Boys high school basketball: Edward Wright III joins his dad in the 1,000-point club as Elyria Catholic caps big week with win over Rocky River

ELYRIA — It was a big week for Elyria Catholic. First came a win over league-leading Fairview on Tuesday, then Friday senior Edward Wright III scored his 1,000th career point as the Panthers avenged an earlier conference loss with a 61-56 win over Rocky River. When Wright connected on the first of two free throws with 39 seconds left the Panthers had sealed the win and Wright joined his father, Edward Wright II, in the 1,000-point club. The Panthers (13-6, 8-5 Great Lakes Conference) trailed for most of the first half and well into the third quarter, but when they got cooking the Pirates (9-8, 7-6) couldn't contain Wright or 6-foot-7 center Branson Taylor. The duo combined to score 30 of Elyria Catholic's 36 second-half points and combined to grab 17 rebounds after halftime ... 11 at the offensive end. Wright ended the game with 25 points and 12 rebounds while Taylor scored 23 with 13 boards. "When Ed and Branson play like that we're pretty good," Elyria Catholic coach Rob Palmer said. "We play 10 or 11 guys and had some other guys step up, but Ed and Branson had a great second half. "I was so proud of Ed for getting that 1,000th point, and he had to go get it. It didn't come to him, he went and got it and made sure tonight was going to be his night with his rebounds and putbacks. His energy really showed up." Rocky River had an early five-point lead and led 30-27 early in the third quarter, but a Jack Griffin basket sparked a 9-0 Panthers run and they never trailed again. The Pirates pulled even at 40 on a Jack Schill 3-pointer at the 1:27 mark of the third quarter, but Elyria Catholic used another run, this time 8-0, to take command. "It was that one stretch there where we missed four straight shots," Pirates coach Mike Murray said. "They would go down and score or grab some offensive rebounds ... that was the difference in the game. We played hard for 32 minutes and I thought we did some really nice things, but (Elyria Catholic) did some great things, too." Tommy Ruma paced Rocky River with 21 points. After Wright scored his 1,000th point he took the game ball and gave it to his father, a 1,500-point scorer at Lorain High in the early 1980s who went on to play at Michigan State. "It was really emotional," Wright said. "It was a great feeling. I've been working my whole high school career for this. It was amazing ... the whole student section was filled up and I had my family here. We have a great support system here and it was special to do this in front of them." Wright also said being able to share the moment with his father and family was a blessing. "He's the greatest man I've ever met, just genuinely an amazing person," Wright said of his dad. "He's walked me through this whole process and showed me the way. He's never steered me wrong in my life and I know I can always trust everything he says. "A coach, a father, a mentor, anything I've needed he's been there for me." Edward Wright II, a 2009 Lorain Sports Hall of Fame inductee, is thrilled with his son's Elyria Catholic career. "I'm extremely proud and think he's shown a lot of determination," Wright II said. "He's shown a lot of mental toughness and has shown it with class. His leadership and the things he does are very impressive. "Those are things, as a father, you try to teach, but it's either in you or it's not. He has those things and I've been very, very impressed with how he's handled himself." Taylor, who has played with Wright since they were freshmen, said he was happy to be a part of his teammate's milestone moment. "It was special," he said. "We had a great game and it was a big night for Ed. He scored his 1,000th point, which is a huge accolade, and was in that attack mode in the second half. When he's in that mode it gets us all going." Contact Mike Perry at 329-7135 or macsportstalk@gmail.com. Elyria Catholic 61, Rocky River 56 ROCKY RIVER (56): Connor O'Toole 0-2-2, Tommy Bebie 0-2-2, Tommy Ruma 7-3-21, Charlie Hudson 4-2-10, Robby Lang 5-0-11, Braedon Spies 0-3-3, Nathan Robertson 1-0-2, Jack Schill 2-0-5. Totals 19-12-56. ELYRIA CATHOLIC (61): Edward Wright 9-6-25, Jack Griffin 5-0-11, Branson Taylor 10-3-23, Zach Gorczyca 1-0-2, Eli Palmer 0-0-0, Connor Trockley 0-0-0, Jaret Frantz 0-0-0, Luke Costantino 0-0-0, Jordan Taylor 0-0-0. Totals 25-9-61. Rocky River 11 15 14 16 -- 56 Elyria Catholic 12 13 21 15 -- 61 Three-point goals: Rocky River 6-19 (Ruma 4, Lang, Schill), Elyria Catholic 2-9 (Wright, Griffin). Field goals: Rocky River 19-46 (41.3 percent), Elyria Catholic 25-48 (52 percent); Free throws: Rocky River 12-16 (75 percent), Elyria Catholic 9-15 (60 percent); Rebounds: Rocky River 21 (Spies 6), Elyria Catholic 36 (B. Taylor 13, Wright 12). Turnovers: Rocky River 5, Elyria Catholic 11. Total fouls: Rocky River 12, Elyria Catholic 15. Fouled out: None. Junior Varsity: Elyria Catholic, 62-50.