Boys basketball: Elyria Catholic gets aggressive, downs Westlake to snap three-game skid

ELYRIA — In desperate need of a win Friday, and even though they didn't have their best shooting night, the Elyria Catholic Panthers kept the pressure on all night to get back on the winning side for the first time since Dec. 15. Jacob Radcliffe's game-high 25 points led the way for Elyria Catholic and Zavior Castillo chipped in 19 as the Panthers defeated Westlake 70-56 to snap a three-game losing streak. EC improved to 3-4, 2-2 in the Great Lakes Conference. Westlake fell to 5-4, 3-2. "That three-game losing streak hurt us, but every single day we'd come in with a winning mindset," Radcliffe said. That mindset was crucial to overcome the Panthers' shaky offensive performance. They shot 41 percent from the field — not terrible, all things considered — but were 6-of-22 from beyond the arc and 10-of-17 from the free throw line. It was their defense, however, that made the difference. Elyria Catholic forced Westlake into 19 turnovers and did not relent even as the lead continued to grow. The more pressure the Panthers put on, the more mistakes and tough shots they forced Westlake into. "That was our game plan going into the entire game," Radcliffe said. "We knew they really couldn't handle pressure, so that's what we wanted to do best because we knew it was going to work." "I think that's what we want our identity to be is that we are really aggressive on both sides of the ball," Elyria Catholic coach Jeff Huber added. "We're not the biggest team, so we can kind of compensate for some of that by playing with a lot of tenacity and a lot of aggressiveness. Our goal tonight was to make every dribble challenged, and, of course, you're never going to get 100 percent, but I thought we did a really good job of making (Westlake) really feel pressure the whole night long and not ever really being able to settle into a rhythm." It's the kind of play that can really put the Panthers on a path to success as the halfway point of the season approaches, especially with GLC rivals Bay and Rocky River looming on the schedule. "We've got three conference games coming up and I think that's gonna be really good for us," Radcliffe said. "I don't think we're down on ourselves at all and I think right now we're just going to go up from here." Contact Marissa McNees at ctsports@chroniclet.com and follow her MarissaNM on X. Elyria Catholic 70, Westlake 56 WESTLAKE (56): Ryan Turk 2-5-10, Juston Collins 0-0-0, Jackson Moore 3-0-6, Anthony Fernandez 3-0-6, Andrew Wallenhorst 4-3-11, Jason Geagea 1-0-2, Samuel Brucchieri 1-3-5, Hayden Purdy 3-0-6, Evan Hargett 3-0-6, Owen Reitenbach 2-0-4. Totals 22-11-56. ELYRIA CATHOLIC (70): Jacob Radcliffe 9-3-25, AJ Defazio 3-0-6, Purvie Smallwood III 2-2-6, Grayson Kramer 0-0-0, Teddy Budinger 2-0-4, Zavior Castillo 8-2-19, Sean O'Donnell 0-0-0, Matisse Williams 1-0-3, Omarion Miller 0-0-0, Trent Merrell 0-0-0, Brady Engle 0-2-2, Tyler Wilson 2-1-5. Totals 27-10-70. Westlake&emsp;&emsp;&emsp; 15&emsp;16&emsp; 7&emsp;18&emsp;—&emsp;56Elyria Catholic&emsp;20&emsp;18&emsp;14&emsp;18&emsp;—&emsp;70 Three-point goals: Westlake 1-13 (8 percent), Elyria Catholic 6-22 (27 percent). Field goals: Westlake 22-52 (42 percent), Elyria Catholic 27-66 (41 percent). Free throws: Westlake 11-18 (61 percent), Elyria Catholic 10-17 (59 percent). Rebounds: Westlake 33 (Brucchieri 8), Elyria Catholic 41 (Wilson 7). Total fouls: Westlake 18, Elyria Catholic 20. Fouled out: Wilson. Turnovers: Westlake 19, Elyria Catholic 10.