Boys basketball: Stow beats Wadsworth in slugfest

MUNROE FALLS — The Wadsworth boys basketball team's defense was so locked in, physically and mentally, that Stow attempted only 21 shots from the floor and had only three players find the scoring column. That's normally more than enough for victory, but Friday night was anything but normal. Buoyed by a second-half surge that felt doubly impactful due to a plodding, robotic pace, the Bulldogs rallied and got a key stop with the Suburban League National Conference game on the line en route to winning a 31-30 slobberknocker. Wadsworth (4-12, 0-11), which failed to reach 50 points for the sixth time in its last seven games, led 21-10 early in the third quarter. The Bulldogs (9-7, 5-5) scored 21 of the final 30 points. "The kids are obviously really upset, but I was proud of them," Grizzlies coach D.J. Schrock said. A low-scoring affair wasn't a surprise, as the teams entered play putting up a combined 96.4 per night. The painfully slow pace was set right away after the Grizzlies needed nearly a minute to get off the first shot and didn't change a whole lot other than a couple transition opportunities Stow cashed in during a game-changing 17-2 run in the second half. Only power forward Jackson Taiclet (12 points), point guard Logan Fleishour (10) and shooting guard Eddie Norman (9) scored for the Bulldogs, as Wadsworth did a fantastic job denying flare and elevator screens while simultaneously shutting down post entries. When the ball did get inside, power forward Landon Oaks was there to contest. Stow made 12-of-21 field goals, 2-of-5 3-pointers and 4-of-6 free throws. The difference was the Bulldogs were 8-for-9, 1-for-1 and 4-for-4 while winning the second half 21-11. "We had a plan defensively tonight," Schrock said. "We asked them to try to execute that plan defensively and they did. I'm so proud of them. We've had some trouble with that throughout the course of the season: scouting, watching tape and then carrying over whatever we did in practice into games. I thought they did a really good job of that tonight." Wadsworth, which made 13-of-30 field goals, 3-of-9 3-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws, was carried for long stretches by Oaks, who finished with game highs of 14 points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks and numerous other contests at the rim. The Grizzlies also got five points from Lucas McDermitt and four from point guard Kyle Schmeltzer, who had to handle the ball exclusively at times because no one else could get open, but committed six second-half turnovers that felt like 12 considering the low number of possessions. Stow quickly realized it had made a tactical error when its new 2-3 zone to start the second half was promptly attacked by Oaks canning an elbow jumper. The Bulldogs switched to an extended, physical man that took away the Grizzlies' reliance on 3-pointers, trapped along the baseline and used backside help on post touches by Oaks. Wadsworth trailed 29-25 late but gave itself a chance when Oaks scored in the paint. Stow then committed a backcourt violation with 46.4 seconds to go, but backside help stripped the ball away on a post entry pass out of a Wadsworth inbounds play. The Bulldogs immediately got a transition layup to seal the game, and a fadeaway 3-pointer at the buzzer by the Grizzlies' Jimmy Galvin accounted for the final points." "The game of basketball comes down to whoever makes plays in the fourth quarter," Schrock said. "I told our guys I was proud of our defensive effort, but they just made big plays." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Stow 31, Wadsworth 30 WADSWORTH &emsp;&emsp;10 9 4 7 — 30 STOW &emsp;&emsp;5 5 13 8 — 31 Wadsworth — Vinny Terranova 1-0-2, Landon Oaks 6-1-14, Jimmy Galvin 1-0-3, Lucas McDermitt 2-0-5, Kyle Schmeltzer 2-0-4, Roy Hoertz 1-0-2, Payton Salzwimmer 0-0-0, Jack Allen 0-0-0. TOTALS: 13-1-30. Stow — Jacob Harrington 0-0-0, Jackson Taiclet 5-2-12, Andrew Rickelman 0-0-0, Eddie Norman 3-2-9, Logan Fleishour 4-0-10, Grady Fink 0-0-0, Oliver Huff 0-0-0, Thomas Shaw III 0-0-0, Brye Mitchell 0-0-0. TOTALS: 12-4-31. 3-point goals — Oaks, Galvin, McDermitt, Fleishour 2, Norman. Rebounds — Wadsworth 17 (Oaks 9), Stow 12 (Norman 6). Assists — Wadsworth 6 (Schmeltzer 3), Stow 7 (Rickelman 3). Records — Wadsworth (4-12, 0-11), Stow (9-7, 5-5). Junior varsity — Stow 34, Wadsworth 32 (W: Tyler Marino 13).