Boys basketball: Brookside hoping Medina mauling will pay off come tournament time

MEDINA — Brookside stepped up a few weight classes for the second time this season Tuesday. The final result, a 101-66 loss to Medina, may not look pretty but the experience of playing a school as large and talented as Medina will pay dividends as the Cardinals close out their conference schedule and head into tournament season. "We always want to challenge ourselves," Brookside coach Larry Babics said. "We knew what we were in for tonight as far as competition level. They are really big, they shoot well and they are hard to contain. You're never happy after that kind of a loss, but our level of competitiveness was good tonight." The teams play similar run-and-gun styles of offense and neither is afraid to attempt a shot from anywhere across half-court. "We play fast," Babics said. "We try to play as fast as we can and shoot the ball as quickly as we can. Against a team like (Medina), that has that much help in the paint and that much size, it's going to be hard to get in there and not get shots blocked all night." The teams combined for 80 attempted 3-pointers and took 132 total shots. Medina (13-4) attempted 72 of those shots and the 12-attempt margin is largely attributed to a huge margin in the rebound department. The Bees pulled down 17 offensive rebounds (47 total) while the Cardinals had only 23 total boards. The size advantage that helped the Bees win on the glass also helped them dominate inside offensively as well. Medina made 75 percent (24-of-32) inside the arc with most of those coming at the basket while Brookside (10-5) made a respectable 9-of-20 (45-percent) but didn't generate enough down low. Cardinals senior Avery Young was the only player to consistently be able to finish inside, making almost half (four) of his team's inside buckets. He was also efficient outside the 3-point line, making 4-of-6 on his way to a game-high 23 points. "We knew it was going to be a hard game," Young said. "They came out and really muscled us to be honest. They played real aggressive, got rebounds. I think we played well but they were just more physical." Nolan Waechter was the only other Cardinal to reach double figures with 15 points, all coming on 3-pointers. Aiden McLaughlin was next in line with six points. Initially, Brookside went shot-for-shot with the Bees and trailed just 18-13 with 2:10 left in the first quarter when Patrick Sheehan hit a big 3-pointer. Medina began to pull away early, leading 24-13 after one, 47-29 at half and 73-47 at the end of the third. Both teams went deep into their benches with the Bees sending 15 players onto the floor and Brookside 14. The Bees' bench was another big factor, outscoring the Cardinals 57-14. Medina 101, Brookside 66 Brookside 13 16 18 19 — 66 Medina 24 23 26 28 — 101 BROOKSIDE (66): Nolan Waechter 5-0-15, Aiden McLaughlin 2-0-6, Patrick Sheehan 1-0-3, Avery Young 8-3-23, Marcus Frazier 1-1-4, Ben Montgomery 1-2-4, Anthony Robinson 0-0-0, Brandon Sharpe 1-0-2, Shalom Simpson 2-0-4, Jayden Nazario 0-0-0, Lincoln Barnhart 1-0-2, Devin Bradford 1-0-3, Tyler Kritzberger 0-0-0. TOTALS: 23-6-66. MEDINA (101): Luke Klanac 4-1-11, Hunter Smith 3-0-9, Jaylen Payne 2-1-5, Carlos Corchado 3-0-9, Carter Hipp 4-2-10, Kellon Johnson 3-0-7, Brock Beech 4-0-8, Benny Meyers 4-0-8, Luke Hassinger 5-0-15, Connor Smith 2-4-8, Bryce Zufra 2-0-4, Nathan Angus 0-0-0, Jack Wojciak 1-0-2, J.T. Mog 1-0-2, Everett Rodriguez 1-0-3. TOTALS: 39-8-101. 3-point goals: Waechter 5, Young 4, McLaughlin 2, Frazier, Radford, Sheehan, Hassinger 5, Corchado 3, H. Smith 3, Klanac 2, Johnson, Rodriguez. Rebounds: Brookside 23 (McLaughlin, Young 4), Medina 47 (Payne, C. Smith 8). Assists: Brookside 6 (Montgomery 3), Medina 23 (Hipp 6). Junior varsity: Medina, 76-25