Boys Basketball: Medina Christian jumps out to big lead, then holds on versus Black River

SULLIVAN TWP. — After getting a first-hand look at what physical Division I boys basketball looks like Saturday in a loss at Medina, D-VII Medina Christian figured it would give the style a try Tuesday in a non-league game at Black River. The results were impressive, to say the least, as the Knights roared to a gigantic lead, gritted their teeth when things got a little hairy in the fourth quarter and showed mental toughness by pulling away again for a 71-56 victory. Medina Christian (8-7), which saw a 39-13 lead shrink to 58-51 in a wild second half, snapped a six-game losing streak and won in Ohio for the first time since Dec. 13 (58-40 vs. Cornerstone Christian). Its previous two wins came in Florida over Christmas break. "Playing Medina (a 73-53 loss) was definitely a challenge because they're a D-I school and all," said Knights guard Preston Collins, who had a career-high 17 points. "It definitely increased our physicality and the mindset that it's OK if we had it hard this game, because we're going to look at the next game and play harder. "We played off of our strengths, so that's what I liked today." With 6-foot-5 All-Ohio football player Zane Bungard and 6-3 Zane Kristophel battling foul trouble for most of the night — the Pirates had 28 fouls compared to eight for Medina Christian — 6-5 Knights center Sam Dorman was a one-man wrecking crew in the middle quarters, when he scored 20 of his 24 points. R.J. Walgate, a 6-7 point forward, added 20 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while left-handed guard Collins was the X-factor with spot-up shooting along with a few slithery drives. Medina Christian took advantage of Black River's inability to stop fouling, making 22-of-30 free throws while reaching the bonus in every quarter. The fouls were 10-1 when the Knights led 25-11 late in the first half, and the free throw shooting loomed large again in the final moments when Walgate, Collins and Maddox Tousley made 8-of-9 to return the lead to double digits. "I felt we were pretty unselfish tonight," Dorman said. "We were getting a lot of guys open shots, like (Collins). I just feel like everyone scored tonight. Everybody got involved." Forced to switch to 1-2-2 and 2-2-1 presses in an effort to dictate pace in the second half, Black River (10-6) was phenomenal at times en route to making 16-of-33 field goals, 7-of-17 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws. The problem was a horrific first half in which the Pirates didn't play poorly by any means but couldn't throw the ball into the ocean, going 5-of-23 from the field, 1-of-11 on 3-pointers and 0-of-2 at the line while falling behind 31-11. Sophomore wing Parker Broadsword got on another heater in the second half, when he had 17 of his team-high 22 points. Fellow sophomore Hunter Varney was stout with eight points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals, while backup Dom Bell had four points, six assists and three thefts, including four assists in a 23-point Pirates third quarter. Black River flirted with a comeback for the ages, as Varney free throws cut it to 58-51 with 4:05 remaining. The Pirates trailed 62-53 with 1:58 to play when they missed a 3-pointer, were called for a foul on the Medina Christian rebound and picked up a technical seconds later, sealing their fate. "Just the way we shot the ball, that's what really killed us (in the first half)," coach Kyle Dack said. "We were 5-of-23 in the first half. "We did not come out with energy and we knew that. We talked about it at halftime, and the second half we came out and mixed up the defenses." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Medina Christian 71, Black River 56MEDINA CHRISTIAN (71): Preston Collins 5-4-17, Isaac Maletich 0-0-0, Sam Dorman 10-4-24, R.J. Walgate 5-9-20, Maddox Tousley 0-5-5, Nick Malicoat 1-0-3, Jaxon Longsdorf 1-0-2. Totals: 22-22-71.BLACK RIVER (56): Parker Broadsword 8-0-22, Zane Kristophel 1-0-2, Zane Bungard 4-1-9, Josh Stuart 1-0-2, Hunter Varney 2-3-8, Dom Bell 1-2-4, Austin Pamer 2-0-4, Wade Mangan 2-0-5. Totals: 21-6-56.Medina Christian&emsp;15 &emsp;16 &emsp;22 &emsp;18&emsp;—&emsp;71Black River&emsp;9&emsp;2&emsp;23&emsp;22&emsp;—&emsp;56Three-point goals: Medina Christian 5 11 (Collins 3, Walgate, Malicoat), Black River 8-28 (Broadsword 6, Varney, Mangan). Field goals: Medina Christian 22-44 (50 percent), Black River 21-55 (38.2 percent). Free throws: Medina Christian 22-30 (73.3 percent), Black River 6-9 (66.7 percent). Rebounds: Medina Christian 26 (Walgate 10), Black River 25 (Kristophel 6). Assists: Medina Christian 9 (Tousley 4), Black River 14 (Bell, Varney 6). Total fouls: Medina Christian 8, Black River 28. Fouled out: Bungard, Kristophel. Junior varsity: Medina Christian, 56-22.