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12/09 - 5:30 PM Boys Basketball Final East Tech 67 Glenville 62
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It wasn't pretty, but No. 6 East Tech boys basketball did what it needed to, as it picked up a 67-62 road victory over Glenville on Tuesday.
In a rematch of last season's Senate Athletic League final (a game East Tech also won), the Scarabs were paced by 21 points by senior Anthony Carmon.
Once a constant struggle, East Tech is now enjoying its recent success over Glenville.
"It's always been my vision to get my program to this level," said East Tech coach Brett Moore. "Everything I've done as a coach started with this game right here because Glenville was the standard in the Senate when I started coaching."
Turnovers and fouls slowed the pace in the first half, as East Tech (2-0) hit the locker room with a 34-29 advantage over Glenville (1-2). Both Kory Cullum and Markell Johnson had 12 points at the break for the Scarabs.
East Tech showed balance between its top three scorers, as Carmon, Collum and Johnson combined for 55 of the team's 67 points.
The Tarblooders trailed by double-digits for most of the second half but made a late rally. However, they simply ran out of time, as they lost by five points.
What it means
For East Tech, the win makes it clear that the Scarabs are the team to beat again in the conference. The two wins to start the season (Rhodes and Glenville) might be over the second- and third-best teams in the conference.
Still, too many turnovers and miscues allowed Glenville to make this a closer game than it was. If East Tech is going to have as strong a season as it did last year, it will need to clean things up.
"They have to be ready to prepare for the mental part of the atmosphere," Moore said. "If Glenville was like this today, I can imagine what St. Edward will be like a week-and-a-half from now."
While Glenville loses this one, it can leave the court feeling a little better about itself. After a 64-44 loss to Lakewood on Saturday, it wasn't clear if this young group could hang with the top teams in the area, but the Tarblooders showed they could on Tuesday.
Play of the game
With East Tech up 43-31, Johnson was looking to put the hammer down with a coast-to-coast dunk, but Glenville sophomore Jerome Wright came from behind to swat the ball out of bounds. The athletic wing made several big plays on Tuesday.
Crucial run
East Tech held a comfortable lead throughout the game, but an 11-2 run out of halftime made sure that the Scarabs kept their distance from any Glenville run. The fast start was one of the reasons East Tech never trailed in the second half
Who stood out for East Tech
Carmon: After a slow start, Carmon heated up in the second half for the Scarabs. He showed improved attacking ability and was able to push his team all night.
Collum: No Scarab has made a bigger leap this year than Collum. He finished with 15 points and showed impressive touch at the foul line.
Johnson: With his typical share of athletic plays, Johnson finished with 18 points. A West Virginia assistant coach was in attendance to watch him play.
Who stood out for Glenville
Roy Hatchett: The poise of Hatchett, a senior, was one of the reasons that Glenville hung around. He finished with 17 points and showed off some touch from deep.
Wright: The sophomore is one of the reasons that Glenville has such a bright future. His athleticism allows him to play above the rim, and he also tallied 17 points.
What East Tech said
Carmon on what needs to improve: "We still have a lot to work on as a team. We need to get better defensively because we could have done way better job tonight."
Carmon on beating Glenville: "There are way bigger goals because we saw what we did last season. We really believe we're going back down to Columbus, and this time we'll play in the championship and win it."
Moore on team roles: "We have to rebuild the chemistry and adjust to new roles. Even though they played big roles last year, the roles are different. And the new guys have to understand that because of what we did last year, every game is going to have a championship feel to it."
Moore on Collum: "He didn't play football in the first half of the season. He came and conditioned with basketball, and it's really helped him because we need him to play the whole game."
What Glenville said
Glenville coach Michael Holt on the youth: "It's going to take some time. These guys are growing up. They are little puppies. I really like how they played today."
Holt on the improved effort: "There's something about conference play that brings out the best in you."
What's next
No. 6 East Tech will host Cleveland JFK on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Glenville will travel to John Adams on Friday to play at 5:30 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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