Inside No. 1 Villa Angela-St. Joseph boys basketball's 72-59 win over No. 6 Mentor: Top plays, stats, reaction (video)

  • 01/10 - 7:30 PM Boys BasketballFinal
    Mentor 59
    Villa Angela-St. Joseph 72
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In his first game since committing to Kansas, Villa Angela-St. Joseph senior Carlton Bragg tied a career-high with 31 points Saturday to lead the host Vikings to a 72-59 victory over Mentor.

After winning every game inside Ohio by at least 39 points, Bragg was happy to get a closer game today.

"I love it," Bragg said. "The competition was very high today running up and down with them. We kept battling and battling."

Although the Cardinals (7-4) kept the nonleague game within two points after three quarters, Villa Angela St. Joseph (8-0), which is ranked No. 1 in the cleveland.com Top 25, was able to pull away in the fourth quarter.

The strong interior combination of Bragg and Dererk Pardon led the Vikings. The two players combined for 25 points in the first half, as Villa Angela-St. Joseph hit the break with a 37-32 lead.

Besides Bragg, the Vikings had two other players reach double figures in scoring, as Brian Parker finished with 17 points and Pardon finished with 15 points.

What it means

There's a reason Villa Angela-St. Joseph gets the accolades it does. Despite a hot shooting night from Joey Zaugg (23 points) and despite the team dealing with foul trouble for most of the evening, the Vikings were able to come away with a 13-point win against a very good Mentor team.

Most of it came down to what the Vikings can do inside and how that disrupts a Mentor team that likes to shoot.

"What our length does is make it tougher to shoot 3-pointers," said Villa Angela-St. Joseph coach Babe Kwasniak.

The win also continues a monster season for Bragg, who hit the 31-point mark for third time this season. His swan song at Villa Angela-St. Joseph is shaping up to be a memorable one, as he seems to have taken his game to another level this season.

While Mentor lost, it represented itself well. Despite a totally revamped roster from last year, the Cardinals were able to hang with a nationally ranked team for most of the game. Mentor will be a tough out in March.

Play of the game

With Mentor down 56-53, Zaugg made a layup, but he was called for a charge, which was drawn by Jeff Grudzinski. Had the call went the other way, the Cardinals could have tied it on the free throw. Instead, the Vikings followed with an 8-2 run.

Crucial run

Villa Angela-St. Joseph was able to blow the game open in the fourth quarter. The Vikings finished the game on a 14-4 run due in large part to its free throw shooting, as they sank eight free throws down the stretch.

Who stood out for Mentor

Micah Potter: Although he fouled out midway through the fourth quarter, Potter was impressive while on the floor. Playing about two whole quarters because of foul trouble, he finished with nine points.

Zaugg: The sharpshooter was on his game most of the night. He finished with 23 points, including five 3-pointers.

Who stood out for Villa Angela-St. Joseph

Bragg: With Potter in foul trouble for most of the game, Bragg had a decisive advantage inside, and he took advantage. A missed dunk at the end would have given him a new career-high.

Pardon: The Vikings senior started the game with the team's first seven points. He finished with 15 points and was tough to get past for the Cardinals' offense.

Parker: Despite a slow start, Parker finished with 17 points. The senior was also able to feed Bragg and Pardon all game.

Mentor sound bites

Coach Bob Krizancic on the fourth quarter: "Turnovers in the second half killed us. We played a pretty good game up until then…we struggled to tie it or take the lead."

Krizancic on facing the Vikings' size: "The bigs run the floor really well. They get down there so quick. Pardon had seven quick points, and it wasn't on offense, it was on transition."

Villa Angela-St. Joseph sound bites

Kwasniak on Pardon: "He's the anchor of our defense, but more impressive is his leadership. He's the guy grabbing guys."

Kwasniak on Krizancic:"I think he's the best coach in Ohio regardless of high school, college or pros."

Bragg on coming off the bench because of a team rule violation: "I felt good actually. I'll probably have to get used to it playing college next year."

What's next

Villa Angela-St. Joseph hosts Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Mentor travels to Strongsville on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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