KIRTLAND, OH— The Crestwood Red Devils defeated the Kirtland Hornets 63-53 in a battle between unbeaten teams. The Red Devils move to 6-0 with the win, while the Hornets suffer their first loss and fall to 2-1.
This matchup was highly anticipated as both fanbases filled the stands at Kirtland High School. The first quarter was back and forth, as there was a plethra of lead changes throughout the action. It was Kirtland who jumped out the an early advantage as Lucas Renfro grabbed an offensive rebound and then nailed a three-ball to make it 5-2 Hornets.
Crestwood strung together their first four points from the man in the middle James Durham, and Steven Lincoln used the offensive glass and hits the put back shot to give Crestwood its first lead. After some more lead changes, Renfro hit another deep shot to put Kirtland up 10-9 as we began to see the Hornets slowly pull in front. They forced a Red Devil turnover and quickly turned it into two points to take a 12-9 lead. After Crestwood cut the lead back to one, the Hornet drained another three to see the largest lead they’ve possessed at four, 15-11. Brody Durham drove to the hoop late in the quarter and made the layup plus the foul, finishing off the three-point play the old-fashioned way, but Kirtland still held the lead after the first frame 15-14.
Kirtland opened up the second quarter extending their led back to four, an then the Red Devils took over. They immediately earned that three points right back, and it sparked what was an 8-0 run. Brody Durham forced a turnover on the next Hornet possession and Bryce Giel drained a three to put the Red Devils back in control.
Bryce Giel nails a three for Crestwood in the 2nd quarter
Another Hornet turnover led to an Augie Schweickert outlet layup to give Crestwood their largest advantage of the game 22-18. That led Kirtland coach Shawn McGregor to call timeout with 5:25 to go in the half. Kirtland came out to stop the Red Devil run, and did so with a Vince Carriero jumper, but Crestwood answered with another huge run to end the half. They finished the half outscoring the Hornets 13-3, highlighted be a Dekota Johnson steal and three-pointer right before the halftime buzzer. The Red Devils led 35-23 at the break.
Crestwood continued their momentum from the second quarter into the third, as they scored a quick two to push the lead to 14. A few possessions later, they took advantage of their size inside and gathered three offensive rebounds before finally getting a bucket. Kirtland’s inability to box out saw the score move to 39-26 and coach McGregor to call timeout.
The Hornets were not going to be quieted that easily, however. They moved to press defense that forced a lot of Red Devil turnovers, and they were feeling their rhythm from beyond the arc. Kirtland went on a 9-2 run with three triples, one from Carriero, one from Ryan Caimi, and lastly from Aiden Hurd to cut the lead down to 41-35.
James Durham scores inside off the dish from brother Brody Durham in the 3rd quarter
Johnson ended the Hornet run with a three of his own to push the lead back to nine. Kirtland answered with a two, and after a forced Red Devil turnover, they proved they were still feeling it from deep range. Will Burt knocked in a trey to cut the lead to four, and Michael Dumstorff showed off his defensive ability with great rim protection. Crestwood’s lead was six at the end of the three quarters.
Kirtland kept up the pressure as Burt blocked a shot inside, leading to a Carriero jumper to put the lead back down at four. That was as close as Kirtland got. Crestwood settled in and scored four quick points to push their lead out to eight, including a highlight reel spin move from Brody Durham.
Brody Durham with the sweet spin move and score for the Devils in the 4th
They added a pair of free throws to get that lead back into double figures. After a Hornet bucket, Brody Durham put the early dagger into the Hornet’s heart with a massive three that ignited the Red Devil faithful in the crowd and gave his team the 55-44 advantage. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way, as Kirtland lost their ability to shoot three-balls and wore out down the stretch as free throws sealed the game for Crestwood, 63-53.
Johnson led the way for the Red Devils with 15. The Durham brothers combined for 27 points in the contest, 14 to James and 13 to Brody. Bryce Giel had 10, and along with Augie Schweickert, was a defensive mastermind. Carriero led in scoring for the Hornets with 23, followed by Renfro, who hit three triples and finished with 10 points.
Both teams will resume their season after the holidays, as Crestwood is on the road to play the LaBrae Vikings in Leavittsburg, OH, and Kirtland will travel to Eastlake, OH, to take on the North Rangers.
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