Independence showed no signs of rust after a 10-day layoff in beating host Fairport Harding on Friday, 69-46.
The Blue Devils took a 14-9 lead in the first quarter and bot better as the game went on.
“It was a good win going on the road after a 10 day 10-day and final exams,” Independence coach Hugh McMahon said. “I expected us to be a little bit sloppy but I really liked her energy for the entire game.”
Independence outscored Fairport, 43-21, in the second and third quarters.
Jamie McMahon led the Blue devils with a game-high 16 points and Connor Synek pitched in with 11.
“I thought we shared the ball really well and our scoring was balanced,” Coach McMahon Said. “I like how we fed Jamie early and Connor later to get us going on the inside. Our full-court man-to-man was excellent for 3 1/2 quarters. It was good to get out and play against someone else instead of beating up on each other.”
McMahon did most of his damage in the first half as the Blue Devils began to pull away.
“I really looked to attack the glass as much as possible tonight,” he said. “I thought my team did a great job setting me up when we attacked their zone. I thought it was a very important win for us after not playing for 10 days. We moved another step in the right direction heading into the LaBella tournament next week.”
Jorden Cogswell and Jake Severino both scored nine points to lead the Skippers.
Independence improved to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the Chagrin Valley Conference Valley Division.
“These young men work extremely hard, which reminds me of some of the best teams I’ve had,” Coach McMahon said. “It’s a lot of fun coaching them.”
Independence 69, Fairport 46
Independence: E. Mitrisin 3, Ceculski 7, Steffas 8, J. Mitrisin 9, Blumb 4, Miklovic 4, Richards 1, McMahon 16, Zygmunt 4, Flynn 2, Synek 11
Fairport: Cogswell 9, Severino 9, Barks 7, Alston 4, Kopp 5, Matyja 8, Webster 2, Tanker 2
Independence 14 19 24 12 — 69
Fairport 9 8 13 16 — 46
Free throws: Independence 7 of 14, Fairport 1 of 2; 3-pointers: Independence 6 (J.Mitrisin 3, Steffas 2, E. Mitrisin), Fairport (Cogswell, Barks, Kopp).
