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02/13 - 7:30 PM Boys Basketball Final Garfield Heights 68 Shaker Heights 77
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- In their last season as conference rivals, Shaker Heights boys basketball completed a season sweep of Garfield Heights with a 77-68 home win on Friday.
This was the first time ever that either school had swept the season series from the other.
"I feel like we're peaking at the right time as we go to the playoffs," said senior Esa Ahmad. "We're coming together as a team."
Behind 21 points from Ahmad, the Raiders (14-4, 7-1), which are ranked No. 3 in the cleveland.com Top 25 poll, took sole possession of first place in the Northeast Ohio Conference Valley Division.
A 16-4 run to start the game had Shaker Heights out in front of No. 6 Garfield Heights (16-3, 6-2) for the entire first half. Despite hitting some foul trouble, Ahmad had 11 points at the break and got his team out to a 38-29 halftime lead.
Garfield Heights junior Willie Jackson had 36 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.
What it means
This should get Shaker Heights close to the No. 1 seed in the Solon/Euclid blended district, as the Raiders have now swept the Bulldogs. Their biggest challenger for the top stop is East Tech, and on Saturday, we'll know for sure how the seeding shakes out.
This is the third year in a row that Shaker Heights is the No. 1 seed.
"I'm very proud of the guys," said Shaker Heights coach Danny Young. "They bought into the coaches, they bought into each other and the system."
The win on Friday shows just how dangerous the Raiders are when players other than Ahmad are in a groove. Although Ahmad led the team in scoring, Shaker Heights had five players score at least nine points in the win.
Garfield Heights has to question how deep this team is right now. Although Jackson rose to the occasion of the big game, he had very little support from his teammates. The talent is there, but is there enough time left in the season to hit its potential?
Play of the game
Early in the game, Garfield Heights was doing a good job on Ahmad by rotating players on him. The senior had just two points in the first quarter, but a 3-pointer in the second quarter got Ahmad on a roll he would continue on for the rest of the game.
Crucial run
Garfield Heights, which trailed the whole game, cut the lead to three points towards the end of the third quarter. But like it did all night, Shaker Heights responded. The Raiders went on a 14-2 run and never looked back.
Who stood out for Shaker Heights
Ahmad: The Bulldogs had a lot of trouble slowing down Ahmad tonight, as he was able to draw fouls with ease. He also displayed a greta outside touch.
Justin Johnson: Early on, it was Johnson who set the tone for the Raiders. He had a quick six points and finished the game with 11 points.
David Wright: After a rough game against St. Vincent-St. Mary on Tuesday, Wright bounced back with 19 points in the pivotal conference game. He's the second-best scoring option on the team.
Who stood out for Garfield Heights
Shawn Christian: The sophomore was the only player besides Jackson to finish with 10 points or more. He has a nice jumpshot and has carved out a role as a bench contributor.
Jackson: The junior was simply unstoppable on Friday. Early in the season, Jackson was a strong defender, rebounder and inside presence, but he is now showing off a much-improved jumper to go with all of that.
Shaker Heights sound bites
Ahmad on the win: "Knowing we came in here and gave it our all after losing a tough one at home Tuesday, it feels excellent."
Young on bouncing back: "I try to clean up the attitudes. We need to stop having meltdowns. I say 'next play.' We're not going to play perfect basketball, but it's the next play."
Young on Ahmad: "A lot of people think we run a lot of sets for Esa, but Esa is scoring on our misses. They think everything we do is about Esa, but it's really not."
Garfield Heights sound bites
Garfield Heights coach Sonny Johnson on the loss: "We just have to get better. We have three games to go. You can learn so much from a loss. We are going to get better."
Johnson on Jackson: "That was one of his best performances, but he's capable of doing that. He's an elite player. To do it against a kid like Esa is always impressive."
What's next
Garfield Heights hosts Brush on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Shaker Heights is at No. 5 St. Edward on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
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Contact high school sports reporter David Cassilo by email (dcassilo@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@dcassilo). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.
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