Boys Basketball: North Ridgeville mauls Midview

EATON TWP. — If a team could draw up the perfect first quarter, it would look a lot like the one North Ridgeville played Tuesday. The Rangers connected on eight 3-pointers and played shutdown defense as they blew past Midview 93-46 in Southwestern Conference play. Charlie Steinmetz led the way with 31 points, connecting on nine 3-pointers, which North Ridgeville said is a school record. He shot 11-of-18 from the field and 60 percent from 3-pooint range while also adding two rebounds, two blocks and two steals. "That first quarter just felt really good," Steinmetz said. "And then my teammates just kept encouraging me to keep shooting. When we got back in that locker room, they were all supportive and it was just a lot of fun. We came out strong, it was a lot of fun for us to win like this because we've been in a lot of close games. It was just nice to come out strong like this." North Ridgeville (6-12, 3-8 SWC), which led 39-10 after the first quarter, had three players attempt at least four field goals and make them all in the opening period, including Steinmetz, who was 5-of-5, all from 3-point range. Luke Rowe was 4-of-4 from the field and connected on all three of his threes, finishing the game 5-of-6 for 14 points. Kyle Miller finished the first quarter 6-of-6, but unlike the other two, he didn't attempt a 3-pointer. He made his first eight shots, his first miss coming with 1:53 left in the second quarter, and finished 9-of-11 for 19 points, adding two rebounds and five steals. "We're just really clicking at the right time right now," Miller said. "We've had a lot of adversity, a lot of close games, but recently we've just been taking care of business a lot better. We've been trusting ourselves, gaining a lot of confidence. That Brookside game was really good for us, a close game that went our way finally. So now we have a lot of confidence going forward and we're just getting started." Midview (2-16, 1-10) did its best to try and stop the run. Coach Jim Brabenec, who declined to comment after the game, switched out his entire starting five 1:41 seconds into the game after North Ridgeville went up 11-2 and eventually built a 27-4 lead. At that point the Middies called another timeout with 3:14 left and brought the starters back in. The Rangers played suffocating defense throughout the night, getting 14 steals and forcing 23 turnovers while committing just seven. Midview committed 16 turnovers in the first half alone, nine coming in the first quarter. North Ridgeville scored 15 of its 39 first-quarter points off turnovers. The Middies shot just 3-of-17 from 3-point range while the Rangers made as many threes as Midview attempted, shooting 52 percent as a team. "We competed at a high level," North Ridgeville coach Ben Chase said. "We mixed in a couple of different presses, a couple of different looks, and our guys did it really well. That got us loose for some easy layups and the steals led to some easy kick-out threes. The first couple going in just set the tone for the rest of the game. I honestly am not sure how many high school teams lose a game with that kind of a first quarter." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X. North Ridgeville 93, Midview 46 NORTH RIDGEVILLE (93): Duke Baker 3-0-8, Luke Rowe 5-1-14, Cole Miller 0-0-0, Kyle Miller 9-1-19, Charlie Steinmetz 11-0-31, Dean Ighneim 1-0-2, Owen Pawul 2-0-4, Ndeh Tuma 1-0-3, Perry Dixon 2-2-6, Colton Mack 1-0-3, Daniel Caldwell 1-0-3. Totals 36-4-93.MIDVIEW (46): Luke Jockel 6-2-14, Brayden Newton 1-0-2, Brennen Newton 1-0-2, Tyler Davis 2-0-5, Brenden Lucey 1-3-6, Cody Martin 0-0-0, Caleb Kennedy 2-0-4, Chris Payne 1-0-2, Xavier Young 0-0-0, Zaire Young 5-0-11. Totals 19-5-46.North Ridgeville&emsp;39&emsp;21&emsp;13&emsp;20&emsp;—&emsp;93Midview&emsp;10&emsp;6&emsp;16&emsp;14&emsp;—&emsp;46Three-point goals: North Ridgeville 17-33 (Steinmetz 9, Baker 3, Rowe 3, Caldwell, Mack, Tuma), Midview 3-17 (Davis, Lucey, Zaire Young). Field goals: North Ridgeville 36-61 (59 percent), Midview 19-47 (40 percent). Free throws: North Ridgeville 4-4, Midview 5-7 (71 percent). Rebounds: North Ridgeville 20 (Miller 5), Midview 26 (Brayden Newton 6). Total fouls: North Ridgeville 11, Midview 8. Turnovers: North Ridgeville 7, Midview 23.Junior varsity: North Ridgeville, 66-39