Boys basketball: Ethan Elbert, playing his first game in four years, plays hero for Midview in win over Keystone at DiFranco Classic

EATON TWP. — The unlikeliest of heroes came through for Midview on Saturday at the 23rd DiFranco Memorial Classic. Ethan Elbert, a senior who hasn't played basketball for his school in four years, calmly stepped to line and made a pair of free throws with 26.5 seconds to go that proved to be the difference in a 55-54 come-from-behind win in the season opener for both teams. The Middies were down 14 at halftime.. "I didn't focus on the crowd or the score, I just wanted to knock them down so I could get my team the win," said Elbert, whose only other points came on a 3-pointer early in the third quarter. "It's my first game back in four years. I was a little rusty but it meant a lot to help my team get the first win of the year." Elbert's teammate on the baseball field, senior David Moore, led the Middies with 19 points, 15 in the second half when the Middies outscored Keystone 39-24. "(Elbert) went to the line and I didn't know what to think," Midview coach Jim Brabenec said. "He's hasn't played basketball in a long time. He's still learning but we went up there and knocked them down. He's going to be good by the end of the year." Brabenec was hoarse and appeared to me physically and emotionally drained after guiding his team to victory over Keystone for the fifth time in six years at the DiFranco Classic. The Classic wasn't held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "You could see in the first half how emotional this day was for us. It's just a great way to start the season," Brabenec said. "You couldn't ask for a better crowd, a better atmosphere or a better opponent. Keystone played their tails off all night." Senior Grant Hartley had 16 points for Keystone but it was the Wildcats' young talent that really shined through with 27 points coming from freshman, including a team-high 18 from Liam Goran. Another freshman, Blake Moore, hit a clutch 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Wildcats bench with 1:16 to play that gave the Middies a 54-51 lead. "I felt good about putting the ball in Grant's hands and Liam's hands but the pressure just kind of got to us in spots," Keystone coach Jeff Holzhauer said. "It was a good game with two real good teams and I was just proud of how our team played." Midview took its first lead of the game at 47-46 on a Moore 3-pointer with 4:19 to play. Although the Middies had four players in double figures — Drew DiFranco added 12 and Steve Komar had 11 — Brabenec credited junior Tyler Davis, a 6-foot guard who spends most of his time with the JV squad for providing the team with an emotional lift, coming off the bench in the second half. DiFranco hit a pair of third-quarter 3-pointers but it was his two fourth-quarter free throws with 34.5 seconds to play that cut the Keystone lead to 54-53 and proved to be his biggest shots of the night. "It's big to start off the year 1-0," he said. "It was kind of sloppy but we got it turned around at the end. It means a lot to me to dedicate this game to my uncle and my grandpa. I'm bummed out that my cousin Evan couldn't play because he was injured but we won that game for them and for Evan." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Midview 55, Keystone 54 KEYSTONE (54): Emory Fedor 3-1-7, Liam Goran 6-3-18, Grant Hartley 6-3-16, Blake Moore 2-2-8, Logan Nagle 1-0-2, Karter Urig 1-0-2, Wyatt McKee 0-1-1. Totals 19-10-54.MIDVIEW (55): David Moore 8-0-19, Drew DiFranco 4-2-12, Ethan Elbert 1-2-5, Steve Komar 5-1-11, Bryson Hicks 3-0-6, Tyler Davis 1-0-2. Totals 22-5-55. Keystone&emsp;&emsp;12&emsp;&emsp;18&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;11&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;54Midview&emsp; &emsp;6&emsp;&emsp;10&emsp;&emsp;26&emsp;&emsp;13&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;55 Three-point goals: Keystone (Goran 3, Moore 2, Hartley); Midview (Moore 3, DiFranco 2, Elbert). Field goals: Keystone 19-52 (37 percent), Midview 22-46 (58 percent). Free throws: Keystone 11-19 (58 percent), Midview 5-7 (71 percent). Rebounds: Keystone 33, Midview 30 Turnovers: Keystone 13, Midview 15. Team fouls: Keystone 11, Midview 20.