Boys Basketball: Dominique Stamper hits winning 3 as Elyria Catholic knocks off first-place CVCA

ELYRIA — Dominique Stamper always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Friday was another prime example as Stamper, who had only one field goal in the first 31 minutes of the game, got himself open in the corner to drain a wide-open 3-pointer with exactly one minute remaining. The shot proved to be the difference as the Panthers stunned North Coast Conference-leading CVCA 66-63 in front of a packed house in the Coliseum. It was a game of runs, as Elyria Catholic (13-6, 5-4 NCC) found itself trailing 16-4 six minutes into the game only to end the half on a 30-9 run to take a nine-point lead into the locker room. The Panthers led by as many as 11 early in the fourth quarter when senior Purvie Smallwood III's basket with 6:39 to play gave them a 57-46 lead. The Royals (13-3, 9-1) proceeded to go on a 16-6 run to tie the game at 63 on a 3-pointer from Anthony Collins. On the next possession Stamper, who finished with nine points, stepped up and gave the Panthers all the points they would need. "I knew it was going in," Stamper said. "Big-time shots for big-time players and I'm a big-time player." The reason Stamper was in position to be the hero was because in the pressure-filled situation he stayed within coach Jason Smith's offense. "I saw Purvie driving baseline and we have circle movement in our offense so I knew I had to circle move and spot up for a three," Stamper said. When these teams played last month in Cuyahoga Falls the Royals won by 18. The rematch looked headed in the same direction until Smith called his first timeout with 1:47 to play in the opening period and shared some words of wisdom with his team. "Our defense was great, we were forcing turnovers, but the ball was getting sticky on offense," Smith said. "There were three or four possessions where we didn't pass the ball once so I was hyper-focused on getting them to believe in each other and pass the ball to get better shots." After a loss Tuesday to the last-place team in the NCC, Lake Catholic, the win was exactly what Elyria Catholic needed as it heads into the final three games of the regular season. "This is the best team in our conference and a top-eight team in our region," Smith said. "To come in and beat them shows to me that this team can beat anybody." The Panthers, who only used seven players, had to navigate the final 4:35 with Smaillwood, who led the team with 20 points, and Matisse Williams, who scored 17, playing with four fouls. "We had to play great defense, which we did," Smallwood said. "The biggest difference tonight was the energy. Our expectation was to get revenge for the first game, actually revenge for the three games going back to last year. It was youth night so we knew there were going to be packed stands, so we brought energy and won the game." The Royals, who still hold a two-game lead over Padua in the NCC, were led by senior Tyler Hysolli, who scored 19, including five 3-pointers. CVCA had the ball with 8.6 seconds left and a chance to tie the game, but Elyria Catholic held the Royals to two contested off-balance 3-point attempts before time expired. Donovan Shumpert also had 13 points for the Panthers, who are off until next Friday when they travel to Benedictine. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Elyria Catholic 66, CVCA 63 CVCA (63): Brayden Harris 3-1-7, Anthony Collins 5-0-12, Charley Levak 1-0-2, DonGino Bickley 0-0-0, Tyler Hysolli 7-0-19, Chaynce Brantley 2-0-4, Moses Bader 1-0-2, Connor Gray 6-4-16, Jayden Berwick 0-1-1. Totals 25-6-63. Elyria Catholic (66): Dominique Stamper 2-4-9, Purvie Smallwood III 9-1-20, Matisse Williams 7-1-17, Donovan Shumpert 6-1-13, Kingston Daniels 1-1-3, Ben Essenmacher 1-2-4. Totals 26-10-66. CVCA&emsp;16&emsp;9&emsp;19&emsp;19&emsp;—&emsp;63 Elyria Catholic&emsp;11&emsp;23&emsp;17&emsp;15&emsp;—&emsp;66 Three-point goals: CVCA (Hysolli 5, Collins 2), Elyria Catholic (Williams 2, Smallwood, Stamper). Field goals: CVCA 25-66 (38 percent), Elyria Catholic 26-48 (54 percent). Free throws: CVCA 6-18 (33 percent), Elyria Catholic 10-11 (91 percent). Rebounds: CVCA 37, Elyria Catholic 26. Turnovers: CVCA 18, Elyria Catholic 23. Team fouls: CVCA 16, Elyria Catholic 16. Junior varsity: Elyria Catholic, 51-50.