'This is what we've been working for': Roosevelt basketball sweeps twinbill at Ravenna
RAVENNA — Roosevelt coach Curtis Black didn't hesitate when asked about which loss burned the most a year ago.
Ravenna.
"By far," the second-year Rough Riders coach said. "By far."
That's the way a rivalry is supposed to work, and after that loss hurt so deeply Roosevelt avenged it with a 61-49 victory at Ravenna in Wednesday's boys basketball game.
"I had to see these guys, talk to these guys every day," Black said of his neighbors and rivals. "As a coaching staff, they're like family to me, they're like brothers to me. We talk all the time, and I'm glad to have the bragging rights for 365 days this time."
Up nearly the entire game, the Rough Riders (6-3) came in waves to win their fifth straight, including a team-leading 13 points off the bench by senior Tyrel Ellington and a few key plays late by sophomore Gavin Peeps.
"Last year them coming in our house, especially, punching us in the mouth and us kind of just laying down, taking it, it feels really, really good to be able to come in there and punch them back, beat them up a little bit and get this win," Ellington said. "So we have those bragging rights for 365 days, but for us, at 12:00, this all goes away [and] we're on to [Cuyahoga] Falls."
After Ravenna cut Roosevelt's lead from 23 in the early seconds of the fourth quarter to seven with a minute and change remaining, Ellington answered with a drive-and-dish to Peeps for a critical layup.
"If someone's open, I got to get them the ball," Ellington said. "He cut right when I was driving and I rewarded him for it."
Roosevelt followed by forcing a turnover, which resulted in Peeps tracking down a loose ball by the sideline and firing a pass to senior Jeremiah Lepp for another layup.
Peeps then finished a fast break with a layup to push the Rough Riders' lead to a much more comfortable 13-point margin.
"Our team was prepared," Black said. "We were ready. We're a year older, a year wiser, a year under us, all knowing each other, staff-wise and player-wise, and I think it came together and this is what we've been working for."
That was the last wave.
The first was fueled largely by seniors Anthony Helton and Jack Smith, two Roosevelt players who weren't part of last year's rivalry game.
Helton, who played at Woodridge last year, recorded an offensive board that led to an early 3 for Lepp, then added his own 3-point play off a putback to push Roosevelt's lead to 6-0. Helton soon added a spinning drive-and-dish to Smith in the corner for his first of three 3-pointers and a 9-2 advantage.
Smith, who played at Stow-Munroe Falls last year, added two more corner 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 rampage in response to a 7-0 Ravenna run to start the second quarter.
After the Ravens drew within 18-14, Rough Riders senior point guard Grant Leslie found Smith in the corner for 3. Leslie added a drive-and-dish to Helton, then capped the 10-0 run by finding Smith in the corner yet again.
Depth was the story all night as Roosevelt had 10 players score, including six players finishing between five and 13 points.
That included junior center Ryan Slocum, who electrified the visiting crowd with a slam dunk, and Ellington, who had his own mesmerizing dribbling display for a runner, both taking place in the third quarter.
Roosevelt girls basketball captures opening contest
If the Rough Riders boys won with their depth, their girls used dominant post play to top the Ravens 64-27 in the opening game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
Senior post Zariyah Taylor (14 points) and sophomore post Claire VanDamme (15) combined for 21 of Roosevelt's 29 first-half points. The Rough Riders (4-5) overcame a sluggish start from the field largely through their strength on the boards, with eight of their 15 first-quarter points coming on second (and sometimes third) chances.
Taylor scored the last six points of the first quarter off offensive rebounds, putting back her own shot at the buzzer as Roosevelt ended the quarter on an 8-0 run to push a slim 7-5 lead into a more enduring 15-5 advantage.
"That's definitely our advantage in most games," Rough Riders coach Craig Foreman said his team's posts. "They've been growing and they've been starting to get stronger and finish."
After Roosevelt's posts impressed early, senior Arie Wilson (13 points) took over after halftime, including three 3-pointers, not to mention four steals in the third quarter alone.
"Coach calls her Condor because of her wings," said Foreman, referring to the world's largest flying bird. "Her arms, they just grow. They just keep growing. Last year, her big thing was the defensive end. This year now, she's always had the 3 but now she's really added that aggression and that comes from the defense. Her offense comes from her defense."
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Theodore Roosevelt High School basketball sweeps twinbill at Ravenna
