CHESTERLAND–The Kirtland Hornets used a big second-half run to hand host West Geauga its first loss of the season.
The Hornets rallied back from a 31-22 halftime deficit to beat the Wolverines, 63-58.
“We forced some turnovers and got some easy looks in transition,” said Kirtland coach Shawn McGregor. “I think that was a big difference in the game.”
Kirtland opened the third quarter on a 13-3 run that left them with a 37-34 lead. Despite some back and forth in the final period, Kirtland closed the door on their third win of the season.
Vince Carriero scored 18 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. Carriero connected on 5-of-6 free throw attempts along with three 3-pointers.
Nick Barisic added 13 points on 7-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds.
“Nick and Vince really did a good job leading us to a win tonight,” McGregor said.
Barisic also was tasked with slowing down West Geauga standout guard Landon Lear
“(He) played phenomenal defense,” McGregor said. “The heart he showed today was awesome.”
Jack Green also scored in double figures with 10 points, and he pulled down seven rebounds. Jake LaVerde and Gino Blasini each contributed four points to the Hornets’ cause.
West Geauga suffered its first loss of the season as the Wolverines dropped to 6-1.
“They were the more physical team tonight,” said West Geauga head coach Micah Young. “They just beat us down tonight; they get all the credit for what they did.
Lear led all scorers with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting with four boards.
“He’s great, he’s Mr. Consistent,” Young said. “He keeps getting better in every facet of his game.”
Colin Whiting pitched in 14 points and was followed up by Carson Weisman who ended with 10 points.
“We talked about it after Beachwood, everyone on this team has a role,” Young said. “Carson is solid and reliable; Colin is a very good basketball player.”
Despite the 6-0 start coming to an end, it was the first time since 2006 that the Wolverines opened a season in that fashion.
Andrew Marino finished with five points to round out the night for West Geauga.
West Geauga travels to Eastlake North on Saturday while Kirtland puts its 3-0 record on the line at Independence on Dec. 29.
