Boys Basketball: Avon fights, finishes strong against Rocky River

ROCKY RIVER — Tuesday was a night for defensive intensity and bruising physical play when Avon traveled to Rocky River for a non-league game. Points were almost impossible to come by for the first three quarters, but when the game was on the line, Eagles junior guard Tyson Ziegler brought the heat. Ziegler scored seven points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to spark Avon's 9-0 run that led to a 45-35 win. Avon (11-5) took its first lead of the night, 25-24, with 6:35 remaining on a Ziegler layup. Then on the Eagles' next possession he hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 28-24. "My coaches kept telling me to shoot the ball, so that's what I did," Ziegler said. "They give me confidence every game and, even though I might have missed five or six in row, they started falling in the fourth quarter." The Eagles started slow, quickly digging themselves a 9-2 hole. But they worked their way back into the game by holding Rocky River to one point, a Will DeClerck free throw, over the final 9:48 of the first half. "They are a good defensive team, and we have a tough time knocking shots down," Avon coach Mike Fitch said. "We've been struggling defensively, and I think that was on me. We sat down as coaches and made some changes, and the kids really did a great job and executed the defense well tonight." The Eagles forced 13 second-half turnovers as they battled back from a 15-14 halftime deficit. "This was a big win. We came in on a three-game losing streak. We've been working hard in practice and we really needed this," senior Nate Farley said. "We always focus on defense because if you play good defense you're going to win games. Me and my teammates worked really hard tonight and it showed." Farley led Avon with 13 points. Junior Paul Leftrich had a big night off the bench with nine points. Although it was a non-league game, it was Avon's last chance to bolster its record ahead of Sunday's district tournament draw. Teams must submit their records today to allow coaches an opportunity to vote on seeding. "We didn't tell the kids that, but this game was huge," Fitch said. "Filling out that form and wondering if we were going to be 11-5 or 10-6. This was really a big win." The Pirates (9-7) were led by junior Julian Patti, the game's leading scorer with 15 points. He scored nine of Rocky River's 11 fourth-quarter points. "We played good defensively for three quarters, then we give up 22 points in the fourth quarter. That was a little disheartening," Rocky River coach Mike Murray said. "This was a great non-league game. It was a physical game, and they did a nice job of exposing some of the things we need to get better at. It was a great learning experience for us. "We turned the ball over more than we would like, but it was really those three minutes in the fourth quarter where the game got away from us." The Pirates held Avon to 25 percent shooting in the third quarter, but the Eagles defense was able to keep it a one-point game. Both teams struggled at the free throw line, with Avon shooting 50 percent (3-of-6) while Rocky River shot 44 percent (4-for-9). Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.