Boys basketball: Xavier Church, Tyler Wilson are valuable role players for Elyria, Elyria Catholic

Every coach will tell you how they love a role player, someone who goes out and does what is needed without the benefit of the glory. For Elyria and Elyria Catholic, senior Xavier Church of the Pioneers and junior Tyler Wilson of the Panthers, epitomize just what a great role player means to a team. "Great kid, great grades, very respectful, very responsible," said Elyria coach Brett Larrick of Church. "It's great to see his growth over the last four years and the player he's become. He's a good role model for our guys." EC's Jeff Huber echoed Larrick when asked about Wilson. "Tyler's a great kid," Huber said. "He will do whatever you ask him to do. If we win, he doesn't care if he scores two points or 15. He's getting a lot better, offensively. (Tuesday against Holy Name) he was so devastated by the fact that we lost. Sometimes, in a way, as much as your heart breaks for a kid, you like seeing that because you know how much it means to him." Church and Wilson approach the game with the same attitude. They'll do whatever the coach wants in order to win. "Every game I just do what it takes to win," said Church. "All the little things, you always have to do that. Being the only senior, I had to bring the leadership, I had to bring the heart. "Sometimes you have to give another player a little nudge. Hearing it from another player is different from hearing it from a coach." Wilson defines his role a little differently for the Panthers. He leads the team in rebounds (six per game) and blocked shots (1.5). He had his best scoring night of the season against Holy Name with 11 points. He's averaging about five points a game. "I like to think of myself as doing the dirty work," he said. "I'll lay my body on the line. (Tuesday), I took a good charge against (Holy Name's) best player. I felt like I got in his head a little bit. He drove in the lane a little later but he didn't charge because he knew I'd be there." Elyria has been playing well of late. The Pioneers carry an 8-5 record into tonight's game with Olmsted Falls. They are in sole possession of second place, a game behind Berea-Midpark in the Southwestern Conference at 6-2 and are unbeaten (5-0) on the road. Elyria Catholic (4-7 overall, 3-4 Great Lakes Conference) has had a tough year, overcoming various injuries. The Panthers, who have started a freshman, two sophomores and two juniors at times, nearly upset front-running Holy Name on Tuesday but a last-second shot by Max Bollin gave the Green Wave a 70-69 win. EC is at North Olmsted tonight. "When I left (the gym Tuesday), I was so discouraged," said Huber. "We deserved a better fate. Kids have played so hard but when I woke up (Wednesday), you think about the fact that last week we played two of the better teams in Division II and it came down to one possession. I think that says a lot about the progress we're making." "I don't really care about the stats or whatever," said Wilson. "People who watch the film know. I love to score and all that but I know my team needs me in a different role. "My strength is my energy. The whole team's locked in. We're all ready to play. We've had a lot of injuries and people have had to step up. A.J. (Defazio) is a freshman and you'd never expect him to go out and play a wonderful game (Tuesday). Nineteen points, as a freshman." Elyria Catholic has had both its seniors — Grayson Kramer and Teddy Budinger — along with junior Zavior Castillo, miss time due to injuries. There have been others out with illness. "Obviously, you don't want those things," said Huber. "But it does provide opportunities to learn to deal with adversity, develop some other players, to build some mental toughness. I think we're getting there." Church may not lead Elyria in any specific category but he's among the leaders in several. For example, he's taken only 11 3-point shots but he's made six of them and they've all come at crucial points. "Ever since my freshman year, I always felt I could shoot but I never had the confidence," he said. "This year, Coach Larrick said I could really shoot it." He's scored just 51 points on the year but his field goal percentage is the best on the team at 59 percent. He's made five of his seven free throw attempts. He has 34 rebounds, 11 blocked shots, eight steals and 12 assists. He's only been charged with nine turnovers. "For four years we've tried to get him to be more aggressive," said Larrick. "We want him to be aggressive. We have confidence in him handling the ball. We have confidence in him doing a lot of things. It's something that we needed, him to be a threat." When asked who he feels he emulates from the professional level, Church had to think it over. "That's a good question," he said. "I like to think of myself as like a Russell Westbrook kind of guy, especially later in his career now, where's he doing everything like coming off the bench. Earlier in my career, I would say more like a defensive guy. "My mindset is always defense. We're going to score points. We need to put pressure on teams. I'm always there." "He's kind of our glue to our defense," Larrick said. "He's got a lot of responsibility with his roles. He's the only senior, kind of takes care of the locker room." Church feels the way the team has been playing lately, 5-1 in 2024, the Pioneers have a chance at winning the conference and making some noise in the tournament. "One hundred percent," said Church. "Last season left a sour taste in our mouth. I felt from the beginning of the year, I want to be No. 1 in the conference, I want to be one of the best teams in Ohio. We're really getting there." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com.