so when we play those people back in our division in the tournament, we'll be set up for that." While almost everyone expected a Medina victory, Medina Christian certainly raised some eyebrows in a game where it had nothing to lose. The Knights have lost six straight by an average of 9.2 points, but those opponents are all at least two divisions larger and have a combined 48-39 record. "I've got a lot of respect for R.J. (Walgate), (Dorman) and all the guys on their team," Miller said. "They're really well put together, especially with Coach Rob (Walgate). "It was pretty fun, you know? I got to see my Mavericks coach, who coached me from third through sixth grade full time." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Medina 73, Medina Christian 53 Battle of 44256 at Medina MEDINA CHRISTIAN 12 10 11 20 — 53 MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;15 21 19 18 — 73 Medina Christian — Isaac Maletich 1-0-2, Nick Malicoat 1-3-6, Sam Dorman 10-8-28, R.J. Walgate 3-2-9, Preston Collins 1-4-6, Maddox Tousley 0-2-2, Jaxon Longsdorf 0-0-0, Adam Collier 0-0-0. TOTALS: 16-19-53. Medina — Brody Kopkas 2-2-8, Ryan Harubin 4-0-10, Garrett Myers 10-0-21, Bishop Burch 2-0-4, Beckett Miller 10-0-26, Luke Webb 1-0-2, Lucas Hogan 0-0-0, Donte Cargill 1-0-2, Korde Carey 0-0-0, Sean Kungli 0-0-0. TOTALS: 30-2-73. 3-point goals — Malicoat, Walgate, Miller 6, Kopkas 2, Harubin 2, Myers. Rebounds — Medina Christian 27 (Dorman 9), Medina 19 (Myers 8). Assists — Medina Christian 4 (Tousley 2), Medina 14 (Cargill 5). Records — Medina Christian (7-7), Medina (9-5). Junior varsity — Medina 66, Medina Christian 30 (Med: Jaxon Sesock 17).