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Bombers fly off-chart to clip Chagrin 50-48
(by Tony Lange - December 22, 2011)
Photo by Kristi Leffler
Kenston’s Eric Truog (44) appears to be outreaching both Derek Stevenson (44) and Michael Hageman (22) of Chagrin Falls for a rebound in the Bombers’ overtime win.
Bombers fly off-chart to clip Chagrin 50-48
By TONY LANGE
Basketball fans standing with open mouths and hands on their foreheads in the Bombers' student section watched their home team as the final seconds ticked away last Saturday at Kenston High School.
The visiting Chagrin Falls Tigers were defending a three-point lead and Kenston had an open look from outside the arc but failed to pull the trigger.
Instead, reigning Chagrin Valley Conference MVP Eric Truog received a pass at the post and drove to the bucket.
Kenston head coach Josh Jakacki said a two-point shot was not the designed play the Bombers wrote up during their final timeout.
"I was like, 'What are you doing?' because we needed the three to tie it," Jakacki said. "But to Eric's credit, he went hard to the basket and Chagrin tried to take a charge and got called for an and-one bucket."
Truog sunk the ensuing free throw to covert the three-point play and tied the game at 45 with 1.1 seconds left in regulation.
The Bombers went on to win the overtime battle 50-48 to stay unbeaten at 3-0, while Chagrin Falls dropped to 1-1.
During overtime, Chagrin took a 48-45 lead before Kenston's Cody Shell sniped a three from the corner to tie the game.
That was a breakout moment for Shell, Jakacki said.
"We wanted him to pull the trigger all evening because he's a quality shooter and a nice player for us," Jakacki said. "He's got to trust his talent and trust what we're trying to tell him because he's the type of kid who has the ability to make those types of plays."
After tying the game with his three, Shell picked up a steal on the defensive end, which allowed Kenston's offense to run more than a minute off the clock and call a timeout with about 15 seconds left in overtime.
Out of the timeout, the Bombers' got the look they wanted with Truog who scored the game-winning bucket.
Truog finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds, while Shell had seven points, three steals and three assists.
Meanwhile, without their No. 2 go-to man, Peirce Cumpstone, who was out with a hand injury, the Bombers had to rely on a number of guys to step up, Jakacki said.
"Obviously we wanted him on the floor, but we had some other guys who were able to step in and contribute," he said. "Losing a player like Peirce is never an easy thing to overcome, but it's not something we can sit there and feel sorry for ourselves either. We've still got to play the game."
Darryl Richards racked up 15 points and six assists. Austin Lamb grabbed 10 boards and six points. And lone sophomore on the varsity team, Peter Rozman, had four points, two of which were free throws in the final minute of regulation, which put the Bombers back within one possession.
"I can't say enough about Darryl," Jakacki said. "At this point, he has 25 assists and four turnovers. Right now he's a dynamic player who just does not understand how good he really is. The sky is the limit with him in how far he wants to go and what he wants to accomplish."
Meanwhile, leading scorers for Chagrin Falls were Derek Stevenson with 18 points and Liam Sullivan with 12.
It was a typical Chagrin-Kenston game, Jakacki said.
"It was a great game, but it was a game we definitely stole," he said. "You never apologize for a win, but we went back and we felt like we got away with one."
Up next, Kenston hosts Solon at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday.
Chagrin Falls travels to Beachwood at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 29.
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