Boys basketball: Elyria breezes by Cardinal Mooney in Shot Clock Shootout

CANTON — Don't be surprised if Elyria coach Brett Larrick petitions the OHSAA to put a shot clock in play ASAP. The Pioneers certainly liked the idea at the Shot Clock Shootout on Saturday night at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse. Elyria came away with a satisfying 87-66 win over Youngstown Cardinal Mooney to run its record to 6-2 on the season. The Cardinals are also 6-2. "The first quarter was a little bit of feeling out," said Larrick. "We knew they were going to use the 1-2-2 (zone defense). We prepped for it. We had to adjust to who they were trying to take away. The second quarter we adjusted." The MO was similar to other Pioneer wins this year —four players in double figures, hot shooting from all over the field and great pressure defense. Kendyll Compton was named the game's MVP with his 24 point, eight rebound performance. Compton was eight of 11 from the field and perfect from the free throw line (five of five). "Our coach always says when we get drive-kicks with paint touches and then we kick out to the three, our percentages go up," said Compton. "When we move the ball, our percentages go up, too." Jayden Crutcher had his usual steady game — 20 points off 5-of-12 shooting and hitting six of six free throws. Taylor Blanton made his living from the baseline behind the arc, hitting six of nine 3-point attempts for 18 points. Cam Bell finished with 11 points and nine rebounds as the Pioneers won that stat easily, 34-20. The defense forced Mooney into 14 turnovers. "Just getting open shots," said Blanton when asked what the key might have been. "We knew they were going to press us so there were a lot of open spaces. We've got a bunch of shooters on the court, bunch of threats. Watch for the skip pass, I knew we could shoot it." Elyria used a 15-0 second quarter run, including a Bell dunk, to take control of the game. The Pioneers never let up from there. The 35-second shot clock came into play only once, when Jerimiah Daniels forced up a shot in the second quarter but Elyria found the surroundings at Memorial Field House very friendly. The Pioneers hit 14 of 25 3-pointers and 31 of 54 overall. From the foul line, Elyria was perfect, as Compton and Crutcher combined to hit all 11 of their attempts. "I don't think (the shot clock) affected us at all," said Compton. "We always like to play fast. Even if it's a rebound, we're always getting the outlet as fast as we can. I don't really think it had an effect on us." The lead was 38-29 at halftime but Elyria quickly built it to 56-40 off Bell's 3-pointer with 3:32 left in the third quarter. Back-to-back threes from Compton and Crutcher pushed the margin to 64-47 with a minute left in the third. The biggest lead was 83-63 with just over two minutes to play when both teams emptied their benches. "We ramped up the pressure in the second quarter," Larrick said. "It sped up the game for us. I didn't think the shot clock would worry us much. We talked about it a little bit (Friday) on how we would adjust and how we'd get downhill for some drive-kicks. We want to play fast as it is. Playing fast comes with moving the ball, passes and making the right play. I thought we really did that." Contact Tim Gebhardt at 329-7135 or timothygeb@msn.com. Elyria 87, Cardinal Mooney 66 Elyria (87): Cam Bell 5-0-11, Jermiah Daniels 1-0-2, Taylor Blanton 6-0-18, Jayden Crutcher 5-6-20, Kendyll Compton 8-5-24, Pierre Alston 3-0-6, Christian Rogers 2-0-4, Seth Wilkerson 1-0-2, Freshus Turner 0-0-0, Antonio Pride 0-0-0, Isaiah Hill 0-0-0, Ebiyon Tonwe 0-0-0, Jasser McElya 0-0-0. Totals 31-11-87. Cardinal Mooney (66): Kingston Powell 4-0-9, Nico Genova 6-5-18, Dante Turner 3-0-7, Ford Stacy 0-0-0, Dom Letlow 9-1-19, Dennis Clark 2-0-5, Keith Rhodes 1-3-5, Grayson Dubos 1-1-3, Kaden Reese 0-0-0, Marvin Dubos 0-0-0, Brady Desmond 0-0-0, Tyler Guerrieri 0-0-0, Brooks Willis 0-0-0. Totals 26-10-66. Elyria 15 23 28 21 -- 87 Cardinal Mooney 17 12 20 17 --66 Three-point goals: Elyria 14-25 (Blanton 6, Crutcher 4, Daniels 3, Bell), Mooney 4-18 (Powell, Genova, Turner, Clark). Field goals: Elyria 31-54 (57 percent), Mooney 26-56 (39 percent). Free throws: Elyria 11-11 (100 percent), Mooney 10-14 (71 percent). Rebounds: Elyria 34 (Bell 9), Mooney 20 (Letlow 5). Turnovers: Elyria 16, Mooney 14. Fouls: Elyria 13, Mooney 12. Fouled Out: None.