Stow-Munroe Falls Boys Beat Rival Cuyahoga Falls

David Walker's sharp shooting helped the boys basketball team to victory at rival Cuyahoga Falls on Tuesday night.

Coach Dave Close was not particularly happy with the Bulldogs' play overall, however, and essentially told his team that in a long post-game session in the locker room.

"We want to win and I'm happy to win," a grim-faced Close said. "But I wasn't pleased with our play. We were not as focused as we need to be. This time of year, you need to be making progress. I didn't see that."

Close knows the Bulldogs (13-2 and 6-0 in the Northeast Ohio Conference) are good enough to make some noise in the upcoming tournaments, but only if they play at a higher level.

"We're fortunate that we made some shots," Close said. "David [Walker] was a difference maker."

Walker scored 22 points. He hit five 3-pointers, most of them at clutch points in the game when the gritty Black Tigers (3-11, 2-4) were trying to make a game of it.

Cuyahoga Falls jumped to a 9-3 lead, but the Bulldogs went on a 16-3 run to take command. Three-pointers by Walker and Kyle Scelza provided the spark.

The Black Tigers rallied to within 22-18 at halftime, but Walker hit consecutive 3-pointers midway through the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a 30-20 advantage. Another trey by the slender junior gave the Bulldogs a 41-24 lead in the fourth quarter, but Cuyahoga Falls kept battling.

Devin Speicher, whose 17 points led the Black Tigers, scored on a drive, was fouled, and made the free throw. Then Timothy Bridenthal drove down the lane for another score to spark the home team on an 8-3 run.

Sure enough, Walker hit yet another 3-pointer, from the left corner, for a 47-32 lead to pretty much put it away with two minutes to play.

"He's a heck of a player," Cuyahoga Falls coach Rob Slone said of Walker. "Whenever we had a breakdown on defense, he made us pay. Either he hit the shot, or he passed to somebody who did."

Once again, Slone liked his team's intensity, but questioned its decision making.

"I've got good kids who really play hard and I want them to win," Slone said. "They struggle to understand how to execute the offense, how to play through on defense. One guy leaves his man. Who was it? Walker. He hits a three. That can't happen. Next possession, we don't switch and Walker passes to Scelza for a three. We go from a two-point game to eight down in a blink of an eye."

In addition to Walker's shooting, the Bulldogs held a decided edge in two key areas, outrebounding the smaller Black Tigers, 30-18, and making 16 of 22 free throws compared to Cuyahoga Falls' 4-for-7 shooting from the foul line.

Senior forward Ryan Yurkschatt handled the brunt of the action down low, getting nine points and eight rebounds for Stow. Mike Garrison had eight points, while Lucas Hunt and Michael Waggoner scored two apiece.

Close believes Garrison, a 6-foot-8 senior back in the lineup after missing time with an injury, must step up his game.

"He's been cleared to play, so play," Close said. "As a player you would think, 'I have responsibility every time I step on the floor.' That goes for everybody, not just Mike. Tonight, David did it, but I didn't see much else. David shot the ball well, handled it well and played defense against their leading scorer."

That was junior guard Cory Asbury, who was scoreless until hitting a 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.

Earlier in the evening, Blake Podnar scored 18 points to lead Stow-Munroe Falls to a 57-50 win in the JV game.

Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, Stow-Munroe Falls basketball player David Walker was referred to as David Miller. The staff regrets the error.