Eagles show intensity in 69-54 victory over rival Avon Lake

Typical of a rivalry game, Avon boys basketball coach Mike Fitch knew better than to take Avon Lake’s 3-8 record at face value when the teams faced off Tuesday at Avon.

Thanks to multiple scoring runs and effective defense, the Eagles pulled away early in the fourth quarter, eventually taking a 69-54 victory, their eighth in a row. Avon is now 9-2 overall and 4-2 in the Southwestern Conference while dropping the Shoremen to 3-9 and 1-5.

“I think they’re way better than their record,” Fitch said. “It’s a rivalry game. Man, no matter what it is, you win by one, it don’t matter. There’s some stuff we’ve got to clean up, but that team does not quit. They don’t stop. They keep battling.”

The Eagles knew they had to match that intensity, which is second nature for them.

“We preach elite effort every single day,” said junior forward Dean Abdul. “In practice, before games, anything. So, we came in, we were locked in and tried to stay up with the other team.”

Abdul and Caden Clapham both played a key role in the victory, as they took turns being the primary defender on Avon Lake’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Liam Besaw. The pair gave Besaw entirely different looks, as Abdul is 6-foot-5 and very long, while Clapham, who is several inches shorter than Abdul, was a lockdown defender as a defensive back on the state championship football team and brings that same physicality to the basketball court.

“He’s a great player,” Fitch said of Besaw. “They run really good stuff for him, and you’ve got to stay tight. If you don’t stay tight, he’s going to make you pay. Luckily, we have a couple guys who can do it, and you throw a couple guys at him, he’s just one guy. When you’re deep and you have a couple guys, especially with some length on him, it’s hard to score. We said he’s going to score, but he’s got to score the hard way.”

Besaw led Avon Lake with 21 points, but 12 of them came in the final 6 minutes, 17 seconds after the game’s outcome already was decided.

“Obviously, Lake has a very good player, Liam Besaw,” said Abdul. “We knew he was going to come in and try and get his buckets. So, coach put me on him to just stay on him and don’t let him get his average. If he’s going to score 20, it has to be hard.”

Jacob Cooke opened the scoring for the Shoremen by hitting a 3-pointer just over a minute into the game. The teams then alternated three 10-point runs, resulting in Avon holding a 20-13 lead midway through the second quarter. Avon’s second 10-point run extended into a 19-4 gusher when Joey Ziegler, who led the Eagles with 21 points, hit one of his four 3-pointers on the heels of Brooks Good, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds, hitting two in a row from beyond the arc.

When Abdul completed a traditional three-point play, Avon’s lead was up to 13, 32-19. However, Lake freshman Christopher Gaulding electrified the large crowd by banking in a bomb at the halftime buzzer from well beyond the halfcourt line.

Not much changed in the third quarter, as the hosts maintained the lead between eight and 11 points throughout. Trevor Sykora, who added 10 points to the Avon cause, hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third period, making it 44-33 and setting up the Eagles to break open the game early in the fourth.

Just 13 seconds into the final quarter, sophomore forward Sam Griffiths was bumped off-balance and flung the ball toward the basket, hoping to draw a shooting foul. The ball went in, triggering a stretch that took all the wind out of Avon Lake’s sails.

Griffiths, who finished with 10 points, missed the ensuing free throw, but Abdul grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled while scoring on a putback. He also missed his free throw, but Griffiths tapped the ball back to Sykora, who eventually returned it to Griffiths, who scored on a layup. The six-point possession was followed up by Sykora hitting a fastbreak layup and Griffiths hitting a short jumper, putting the game out of reach at 54-33.

“Sam Griffitrhs and Dean Abdul,” said Fitch. “I think those two just took the energy to the next level. We got the ball downhill, got offensive rebounds and putbacks. Every game it’s a different guy that steps up.”

The Shoremen battled back with a 17-5 run to cut the margin to 59-50 with 2:13 to play, forcing Fitch to call a timeout. Good and Ziegler then sewed things up by completing consecutive three-point plays.

“We battle,” Fitch said. “We face adversity. I had to call a timeout to get their heads straight, but they’re tough. They’re tough as nails. We practice tough. We don’t really take days off, and we expect them to respond to that. That’s how we practice, and that’s how we play.”

That style of play will need to continue on Friday when the Eagles host Elyria, the defending champions and preseason favorites of the SWC.