Second-half surge sends Central Catholic boys basketball back to OHSAA district finals
NILES — It was a tale of two halves. One that nearly ended with a running clock and saw reserves from both teams on the floor in the closing minutes. The end result was the Central Catholic boys basketball team punching its ticket to its seventh district championship game in 11 years under head coach Matt Creamer with a 58-27 win over upset-minded Smithville.
"Our guys are really playing like warrior poets right now," Creamer said. "We played really unselfishly. We did the little things well. We moved the ball down the court efficiently and made great passes. It was a good night for us."
It was a night that began with far more stress than it ended. Central Catholic led by a score of just 19-13 at halftime. The Crusaders outscored the Smithies 39-14 in the second half to pull away thanks to big performances by Luke Vlacovsky, Jonathan Stangl and Gavin Layman. Vlacovsky recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Stangl had 16 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots and Layman added 12 points.
"We knew that we needed to come out and make a statement after halftime," Stangl said. "We knew it was going to be a battle and we were all extremely motivated. To be a part of making it back to a district final is a bit surreal for me. I'm just glad I get to play a bigger role in helping us reach this point this year."
Stangl was hampered by a broken ankle last year that kept him out for the first half of the season and limited his minutes all year. He added an exclamation point to the win by fighting through contact to power in a layup and earn a free throw opportunity early in the fourth quarter.
"That always adds a little bit of fuel to the fire," Stangl said. "I was feeling a little tired at the time and that got me going again. It gave me a nice little rush of adrenaline and helped me finish strong."
Vlacovsky was nearly impossible to contain at either end while Stangl controlled the inside. Vlacovsky converted several contested layups and made several open jump shots for the Crusaders.
"I feel good about how things went," Vlacovsky said. "I didn't score much in the first half so I just tried to concentrate on contributing in other ways. I tried to focus on boxing out and grabbing rebounds. There are other ways you can make an impact beyond just scoring."
A true embodiment of the spirt Creamer likes to call his 'warrior poet' philosophy.
"Warrior poets are those who train and fight for a higher purpose," Creamer said. "They are members of a rare fraternity of warriors who fight with intellect, conviction and great skill. They are motivated by a love for others."
It's a concept the entire team has bought into on this tournament run,.
"It's about caring about the guy to your left and to your right," Vlacovsky said. "It's about truly being a good teammate and caring about others and making them feel like part of a family."
"It's about being somebody that fights for something bigger than yourself," Stangl added. "It's caring about those around you more than you care for just yourself."
No.-8 seeded Central Catholic (17-7) advances to play No. 28 Mentor Lake Catholic (11-13) at 7 p.m. Friday, at Niles McKinley High School, in the Division III, Northeast 1 district final.
Reach Cliff at cliff.hickman@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @chickmanREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Luke Vlacovsky leads Central Catholic boys basketball to district win
