SL ROUNDUP: Revere basketball smothers Barberton
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One of the few bright spots for Barberton in a 66-37 boys basketball loss to Revere on Friday came when senior guard Anthony Keys got a step on Larry Nance Jr. to score a layup.

 

BATH TWP., Ohio -- Total domination.

Those two words tell the story of Revere's lopsided 66-37 Suburban League boys basketball victory over visiting Barberton on Friday night before a roaring overflow crowd.

The Minutemen (13-1, 9-0) have owned the Suburban League the last two seasons and they quickly let the Magics (9-5, 5-4) know they had no chance in this one. Revere started the game hitting four consecutive 3-pointers and played a suffocating defense which prevented the Magics from running their offense.

Revere held Barberton to two first-quarter field goals and cruised to a 22-4 lead after eight minutes. By halftime, the Minutemen held a commanding 40-20 advantage.

"If we can keep starting like that and blow teams out, it's fun the rest of the game," Revere senior forward Larry Nance said. "Our guards just did a great job of pressuring the ball and creating a lot of turnovers."

After Barberton began the third quarter with a 6-0 run to trim its deficit to 40-26, but Revere scored the next six points, four on consecutive steals, and the Magics were done. Revere's lead surged to 30 points on several occasions in the third and fourth quarters.

Frustration boiled over with seconds left in the third quarter and a Barberton player was ejected following a flagrant foul.

It was one of Barberton's worst shooting performances of the season, as Revere contested every attempt and darted into the passing lanes for several steals that turned into fast-break scores.

The fourth quarter saw both teams empty their benches.

The undersized Magics had no answer for Revere's two big men, Nance and Connor Edel, who dominated the boards. The Minutemen also got their usual sterling performance from senior point guard D.J. Bettinger, who had plenty of help from backcourt mates Ryan Wonders and Mark Mockbee.

Bettinger led Revere with 17 points, while Nance had 14, highlighted by two slams, and Mockbee 10.

Anthony Keys led Barberton with 13 points.

The only moment of suspense came in the first half when Nance hit the deck hard, landing on his side after a slam dunk off the fast break and a body check by a Barberton defender for a flagrant foul. As Revere fans held their collective breath, Nance finally recovered and continued to play.

Revere head coach Dean Rahas sat on the bench quietly and turned the coaching  reins over to assistant coach Chet Feldman. Rahas had his appendix removed Tuesday and was told to take it easy. Rahas no doubt enjoyed the stress-free game his team played.

Feldman said Revere's fast start made his job easy.

"Any coach would enjoy getting off to a start like that, where you're 4-of-4 on threes and 5-of-6 from threes. What coach wouldn't like that?"  he said.

Feldman said it was the Minutemen's defense that destroyed Barberton on offense.

"That's our bread and butter right there," he said. "We've been working on it all year long, and our kids are still working at it, getting better each and every game. They did an outstanding job."

Feldman was surprised by the Minutemen's performance, given they were forced to miss two days of practice due to this week's ice storm.

Bettinger said Revere's defense is a point of pride for the team.

"We kept pressuring them, keeping guys in front of us and making them work for their shots," he said. "I think we did a good job of that tonight."

The Minutemen seem to be peaking at the right time, as they face a challenging stretch run with games against Copley, Wadsworth, Buchtel and Green upcoming.

 

In other SL games:

 

Green 68, Tallmadge 53

GREEN, Ohio – All 11 Green players in uniform on Friday night scored as the Bulldogs defeated Tallmadge 68-53 in Suburban League boys basketball action.

Green (10-3, 6-3) won for the eighth time in its last nine games using an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter to separate itself from the Blue Devils (2-11, 1-8).

“I think we’ve been outrebounded just once this season and that was one of our keys tonight,” Green coach Mark Kinsley said. “I know in the first half we did not give up an offensive rebound.”

The Bulldogs led 31-16 at half and wound up winning the battle of the boards 33-21.

Green opened up a 64-37 margin with 3:29 to play and Tallmadge outscored the Bulldogs 16-4 to end the game.

Junior point guard Evan Keeslar had 16 points and five rebounds to lead Green.  Ten of Keeslar’s points came on free throws.

Kinsley also received 14 points from senior guard Chris Witmer and 11 points off the bench from sophomore forward Dan Fanelly.

Junior Andrew Pratt had seven points and a team-high six boards for Green.

“That is what’s really nice about this team. One guy doesn’t have to score 20 for us to win. If we get three guys in that 12-to-15 range and a couple more in that 7-ot-10 range, I think that’s when we’re at our best,” Kinsley said.

Sophomore Anthony Gotto popped in 19 points for the Blue Devils. Junior post Tucker Linder had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Wadsworth 64, Copley 48

WADSWORtH, Ohio -- The Grizzlies won their fifth straight game. To hear Ray Horner's audio report from Wadsworth click HERE.

 

 

Highland 67, Cloverleaf 46

GRANGER TWP., Ohio – The visiting Colts scored the first three points of the game and the Hornets answered by getting 11 straight and never looked back Friday night in winning this SL game.

Highland (4-10, 2-7), which secured the win by outscoring Cloverleaf 24-14 in the fourth quarter, got 15 points from junior Chad Sedio and 12 from sophomore Austin Adams. The Colts (4-11, 2-7) were led by Zach Miglich’s 13 points and Brandon Whitslar’s 12.