JEFFERSON–Jefferson opened the game on a 10-run and never looked back in an 85-57 Division IV sectional championship win over visiting Niles McKinley on Friday.
The Falcons led by double digits after four minutes of action then took a 19-7 lead into the second quarter before routing the Dragons.
“We saw on film that (McKinley) didn’t play much help-side defense, so we stretched the floor, got by guys on the dribble, and knew there wasn’t much help there,” said Jefferson head coach Rob Pisano. “We got a lot of layups, and we exposed what we saw on film. Our guys did a good job with the scouting report and got to the hoop, realizing there was no help-side defense. That was our game plan offensively.”
Terry Brown opened the night with back-to-back buckets to start for Jefferson before Anthony Covetta scored on a backdoor cut. Luis Padilla added a Euro-step basket, and Dylan Beebe found Joel Navarro for a score to cap off the 10-0 run.
Beebe converted an and-one, and a pair of Covetta baskets gave the Falcons a 19-7 edge after one.
Navarro knocked down a 3-pointer to go along with his five second-quarter points, while Brown and Padilla added four more for a 35-21 halftime lead.
Covetta scored 11 third-quarter points, with Brown adding 10 more points for a 58-41 lead after three.
Navarro helped shut the door in the final period with nine points, plus seven more from Covetta before Caleb Welser scored five points in the latter moments of the fourth to close out the 28-point win.
Although the Falcons’ offense put up 85 points, the defense had been just as impressive down the stretch and in the sectional title game win over McKinley.
“I thought our defense was great,” Pisano said of his defense. “When you get a lead, the defense naturally softens up, but when we needed stops and rebounds, we got them. Terry played a heck of a game, Anthony, too. Our defense in the last eight to nine games had been really, really good. They’d bought into it. It was about holding teams to 14 (points) a quarter or less. When it counted tonight, I thought our team played phenomenal defense, just like we had in the last nine or 10 games.”
The offense was filled with complementary scoring as well, something that continued to be a difference-maker, win or lose, for Jefferson.
“We put up 85 points tonight, and you can’t ask for much more than that,” Pisano said of the potent offensive effort. “It was a balanced effort. We had secondary and third scorers that we’d needed all year. We knew Anthony was going to get his points, he’s a scorer, but you can’t beat good teams in the playoffs without secondary scoring and a third guy scoring. When we were balanced, we got to 80, and when we weren’t, like against Spire the other night, we only got to 53.”
The Falcons had beaten the Dragons earlier in the year, 62-53, back on December 12, setting up a postseason rematch.
“Coming in, we knew what they were going to do,” Beebe said of being familiar with McKinley. “Watching film, we saw they didn’t do well on (help-side) defense, and we took advantage of that. We got to the hole, and once we got there, there was nobody to stop us. It worked to our advantage.”
Moving toward the Division IV district semifinal, another rematch is set—this time with Bay Village, whom Jefferson had previously defeated 71-70 in overtime to open last season’s tournament.
“They were going to be like West Geauga—a hard-nosed team with tough kids that were going to come in here and battle,” Pisano said of the Rockets. “We have to expect a hard-fought battle.”
Covetta led all scorers with 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field, converting 8-of-10 free throws.
Brown added 22 points, with seven rebounds, Navarro put up a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Padilla contributed eight. Beebe dished out eight assists in the win.
Jefferson hosts Bay Village in a Division IV district semi-final matchup on February 25.
