Boys Basketball: Brookside runs past Firelands in third quarter

HENRIETTA TWP. — A big third quarter was all Brookside needed to pull away from Firelands. The Cardinals doubled their halftime score in just eight minutes during a 58-41 Lorain County League win against the Falcons on Tuesday evening. The win sets up a matchup of LCL unbeatens Friday as Brookside (7-2, 6-0) will face Keystone (9-1, 6-0). "We had a good third quarter, but we really didn't make any adjustments," Brookside coach Larry Babics said. "We tried to do a little more screening, cut a bit harder and try to attack the rim. We had to figure out some stuff defensively to try and get a few turnovers, but not gamble so much. We got that little run and when that stuff starts going your way the score starts to show it." Firelands (3-7, 1-5) kept things close in the first half, even though Brookside pushed its lead to six points by the end of the first quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating layup in transition by Alex Arra, who led the Cardinals with 18 points. Mason Waechter had only three first-half points, but played limited minutes after picking up his second foul early in the second quarter. Zeke Lind scored 10 of his 17 points in the first half to help keep the Cardinals afloat. The Falcons regained the lead at 16-15 by opening the second quarter with seven unanswered. Lind, however, responded with a three and a layup to put Brookside up 20-16. Arra again gave the Cardinals the last laugh just before halftime, scoring the final field goal from 3-point range with 46 seconds left. "Coaches said we were playing a little soft in the first half," said Arra, who also had a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the third quarter. "We had a good talk and we just had to play more aggressive with everything. Not just finishing, defense, rebounding and everything. "The coaches trust me with those final shots and when they trust me I just get more confidence in myself." Brookside used the final 5:47 of the third quarter to build a 51-32 lead by going on a 19-5 run, including a stretch of 11 unanswered. Waechter made up for lost time by dropping 10 of his 14 points in the third quarter, joining Arra and Lind in double figures. He also led the team with seven rebounds and added two steals. The Cardinals turned over the Falcons 18 times, recording six steals and a block. Firelands was led by Logan Holt's 12 points and nine rebounds, securing eight points and seven rebounds in the first half alone. "We just came out flat in the second half," Firelands coach Colin Myers said. "They started making shots and we couldn't get any momentum going. We played three great non-conference games there in a row. I thought we were building momentum, and those kids know that when Brookside took it to us they were the more physical team. When we're the more physical team, good things happen and that's given us a chance to win games late throughout the season." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X. Brookside 58, Firelands 41 BROOKSIDE (58): Alex Arra 8-0-18, Ethan Blythe 0-0-0, Mason Waechter 5-2-14, Zeke Lind 7-0-17, Noah Muniz 0-0-0, Danny Fries 0-0-0, Colton Casey 2-0-4, Jake Holman Noah Muniz 2-0-5. Totals 24-2-58. FIRELANDS (41): Lucas Green 1-3-6, Carson Lima 1-0-2, Mikey Janosik 1-0-2, Logan Holt 5-0-12, Ayden Fortner 1-1-3, Max Brown.2-0-4, Liam Tobicash 1-0-2, Jonah Weber 2-0-6, Brett Beury 2-0-4. Totals 16-4-41. Brookside&emsp;15&emsp;10&emsp;26&emsp;7&emsp;—&emsp;58 Firelands&emsp;9&emsp;12&emsp;11&emsp;9&emsp;—&emsp;41 Three-point goals: Brookside 8-20 (Lind 3, Arra 2, Waechter 2, Muniz), Firelands 5-18 (Holt 2, Weber 2, Green). Field goals: Brookside 24-53 (45 percent), Firelands 16-48 (33 percent). Free throws: Brookside 2-7 (29 percent), Firelands 4-12 (33 percent). Rebounds: Brookside 27 (Waechter 7), Firelands 29 (Holt 9). Total fouls: Brookside 14, Firelands 10. Turnovers: Brookside 15, Firelands 18.