Boys basketball: Brecksville beats Highland in battle of Suburban League conference champs

GRANGER TWP. — Steven Skaljac and the Brecksville boys basketball team claimed bragging rights Friday in a battle of the Suburban League's conference champions. Senior forward Skaljac poured in 35 points, highlighted by five NBA-distance 3-pointers, as the National kingpin Bees led from wire to wire in a 67-52 victory over American champ Highland. Brecksville (20-1), whose lone loss came against Nordonia on Feb. 6, scored the first 14 points in seizing a 19-2 lead and never looked back. Skaljac drained three 27-footers before Joshua Butcher put the Hornets on the board 5:09 in. "We looked at this game kind of like a district final because of the caliber of our opponent," Bees coach Steve Mehalik said. "Steven came out hot and his pace, shooting ability and length were really difficult for them to counter. He impacted the game at both sides of the floor." Butcher had 14 points and seven rebounds to pace Highland (15-6), which also received 12 points, four rebounds and a game-best five assists from junior point guard Jake Weber. Junior forward Colin Goldie added seven points off the bench, while starters Nick Dobkowski and Carson Cope scored seven apiece in celebrating their senior night with the Hornets' cheer and dance teams. "Obviously, this wasn't the outcome we wanted, but it was a good learning experience," Butcher said. "Skaljac has such a high IQ and you always have to be aware of him. If you don't, he's going to hurt you, and the rest of their team makes him even more dangerous." Center Ben Mehendale had seven points and four boards while battling foul trouble and fellow senior Rocco Dean scored seven for the Bees. Brecksville only committed one turnover in the first half and built its largest advantage at 61-39 in the fourth quarter. The Hornets twice pulled within nine points in the second period, only to have the 6-foot-3 uncommitted Skaljac answer from long distance both times. Weber was the catalyst behind the pushes, sinking two 3-pointers and scoring eight before intermission. "Jake came out and he fought real hard," Hornets coach Tanner Houska said. "He did a nice job creating energy, but ultimately, the start of the game was too much to overcome. They're not a team you want to play from behind against." Brecksville is ranked first in the district and fifth in Ohio among Division II schools, while Highland sits ninth and 22nd, respectively. A rematch in the postseason isn't out of the question. Three nights earlier, the Bees beat D-III power Gilmour Academy 57-53. They wrap up the regular season against a lower-tier foe in John Marshall. "This was one of the toughest weeks of our schedule with Gilmour and Highland," said Skaljac, who made 12-of-23 field goal attempts, 5-of-11 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws. "Of course, we wanted to come out fast and show them what kind of a team we are." The Hornets also did a fine job scheduling with the tournament in mind, slotting in Brecksville and incoming SL member Medina for their final two contests. The latter takes place Feb. 27 at Highland. "We wanted to challenge ourselves with two really good opponents to see where we stand," Houska said. "Tonight showed us where we're falling short, which we're going to work on improving, but you also have to credit Brecksville for being one of the best in the area." Contact Brian Dulik at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on X. Brecksville 67, Highland 52 BRECKSVILLE &emsp;&emsp;19 17 13 18 — 67 HIGHLAND &emsp;&emsp; 6 18 10 18 — 52 Brecksville — Steven Skaljac 12-6-35, AJ Hutton 1-0-2, Ben Mehendale 2-2-7, Rocco Dean 3-0-7, Carson Zabkar 1-0-2, Anthony Ciocca 3-0-6, Evan Griech 1-0-2, Matt Lane 2-2-6, Bryndan Williams 0-0-0, Dominic Dean 0-0-0. TOTALS: 25-10-67 Highland — Nick Dobkowski 3-1-7, Joshua Butcher 4-4-14, Jameson Gordon 1-0-2, Carson Cope 2-2-7, Jake Weber 5-0-12, Colin Goldie 3-0-7, Conner Dean 0-0-0, Brayden Maloney 1-0-3, Damian Cirino 0-0-0, Colin Mendenhall 0-0-0. TOTALS: 19-7-52. 3-point goals — Skaljac 5, Mehendale, R. Dean, Butcher 2, Weber 2, Cope, Goldie, Maloney. Rebounds — Brecksville 20 (Hutton 5), Highland 18 (Butcher 7). Assists — Brecksville 12 (Zabkar 3), Highland 14 (Weber 5). Records — Brecksville (20-1), Highland (15-6). Junior varsity — Brecksville 35, Highland 33 (Jackson Robertson 14).