CLEVELAND, Ohio—The big mover this past week was Cornerstone Christian, which demonstrated to the surprise of no one that teams in Division IV better beware come tournament time.
The Patriots won two big games on the road to remain undefeated at 8-0. They first edged previously unbeaten Perry, 63-59, and then stunned St. Vincent-St. Mary, 69-52. As a result, Cornerstone moved up from No. 13 to No. 7, while the Irish fell from No. 5 to No. 13.
For the second week in a row, St. Vincent-St. Mary fell apart in the second half of a big game. Last week Youngstown Ursuline outscored the Irish, 43-17, to come from behind and take a 63-55 decision. This past Saturday, Cornerstone overcame a 28-20 halftime deficit with a 49-24 advantage after halftime.
The Patriots don’t have exceptional depth, as one might expect from such a small school, but all five starters are very capable of scoring in double figures each time out. The starters are senior Lauren Harris, junior twins Madison and Michaela Cloonan, junior Kailey Tyna, and sophomore Riley Stopp, the daughter of coach Lisa Stopp.
The difficult schedule never seems to stop for independent Cornerstone. On Wednesday the Patriots face undefeated and No. 2-ranked Elyria Catholic on the road.
Here is how this week’s area Top 25 stacks up entering the fourth week of the season.
1. Wadsworth (6-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 1, beat North Royalton, 81-16; beat then-No. 22 Twinsburg, 55-35.
This week: Wednesday at New Philadelphia; Saturday vs. No. 14 Norton.
2. Elyria Catholic (5-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 2, beat Parma, 75-23; beat Valley Forge, 73-19.
This week: Wednesday vs. No. 7 Cornerstone; Saturday at Canton GlenOak.
3. Stow (4-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 3, beat then-No. 22 Twinsburg, 63-34; beat Hudson, 77-35.
This week: Wednesday vs. No. 8 Aurora.
4. Solon (6-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 4, beat then-No. 17 Euclid, 71-61; beat then-No. 22 Twinsburg, 54-44.
This week: Saturday vs. No. 5 Medina.
5. Medina (7-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 6, beat Elyria, 40-11; beat shaker Heights, 56-21.
This week: Wednesday at Highland; Saturday @ No. 4 Solon.
6. Hoban (7-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 7, beat then-No. 14 Gilmour, 67-50; beat Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin, 49-35.
This week: Saturday at Lake Catholic.
7. Cornerstone Christian (8-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 13, beat Perry, 63-59; beat then-No. 5 St. Vincent-St. Mary, 69-52.
This week: Wednesday at No. 2 Elyria Catholic; Saturday at Brush.
8. Aurora (6-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 8, beat Highland, 50-36; beat Revere, 53-51.
This week: Wednesday at No. 3 Stow; Saturday vs. Nordonia.
9. Laurel (5-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 9, no games this past week.
This week: Wednesday at Shaw; Saturday at Canfield.
10. Olmsted Falls (6-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 10, beat Westlake, 67-41; beat Lakewood, 57-47.
This week: Wednesday vs. North Ridgeville.
11. Cleveland Heights (6-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 11, beat Lorain, 64-54; beat Maple Heights, 61-43.
This week: Wednesday vs. Bedford; Saturday vs. Willoughby South.
12. Eastlake North (8-0)
Last week: Ranked No. 12, beat Madison, 70-35; beat then-No. 17 Euclid, 81-54.
This week: Wednesday at Chardon.
13. St. Vincent-St. Mary (2-5)
Last week: Ranked No. 5, lost to Canton McKinley, 81-51; lost to then-No. 13 Cornerstone, 69-52.
This week: Thursday vs. Hathaway Brown.
14. Norton (4-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 16, beat Ravenna, 50-44.
This week: Wednesday vs. Streetsboro; Saturday at No. 1 Wadsworth.
15. Kenston (7-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 20, beat Chardon, 57-51; beat Warren Howland, 51-43; beat Bedford, 59-50.
This week: Wednesday at Willoughby South.
16. Euclid (6-3)
Last week: Ranked No. 17, lost to No. 4 Solon, 71-61; lost to No. 12 Eastlake North, 81-54.
This week: Wednesday vs. Kent Roosevelt; Saturday at No. 23 Strongsville.
17. Westlake (5-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 19, lost to No. 10 Olmsted Falls, 67-41; beat then-No. 18 Avon Lake, 34-33.
This week: Wednesday vs. North Olmsted; Saturday vs. Bay.
18. Amherst (6-2)
Last week: Ranked No. 24, beat North Ridgeville, 74-52; beat Midview, 64-37.
This week: Wednesday at No. 20 Berea-Midpark; Saturday at North Royalton.
19. Avon Lake (6-2)
Last week: Ranked No. 18, beat Avon, 52-36; lost to then-No. 19 Westlake, 34-33.
This week: Wednesday at Lakewood; Saturday at Lorain.
20. Berea-Midpark (5-2)
Last week: Ranked No. 23, beat Lakewood, 42-28; beat North Ridgeville, 50-38.
This week: Wednesday vs. No. 18 Amherst.
21. St. Joseph Academy (4-3)
Last week: Unranked, beat Magnificat, 55-47; beat Beaumont, 69-54; beat then-No. 15 Strongsville, 65-49.
Next week: Saturday at Villa Angela-St. Joseph.
22. Brunswick (5-3)
Last week: Unranked, beat then-No. 15 Strongsville, 61-46; beat Wooster, 65-64.
Next week: Saturday vs. Mentor.
23. Green (4-3)
Last week: Unranked, beat Massillon Perry, 52-44, lost to Canton McKinley, 67-33, beat then-No. 21 Akron Buchtel, 48-42.
Next week: Wednesday vs. Canton GlenOak; Saturday vs. Barberton.
24. Buchtel (7-2)
Last week: Ranked No. 21, beat Firestone, 82-42; beat Kent Roosevelt, 84-26; lost to Green, 48-42.
This week: Wednesday at Nordonia.
25. Independence (6-1)
Last week: Ranked No. 25, beat Wickliffe, 76-13; beat Fairport Harding, 94-13.
This week: Saturday at Fairview.
Dropped out
Gilmour (was No. 14); Strongsville (was No. 15); Twinsburg (was No. 22).
Teams to watch
Bay (6-1); Buckeye (6-1); Chardon (4-2); Gilmour (3-3); Lutheran East (4-2); Magnificat (3-4); Mayfield (5-1); Perry (6-1); Ravenna (5-2); Strongsville (3-4); Twinsburg (3-3).
Closing thoughts
The new kids on the block this week are the Blue Devils from Brunswick. After a slow start, Brunswick has won four games in a row to enter the Top 25 at No. 22. This past week the Blue Devils easily defeated then-No. 15 Strongsville, 61-46, and then put on a furious fourth-quarter rally to edge Wooster, 65-64. Brunswick outscored its hosts, 23-10, in the fourth quarter to snatch away the victory.
For a while it appeared that the Greater Cleveland Conference was going to be a two-team race between Solon and Medina, with Euclid and Strongsville a step or two behind. But the emergence of Brunswick makes things even more interesting in the GCC.
Also entering the rankings for the first time is Green, which edged Akron Buchtel on Monday, 48-42. The Bulldogs are part of the very strong Federal League with teams like Canton McKinley, Canton GlenOak, Massillon Jackson and North Canton Hoover.
Returning to the Top 25 is St. Joseph Academy, which is riding a four-game winning streak after defeating Strongsville on Monday, 65-49. The Jaguars are quite young, with nine 9th and 10th graders on the varsity roster. The lone senior on the team is Molly Neitzel, who has signed to play at Akron next year, joining her sister, Colleen.
Strong guard play is key to SJA’s success, but it is the 6-foot Neitzel who makes them go. In a 55-47 victory over rival Magnificat, she had 10 points and 13 rebounds. Three days later she had 25 points, 13 blocks, 11 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists in a 69-54 victory over Beaumont. Against Strongsville she had 24 points to lead the way.
One win away: Veteran East Tech coach Mel Burke is one victory away from reaching his 300th career victory. His next chance to reach the milestone is Tuesday against Max Hayes.
Ms. Basketball: Even though Canton McKinley is not really in our coverage area, it's difficult not to notice what standout Kierstan Bell is doing, especially since she is often doing it to area teams. Bell is a 6-foot-1 do-everything player who won the Ohio Ms. Basketball award in 2017 and 2018 and is signed to play for Ohio State next year. Here's what she did this past week:
In an 81-51 drubbing of St. Vincent-St. Mary, Bell had 46 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks, 7 steals and 6 assists. Later in the week, in a 67-33 victory over Green, Bell had 28 points, 4 steals and 3 rebounds. In that game she made 6 of 10 attempts beyond the arc.
Holiday events: Several area schools will be hosting showcases or tournaments the week between Christmas and New Years Day. Here is a rundown of the showcases:
Believe Roundball Classic at Wadsworth: Dec. 27—Nordonia vs. Berlin Hiland (4:30 p.m.), Doylestown Chippewa vs. Strongsville (6:00 p.m.), Magnificat vs. Wadsworth (7:30 p.m.). Dec. 28—Carrollton vs. Loudonville (4:30 p.m.), Amherst vs. Doylestown Chippewa (6:00 p.m.), Strongsville vs. Wadsworth (7:30 p.m.).
Holiday Hoopla at Stow: Dec. 28—Tuslaw vs. Struthers (12:40 p.m.), Mentor vs. Akron Buchtel (2:20 p.m.), Chardon vs. New Philadelphia (4:00 p.m.), Canton GlenOak vs. Newark (5:40 p.m.), Canfield vs. Stow (7:20 p.m.).
Holiday Hoops Classic at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy: Dec. 28—Kingsway Christian vs. Lake Center Christian (3:00 p.m.), Lutheran East vs. Valley Christian (5:00 p.m.), Central Christian vs, CVCA (7:00 p.m.). Dec. 29—Valley Christian vs. Kingsway Christian (3:00 p.m.), Central Christian vs. Lake Center Christian (5:00 p.m.), Lutheran East vs. CVCA (7:00 p.m.).
NEO Elite Ladies Showcase at Garfield Heights: Dec. 30—Garfield Heights vs. East Tech (9:15 a.m.), Aurora vs. Akron Buchtel (11:00 a.m.), Cornerstone vs. Laurel (12:45 p.m.), Magnificat vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary (2:30 p.m.), Stow vs. Berea-Midpark (4:15 p.m.), Cleveland Heights vs. Canton McKinley (6:00 p.m.), Nordonia vs. Twinsburg (7:45 p.m.).
There are also some area tournaments:
Brunswick Holiday Hoop Classic: Dec. 28—Berea-Midpark vs. North Royalton, Brunswick vs. Valley Forge. Championship and consolation games on Dec. 29.
5th Annual Walsh Jesuit Holiday Tournament: Dec. 27—Norton vs. Kenston (5:30 p.m.), Cuyahoga Falls vs. Walsh Jesuit (7:15 p.m.). Dec. 28—Championship game at 7:15, consolation game at 5:30.
Also, several area teams are traveling to play in events: Akron Hoban (holiday tournament at Canfield South Range); Elyria Catholic (Cactus Jam in Phoenix, AZ); John Hay (Braggin’ Rights Classic in Cincinnati); Laurel (holiday tournament at Massillon Jackson); Medina (KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando, FL); Olmsted Falls (Surf N’ Slam Tournament in San Diego, CA); Solon (holiday tournament at Dublin Coffman).
Holiday wishes: The cleveland.com Top 25 is going to take a break and won't return until early 2019. Happy holidays to everyone and good luck to all the teams during the holidays.
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