CHAGRIN FALLS–Coming off a 5–18 campaign last season, the Brooklyn Hurricanes entered the year still searching for their identity — and for ways to close out games. On Wednesday night, in just their third outing of the season, they took a significant step forward.
Brooklyn led by 14 at halftime before surviving two furious Chagrin Falls comeback attempts to earn a gritty 62–59 win in a Chagrin Valley Conference crossover matchup.
“We got out to a pretty good start in the first half, but there was a stretch in the third quarter where it got a little dicey. But credit to the kids for hanging in there,” said Brooklyn head coach Jeff Shepherd. “We knew Chagrin was going to make a run, but we persevered and came through. I’m really excited for this young group. It is just the first win, and I don’t want them to get complacent. Learning how to win is a process, and last year we did not do that, so hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.”
Brooklyn opened the game with energy as Devin Hardwick knocked down a jumper and threw down a two-handed dunk. From there, Braelyn Gardner took over the first quarter, scoring 10 points — including back-to-back threes — to stake the Hurricanes to a 16–7 lead after one.
Shaddai Givens drilled a three early in the second, and Gardner stayed hot with 10 more points, pushing the advantage to 34–20 at the half.
But the momentum flipped after the break.
Chagrin Falls stormed out on a 21–9 run to close the gap to two. Owen Adelman attacked the baselines for two buckets and an offensive putback, while Quinn Bargar added a three. Then, in a scramble as the clock wound down, Bargar found Jake Vasko in the corner for a buzzer-beating three, trimming Brooklyn’s lead to just 43–41 and igniting the gym.
“When you’re making shots, the crowd and bench get into it, and it gets the energy up. Everybody feeds off of it, and it’s contagious,” Bargar said.
With the outcome hanging in the balance, Coach Shepherd turned to his senior leader.
“In the end, there we were trying to get the ball to (Devin Hardwick). He’s just an experienced guy, and his senior leadership showed up tonight,” Shepherd said.
Hardwick delivered six quick points to rebuild a double-digit lead at 54–43, then hit 3-of-4 free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.
For a young Hurricanes team learning how to finish games, this one mattered.
“It’s an important game for us to learn. Learning how to win is a process, and it’s the small victories that make a difference,” Shepherd said. “I tell the guys that even winning a quarter and those types of things help out. Chagrin is well coached, they shoot it well, and Coach Bargar does a nice job over here. This is a good win for us on the road.”
Hardwick finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-19 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Gardner added 24 on an efficient 7-of-11 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line.
Chagrin Falls, despite its inexperience, showcased resilience with two strong rallies.
“In the second half, we started being more aggressive, (Brooklyn) got their lead back up to 11 late, and we cut it back to a one-possession game, so I was proud of their fight and perseverance,” said Tigers head coach Dave Bargar. “With their experience, we just don’t know how long it’s going to take. Sometimes it happens right away, sometimes it takes longer, so we’ll just see how it goes.”
Another challenge awaits as rival Kenston — fresh off a commanding 73–51 win over Bay Village — visits this weekend.
“I love playing Kenston. Coach (Josh) Jakacki and I have the ultimate respect for each other, and when (Kenston) was in the conference, the CVC went through our two teams for a lot of years,” Bargar said. “It’s a great rivalry, and I know our kids will be ready to play; there’s no doubt about that. If we focus on playing our best brand of basketball as opposed to winning or losing, that’s when we’ll play well. That’s what I’m hoping to see. They’ll be ready, and I think we’ll play better because we’ve got the first one out of our system.”
Quinn Bargar led the Tigers with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, and Adelman added 10 off the bench.
Chagrin Falls hosts Kenston on Dec. 6. Brooklyn travels to Cloverleaf on Dec. 5.
