Boys Basketball: Matisse Williams heats up as Elyria Catholic beats Medina Christian

ELYRIA — On a day when everyone was just trying to get warm, Matisse Williams made it hot inside the Elyria Catholic Coliseum. Williams had a game-high 26 points, 13 of which came in the third quarter as the Panthers pulled away in the second half for a 63-50 non-league win over Medina Christian. Elyria Catholic (11-5) took a nine-point second-quarter lead but allowed the Knights to score the final five points of the half to make the score 28-24. The Panthers started the second half on an 11-3 run that was aided by two quick baskets by sophomore Dominique Stamper that made it 39-27. Williams took over from there with three 3-pointers in the period as Elyria Catholic scored 27 points to take a 55-42 lead. "I scored 26 but I feel like I could have played a lot better," Williams said. "I took some bad shots and missed some easy ones but getting 26 I can't be too mad. But there's still some things to look for in practice." Williams was one of three Panthers in double figures as Purvie Smallwood III added 13 points and Donovan Shumpert had 11. Like Williams, Smallwood did most of his damage in the second half, scoring nine points. "We noticed everybody's energy was down, even the crowd, it felt like a scrimmage," Smallwood said. "So we decided we had to come out in the second half, get locked in and create our own energy." Elyria Catholic could have easily won by more but missed a number of shots around the rim and off the offensive boards. The Panthers had a 34-28 rebounding edge but only shot 35 percent (22-of-62) from the field. "A win is a win," Elyria Catholic coach Jason Smith said. "It was a cold day today. I was happy in the second half with our offense, we got better shots and started knocking some stuff down." The Panthers also forced Medina Christian into 18 turnovers while only giving the ball away nine times. The Knights (7-5) took an early 8-7 lead on a basket by sophomore Jaxon Longsdorf. Elyria Catholic answered with a basket by Kingston Daniels to retake the lead. The Panthers never trailed again in the game. "To me the third quarter was the difference in the game. We came out with a game plan and we didn't execute that game plan in the third quarter," Knights coach Rob Walgate said. "We were getting stops but we couldn't secure rebounds." It was the seventh time this season the Panthers held an opponent to 50 or fewer points. "We rely heavily on Matisse for scoring," Smith said. "He's great for getting to the hoop, he's one of our better shooters as well. He also moved very well without the ball today to get to his spots." Elyria Catholic has won two straight and is 6-1 at home this season. Junior Rob Walgate led the Knights with 24 points. "We wanted to crush them on the boards," Smallwood said. "We knew they only had two guys who really rebounded. Our whole team is really athletic and boxes out well so we had to take advantage of that." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctpsorts@chroniclet.com. Elyria Catholic 63, Medina Christian 50 Medina Christian (50): Isaac Maletich 2-0-4, Nick Malicoat 1-0-2, Maddox Tousley 0-0-0, Preston Collins 1-0-3, R.J. Walgate 9-5-24, Sam Dorman 6-0-13, Troy Reidl 0-0-0, Jaxon Longsdorf 2-0-4. Totals 21-5-50. Elyria Catholic (63): Dominique Stamper 3-0-7, Jazear Terry 0-0-0, Purvie Smallwood III 6-0-13, Matisse Williams 8-5-26, Donovan Shumpert 3-5-11, Kingston Daniels, 2-1-6, Ben Essenmacher 0-0-0, Robbie Duray 0-0-0. Totals 22-11-63. Medina Christian 10 14 18 8 — 50 Elyria Catholic 10 18 27 8 — 63 Three-point goals: Medina Christian (Collins, Walgate, Dorman), Elyria Catholic (Williams 5, Stamper, Smallwood, Daniels). Field goals: Medina Christian 21-45 (47 percent), Elyria Catholic 22-62 (35 percent). Free throws: Medina Christian 5-9 (56 percent), Elyria Catholic 11-14 (79 percent). Rebounds: Medina Christian 28, Elyria Catholic 34. Turnovers: Medina Christian 18, Elyria Catholic 9. Team fouls: Medina Christian 12, Elyria Catholic 13. Junior varsity: Elyria Catholic, 66-45.