Cuyahoga Falls, OH- The Euclid Panthers (6-10) traveled to Cuyahoga Falls to take on Walsh Jesuit (10-5) on a Tuesday chilly Winter evening.
Walsh entered the matchup with 3 wins out of their last 5 games by 20 or more points. Euclid entered the game looking to bounce back from a tough GCC loss to Strongsville.
The start of the game it was a back and forth battle with both teams trading baskets. Walsh Jesuit had a 10-7 lead in the first four minutes.
The last minutes of the quarter was all Walsh as they ended with an 19-11 lead over Euclid. Zach Halligan’s hot start was big for the Warriors as he scored 8 first quarter points.
Euclid came out in the second quarter trying to slow down Walsh by pressing. They got out to a fast start as they opened up the quarter with 9 points in the first three minutes. Walsh answered with a quick 5-0 run courtesy of a Zach Halligan bucket and assist.
Walsh then hit the ground running and went on to control the rest of the quarter as they started to pull away. They ended the half leading 41-26. Ruel Tomlinson, Jr. had a game high at halftime with 9 points. Michael Moore led Euclid with 6.
Euclid came out in the 3rd quarter with all the fight they had in them as they went on a 9-3 run prompting a timeout with 5:30 left.
This run helped Xavier Vann and Thai Duncan get going. Xavier Vann ended the quarter with 10 points. Duncan hit a big 3 with about 1:30 go which cut the lead to 52-45. The 3 point basket left him with 13 going into the fourth.
Euclid came out in the fourth quarter and fought as they did all game. They were able to cut the lead to 59-49 with five minutes to go. Ultimately the fight just wasn’t enough as Walsh Jesuit controlled the rest of the 4th. Walsh won the game by a final score of 71-54.
Zach Halligan and Ruel Tomlinson, Jr. both had game highs of 15 points a piece. Thai Duncan led Euclid with 15 as well.
With this win Walsh Jesuit improves to 11-5 on the season as they get ready for a big Crown Conference matchup against Lake Catholic.
I had a chance to talk to Coach Byrne from Walsh Jesuit.
When asked about the importance of this win going into their Lake Catholic game he said: “They’re all big, with tournament seeding coming out all of these games at the top of the division 1 in the East is really tight. And so you need every one of them.”
Full interviews with coach Byrne and Ruel Tomlinson Jr.
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