Second quarter adjustment, late foul shooting help Brooke win at Creek
WINTERSVILLE -- Brooke coach Adam Shinsky made a change in the second quarter and liked what he saw, so he stuck with the adjustment.
That change was from man to zone, and it resulted in the Bruins erasing a first quarter deficit and never looking back as they fended off homestanding Indian Creek, 63-57, to win their first game in 12 days Tuesday night.
"That was a dogfight," Shinsky said. "We were playing nice, solid pressure, then we went to zone. The zone, it just threw them off, I could tell. We did it at the end of the (first) quarter ... and I saw something and we stuck with it the rest of the game.
"It was my first time here, I was told it was a small court and a tough place to play. I loved it. Our fans were great, their fans were great. It was a lot of fun."
The Redskins had opened an 18-13 lead, but after the switch, the second quarter was all Bruins as the visitors went on a 7-0 run to take the lead and never surrendered it the rest of the night.
"We lost the game in the second quarter," Indian Creek head coach Joe Dunlevy said. "We didn't execute, they switched defenses and we just stood around and looked at each other. Coaches say a lot that it's our fault because we didn't have them prepared for something, well, it is my fault.
"If the zone is way out and you don't attack, you're not going to score."
After getting off to such a good start, the time it took Indian Creek to adjust to Brooke's change proved to be costly.
"In the second half, we executed and kept getting close, but could never get over the hump," Dunlevy said. "Give Brooke credit, they made their free throws down the stretch. I thought our kids played hard. It was just that second quarter. They out-smarted me.
"We prepared for them to do both, we saw them on film and in person. We knew they were going to play man or 2-3. They started off in man, then when they went to zone, we just stood around for a whole quarter. Once we started going at them, we were OK, but it took us too long."
After Brooke (5-3) led 31-25 at the break, the Bruins opened their biggest lead of the night at 39-29 midway through the third quarter.
Creek (4-6), however, was not going away quietly, immediately ripping off a 6-0 run of its own to get back within four, and eventually a 10-2 put the Redskins down by just two in the waning seconds of the third before a Brooke basket late made it 43-39 after three.
Brooke's Cole Sperlazza and Creek's Caleb Bodo traded triples to start the fourth, and a pair of Logan Schaffer freebies again made it a two-point game with three minutes to go.
That, however, was the last time it was that close as the Bruins went 11 of 14 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory.
"One thing I've learned, you can view all the Xs, all the Os, all the preparation and things like that, but when two teams are really going at it in a dogfight like this was, basketball, no matter what age, comes down to foul shots and layups," Shinsky said. "We hit some layups and made our foul shots at the end."
Sperlazza, who was a dazzling 12 of 12 from the line and 8 of 8 in the fourth quarter, led Brooke with 27 points, while Alex Isinghood followed with 18 points.
"We always know Cole is going to play hard and hit his foul shots down the stretch," Shinsky said. "Jason Varner was great on the offensive glass and Ryan Knox had a great all-around game. Alex played the whole fourth quarter with four fouls and got some tough rebounds."
Schaffer (12) and Bodo (10) each reached double figures for Creek.
"Brooke is a good team, their kids play well together," Dunlevy said. "We're happy to be playing, because a lot of teams aren't so lucky right now."
JAYVEE ACTION
Brooke's junior varsity squad made it a sweep with a 43-32 win in the prelim, led by Charlie Fuscardo's 11 points. Creek's Noah Tweedy had a game-high 15 points.
UP NEXT
Brooke: Will look to avenge of its losses when it plays host to John Marshall Friday night.
Indian Creek: Continues a busy week with a makeup game at Harrison Central tonight, before hosting Edison Friday and Buckeye Local Saturday.
Brooke 63, Indian Creek 57
Brooke 13-18-12-20 - 63
Indian Creek 18-7-14-18 - 57
BROOKE (5-3): Taylor 1 1-2 4; Knox 1 3-4 6; Isinghood 7 3-6 18; Sperlazza 6 12-12 27; Varner 3 2-2 8; Marks 0 0-0 0; Sperringer 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 18, 21-26; 63.
INDIAN CREEK (4-6): Francis 3 1-2 7; Kuczykowski 2 0-0 4; Williams 3 2-2 8; Irizarry 3 0-0 6; Bodo 2 4-4 10; Freshwater 3 0-0 8; Schaffer 3 6-10 12; Morelli 0 0-0 0; Smith 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19, 13-18; 57.
3-POINT GOALS: Brooke 6 (Sperlazza 3, Isinghood, Knox, Taylor); Indian Creek 4 (Bodo 2, Freshwater 2).