Stevenson tops Maine West for consolation title
Stevenson's boys basketball team has been looking to put together a run this season.
Consider it done.
The Patriots used 11 unanswered points in the second half to break open a close game and win their third straight game and the consolation championship of Wheeling's 33rd annual Wildcat Hardwood Classic 57-40 over Maine West.
“I think we can make this into a good winning streak,” said 6-foot-6 junior Colby Cashaw after Stevenson won three straight games for the first time this year. “We're starting to play more as a team.”
It showed as the Patriots (6-7) rebounded from a 1-point loss in the tourney opener to Loyola to win their third Wheeling consolation crown and second in three years. They shot 46.8 percent from the field (22-for-47) and had 14 assists in a balanced attack led by junior Troy Radtke (13 points).
Cashaw had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin Earl had 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists and Michael Fleming scored 9 points.
“We're taking care of the basketball a little bit and recognizing our strengths and weaknesses,” said Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose after his team had only 11 turnovers. “We're a work in progress and we've played some tough teams ... but we're coming of age.”
Maine West (8-4) was even at 24-24 after junior Conor Hart hit consecutive 3-pointers and scored 11 points. But Cashaw's 3-point play off a miss 25 seconds before halftime put the Patriots ahead to stay.
“Rebounding is something I always love to do,” Cashaw said.
“Two days in a row he's played really well for us and he's coming along,” Ambrose said. “His aggressiveness on the boards ... he's really going after everything.”
Maine West got within 34-32 when Paul Solka (9 points, 11 rebounds) got the second of his consecutive layups off a steal. But Cashaw's 3-point play with 1:47 left in the third quarter started an 11-0 run that gave Stevenson a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
“We weren't too calm under all the pressure and we took bad shots,” said Solka after the Warriors shot 30 percent (15-for-50) from the field. “Nothing was falling and we got lazy with the offensive rebounds.
“When things go bad for us we just unravel. That's the most important thing we need to work on.”
Stevenson allowed just 8 points in the last 9:59 and held Hart to a point in the second half. He finished 4-for-17 from the field and 3-for-10 behind the arc and Odera Eneogwe was held to 9 points on 3-for-11 shooting.
“I felt we made it too much of a perimeter game and didn't get to the free-throw line,” Maine West coach Erik McNeill said of his team's third loss by at least 16 points. “We have to find a way to be more consistent when we're losing and not let the floodgates open.”
And Stevenson hopes this is a sign of more consistent performances the next two months.
“People are starting to get roles (more defined),” Cashaw said.
“We're headed in the right direction,” Ambrose said.