VASJ boys basketball headed back to Columbus after regional title win over Aquinas
Bill Tilton
The Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings don’t need directions to Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center in Columbus.
Coach Babe Kwasniak and company made the trip down I-71 to the Ohio State University campus three straight seasons from 2013-2015, and they know how to get to the final four.
That was evident yet again on March 12 against NCL White rival St. Thomas Aquinas.
With a cast of new players emerging after a talented class graduated following last year’s state championship, and fighting for a fourth consecutive berth in Columbus, VASJ proved once again in a 54-46 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the Division III regional championship game at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse on March 12, they still know the way to the state tournament.
Senior guard Sherman Dean finished with a game-high 14 points, with sophomore Jerry Higgins (11) and senior Kevin Roberts (10) joining him in double figures. Jacob Stauffer scored all six of his points in the second half, and knocked down a key free throw late in the closing minute to help VASJ win its fourth straight regional championship and third consecutive in Division III.
The Vikings (22-5) will play Lynchburg-Clay at 10:45 a.m. on March 17 in a Division III state semifinal.
“It’s crazy,” Dean said. “We were doubted from the beginning. We took that motivation and look where we are now — back in Columbus again. …. I really don’t have the words. It is hard to describe.”
VASJ lost five senior starters and two key bench players from last year’s state title team, and in doing so 78.9 of the school-record 79.8 points they scored a year ago. Dean, Stauffer, Roberts and sophomore Higgins combined for the other 0.9 of a point.
“Come on, that’s unbelievable, right?” Coach Babe Kwasniak said. “We lost pretty much everything.
“We won last year, but this might be the bigger accomplishment.”
VASJ jumped out to a 16-7 lead at the end of one quarter, but trailed for 3 minutes in the second. But when junior Noah Newlon hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the Vikings forced a 22-22 tie and grabbed the momentum for good.
“I thought the Newlon 3 before the half was really the biggest play of the game,” Kwasniak said. “If he doesn’t make that, then we have to chase them in the second half.”
Instead, a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer in transition from Dean, opened up a 29-22 lead. VASJ made its first seven shots of the third quarter, and eight of 10 overall in the decisive frame.
Aquinas never got closer than four points the rest of the way as the Vikings played a patient fourth quarter not allowing the Knights to threaten the lead.
Aquinas got close a few times in the fourth, but Higgins, Stauffer, Roberts and junior William Butler all made free throws to keep the Knights from closing the gap.
“It’s not about what we lost anymore,” Kwasniak said. “It’s about who we have. These kids are pretty good. We’re a pretty good basketball team.”
Newlon – whose father, Rich, is a VASJ assistant coach and had a health scare during a game during January – clutched the regional championship trophy and smiled while thinking about what the accomplishment meant to him, his family and the entire Viking Nation.
“This means everything, and to see my dad so happy and know that I was able to make a shot and contribute to him smiling right now – it is an unbelievable feeling,” Newlon said.
Coach Babe Kwasniak and company made the trip down I-71 to the Ohio State University campus three straight seasons from 2013-2015, and they know how to get to the final four.
That was evident yet again on March 12 against NCL White rival St. Thomas Aquinas.
With a cast of new players emerging after a talented class graduated following last year’s state championship, and fighting for a fourth consecutive berth in Columbus, VASJ proved once again in a 54-46 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in the Division III regional championship game at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse on March 12, they still know the way to the state tournament.
Senior guard Sherman Dean finished with a game-high 14 points, with sophomore Jerry Higgins (11) and senior Kevin Roberts (10) joining him in double figures. Jacob Stauffer scored all six of his points in the second half, and knocked down a key free throw late in the closing minute to help VASJ win its fourth straight regional championship and third consecutive in Division III.
The Vikings (22-5) will play Lynchburg-Clay at 10:45 a.m. on March 17 in a Division III state semifinal.
“It’s crazy,” Dean said. “We were doubted from the beginning. We took that motivation and look where we are now — back in Columbus again. …. I really don’t have the words. It is hard to describe.”
VASJ lost five senior starters and two key bench players from last year’s state title team, and in doing so 78.9 of the school-record 79.8 points they scored a year ago. Dean, Stauffer, Roberts and sophomore Higgins combined for the other 0.9 of a point.
“Come on, that’s unbelievable, right?” Coach Babe Kwasniak said. “We lost pretty much everything.
“We won last year, but this might be the bigger accomplishment.”
VASJ jumped out to a 16-7 lead at the end of one quarter, but trailed for 3 minutes in the second. But when junior Noah Newlon hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, the Vikings forced a 22-22 tie and grabbed the momentum for good.
“I thought the Newlon 3 before the half was really the biggest play of the game,” Kwasniak said. “If he doesn’t make that, then we have to chase them in the second half.”
Instead, a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer in transition from Dean, opened up a 29-22 lead. VASJ made its first seven shots of the third quarter, and eight of 10 overall in the decisive frame.
Aquinas never got closer than four points the rest of the way as the Vikings played a patient fourth quarter not allowing the Knights to threaten the lead.
Aquinas got close a few times in the fourth, but Higgins, Stauffer, Roberts and junior William Butler all made free throws to keep the Knights from closing the gap.
“It’s not about what we lost anymore,” Kwasniak said. “It’s about who we have. These kids are pretty good. We’re a pretty good basketball team.”
Newlon – whose father, Rich, is a VASJ assistant coach and had a health scare during a game during January – clutched the regional championship trophy and smiled while thinking about what the accomplishment meant to him, his family and the entire Viking Nation.
“This means everything, and to see my dad so happy and know that I was able to make a shot and contribute to him smiling right now – it is an unbelievable feeling,” Newlon said.
Higgins buzzer beater lifts VASJ past Beachwood in district final classic
Bill Tilton 3/5/2016
Hollywood, California is a long way from Garfield Heights, Ohio.
But the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings and sophomore point guard Jerry Higgins scripted an ending to the Division III district championship game that was close to anything you would see on the silver screen.
March Madness started early in the Buckeye State, and the emotion reverberated all the way back to East 185th and Lakeshore Boulevard.
Trailing by one with 6 seconds to play against top-seeded and favored Beachwood, Higgins made a game-winning, buzzer-beater layup on March 4 to send VASJ to a Division III district final win over Beachwood, 53-52, at Garfield Heights High School.
The Vikings will face Newton Falls on March 9 in a regional semi at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.
“You always dream for it to happen on such a big stage,” Higgins said. “Luckily I made it and we’re moving onto the next round. … When you have great teammates and a great coach like (Babe Kwasniak) who believe in you, it makes it special.”
The emotion of the win was obvious as the postgame celebration pile was started by Coach Kwasniak, and it marks the fourth straight year the Vikings have won a district title, but the first without a group of players who are now D-I college level athletes – including Brian Parker, Carlton Bragg and Dererk Pardon.
“We’ve never been the underdog before,” Kwasniak said. “We’ve been the hunted and never had a chance to hunt. We’ve worked on that last play. We did it 10 times yesterday and it didn’t work. …. But I told those guys in the huddle we were going to win the game. That’s honestly how I felt before that last play.”
Coming into play as the No. 2 seed, VASJ set the tempo early against top-seeded Beachwood thanks to its senior star Sherman Dean. The senior guard and first-team All Northeast Lakes District selection scored 12 of his team’s first 18 points to start the contest, draining five 3-pointers to set a school season-high record for triples in a single season.
VASJ (20-5) led, 33-27, at the half, but the Bison wouldn’t go away.
Beachwood forward Desmond Crosby led the charge, finishing with nine points in the first half before point guard Jalen Davis took over late. The senior stepped up down the stretch, helping his team tie the game heading to the fourth quarter with 6 points in the third.
“They’re as talented as any team in the state in any division,” Kwasniak said. “We’re not a great zone team and we had to make adjustments.
“I think a lot of the credit has to go to my brother T.J. and what he and the staff were able to do with this group at the start of the season. These guys were so well prepared for a game like this.”
The final 8 minutes of play featured each team trading baskets in a one-possession showdown with less than a minute on the clock. Higgins put up eight points in the final quarter on one side, while Beachwood forward Tyrone Gibson added six more points to the other.
With the Bison down, 51-50, with 6 seconds to play, Gibson came through by knocking down two foul shots to give his team the late lead.
Higgins stole the show with final shot that sends defending Division III state champion VASJ to the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse for a fourth straight season.
“They had faith in me to put the ball in my hand,” Higgins said. “This is really special to us, because we took a lot of losses to the top teams in the area by only a few points. Now we finally learned to finish.”
Dean was humbled and credited Higgins and the rest of his teammates for the victory, although his five 3s in the first half were critical to the victory.
“The past few years were a great learning experience, and now, I can’t describe this. It means everything,” Dean said.
Danny McGarry, Kevin Roberts and Jacob Stauffer each made huge plays to help VASJ claim the district championship.
“Beachwood is so talented, I can’t tell you how relieved we are and how proud I am of these guys,” Kwasniak said. “We needed to play a great game and we were able to make one more play at the end of the game.”
But the Villa Angela-St. Joseph Vikings and sophomore point guard Jerry Higgins scripted an ending to the Division III district championship game that was close to anything you would see on the silver screen.
March Madness started early in the Buckeye State, and the emotion reverberated all the way back to East 185th and Lakeshore Boulevard.
Trailing by one with 6 seconds to play against top-seeded and favored Beachwood, Higgins made a game-winning, buzzer-beater layup on March 4 to send VASJ to a Division III district final win over Beachwood, 53-52, at Garfield Heights High School.
The Vikings will face Newton Falls on March 9 in a regional semi at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.
“You always dream for it to happen on such a big stage,” Higgins said. “Luckily I made it and we’re moving onto the next round. … When you have great teammates and a great coach like (Babe Kwasniak) who believe in you, it makes it special.”
The emotion of the win was obvious as the postgame celebration pile was started by Coach Kwasniak, and it marks the fourth straight year the Vikings have won a district title, but the first without a group of players who are now D-I college level athletes – including Brian Parker, Carlton Bragg and Dererk Pardon.
“We’ve never been the underdog before,” Kwasniak said. “We’ve been the hunted and never had a chance to hunt. We’ve worked on that last play. We did it 10 times yesterday and it didn’t work. …. But I told those guys in the huddle we were going to win the game. That’s honestly how I felt before that last play.”
Coming into play as the No. 2 seed, VASJ set the tempo early against top-seeded Beachwood thanks to its senior star Sherman Dean. The senior guard and first-team All Northeast Lakes District selection scored 12 of his team’s first 18 points to start the contest, draining five 3-pointers to set a school season-high record for triples in a single season.
VASJ (20-5) led, 33-27, at the half, but the Bison wouldn’t go away.
Beachwood forward Desmond Crosby led the charge, finishing with nine points in the first half before point guard Jalen Davis took over late. The senior stepped up down the stretch, helping his team tie the game heading to the fourth quarter with 6 points in the third.
“They’re as talented as any team in the state in any division,” Kwasniak said. “We’re not a great zone team and we had to make adjustments.
“I think a lot of the credit has to go to my brother T.J. and what he and the staff were able to do with this group at the start of the season. These guys were so well prepared for a game like this.”
The final 8 minutes of play featured each team trading baskets in a one-possession showdown with less than a minute on the clock. Higgins put up eight points in the final quarter on one side, while Beachwood forward Tyrone Gibson added six more points to the other.
With the Bison down, 51-50, with 6 seconds to play, Gibson came through by knocking down two foul shots to give his team the late lead.
Higgins stole the show with final shot that sends defending Division III state champion VASJ to the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse for a fourth straight season.
“They had faith in me to put the ball in my hand,” Higgins said. “This is really special to us, because we took a lot of losses to the top teams in the area by only a few points. Now we finally learned to finish.”
Dean was humbled and credited Higgins and the rest of his teammates for the victory, although his five 3s in the first half were critical to the victory.
“The past few years were a great learning experience, and now, I can’t describe this. It means everything,” Dean said.
Danny McGarry, Kevin Roberts and Jacob Stauffer each made huge plays to help VASJ claim the district championship.
“Beachwood is so talented, I can’t tell you how relieved we are and how proud I am of these guys,” Kwasniak said. “We needed to play a great game and we were able to make one more play at the end of the game.”
VASJ rolls past rival CCC, 83-62, in boys basketball
If you were to script a perfect ending to a regular season, it would be hard to write anything better than the 24 hours at Viking Village over Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.
Following a 10-point win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday night, VASJ followed that effort up with a dominating 83-62 victory over North Coast League rival Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20.
Led by two seniors with the most experience from last year, shooting guard Sherman Dean and center Jacob Stauffer, VASJ hammered NCL White champion Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20 on Senior Night at Viking Village to wrap up the regular season.
It was the lone loss in conference this season for the Ironmen, and the Vikings avenged two of their five losses this season in back-to-back nights.
“This group is special. The seniors have never known what it is to not get to Columbus (Final Four), and their spirit and their intelligence and their will to win is contagious,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“The way we won the two games this weekend, and we are pretty darn good on the tile (at Viking Village) is unique and something I hope gives us momentum for the tournament.”
Trailing midway through the second quarter, 30-26, the Vikings – defending Division III state champs and 2014 state runner-up – closed the first half on a 16-0 run to take a 42-30 lead into the break.
VASJ (17-5, 8-2 NCL White) closed the third quarter up 61-43, and reached the biggest margin of the night, 81-53, with 3 minutes remaining in the game. Once the lead reached 28, the Vikings sent their seniors back into the game for a minute before emptying the bench.
Kwasniak said he decided to start all five of his starters, including Kevin Roberts, Anthony Turk and Phillip Besick, all non-regular starters, earlier in the day on Feb. 20. VASJ was rewarded by the move with the energy brought forth by the seniors, especially from Bessick, who drew the assignment of Ironmen standout Tervell Beck to start the game.
CCC’s 6-foot-8 forward finished with 12 points after scoring 29 in the Ironmen’s 64-56 win over the Vikings on Dec. 11.
“I just thought we took their spirit, took their soul,” Kwasniak said, adding that the energy from the Vikings’ student section played a big role. “I told the kids that it is fun not being the most talented team on the floor, and I thought we made up for it tonight by being the smartest team on the floor.”
Dean led all scorers with 28 points, followed by sophomore Jerry Higgins with 21,including several acrobatic moves the basket. But it was Stauffer who stood out, stepping up for the second consecutive night. After a 61-51 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in which he scored 11, Stauffer again came through with a 16-point, eight-rebound night.
“I wasn’t really happy with the way I was playing earlier in the season. So in practice I put in the work, I got a little upset with myself. I let it fuel me, and I pushed myself harder,” the 6-foot-6 senior said. “If I’ve come this far in one week, I can only imagine what I can do in the next month.”
The Vikings used multiple defensive sets that forced 16 turnovers and numerous fast-break points.
“We’ve played a lot of good teams. But haven’t been able to come out of the games that are questionable,” Stauffer said. “We’ve had a lot of games going in as the underdogs or evenly matched, but we haven’t been able to win any of them. This is the first one. I think that’s huge for our confidence and I think we earned it.”
Kwasniak said the win was satisfying because he felt the Ironmen (15-7, 9-1 NCL White) were a more talented team on paper, though Dean felt the Vikings are just getting started.
“In the playoffs, I think we can play better than we played today,” Dean said. “If we keep up the intensity, we have greatness ahead of us.
“Tonight was very emotional and a great win. It meant a lot and it was a win we needed.”
VASJ 83, Cleveland Central Catholic 62
Cleveland Central Catholic (15-7, 9-1 NCL): Bybee 15, Beck 12, Del. Jackson 8, Thomas 8, Golphin 6, Ivory 3, Dy. Jackson 3, Lillard 3, Clark 2, Lundy 2
VASJ (17-5, 8-2 NCL): Dean 28, Higgins 21, Stauffer 16, Roberts 13, Butler 2, McGarry 2, Gaffney 2, Bessick 2, Porter 2, Newlon 1
,
Cleveland Central Catholic 18 12 13 19 62
VASJ 22 20 19 22 83
Free throws: Cleveland Central Catholic 21 of 28 VASJ 15 of 24
3-Pointer: Cleveland Central Catholic 6 ( Bybee 3, Beck, Del. Jackson, Ivory) VASJ 7 (Dean 5, Roberts 2)
JV: VASJ 51 CCC 48
Following a 10-point win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday night, VASJ followed that effort up with a dominating 83-62 victory over North Coast League rival Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20.
Led by two seniors with the most experience from last year, shooting guard Sherman Dean and center Jacob Stauffer, VASJ hammered NCL White champion Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20 on Senior Night at Viking Village to wrap up the regular season.
It was the lone loss in conference this season for the Ironmen, and the Vikings avenged two of their five losses this season in back-to-back nights.
“This group is special. The seniors have never known what it is to not get to Columbus (Final Four), and their spirit and their intelligence and their will to win is contagious,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“The way we won the two games this weekend, and we are pretty darn good on the tile (at Viking Village) is unique and something I hope gives us momentum for the tournament.”
Trailing midway through the second quarter, 30-26, the Vikings – defending Division III state champs and 2014 state runner-up – closed the first half on a 16-0 run to take a 42-30 lead into the break.
VASJ (17-5, 8-2 NCL White) closed the third quarter up 61-43, and reached the biggest margin of the night, 81-53, with 3 minutes remaining in the game. Once the lead reached 28, the Vikings sent their seniors back into the game for a minute before emptying the bench.
Kwasniak said he decided to start all five of his starters, including Kevin Roberts, Anthony Turk and Phillip Besick, all non-regular starters, earlier in the day on Feb. 20. VASJ was rewarded by the move with the energy brought forth by the seniors, especially from Bessick, who drew the assignment of Ironmen standout Tervell Beck to start the game.
CCC’s 6-foot-8 forward finished with 12 points after scoring 29 in the Ironmen’s 64-56 win over the Vikings on Dec. 11.
“I just thought we took their spirit, took their soul,” Kwasniak said, adding that the energy from the Vikings’ student section played a big role. “I told the kids that it is fun not being the most talented team on the floor, and I thought we made up for it tonight by being the smartest team on the floor.”
Dean led all scorers with 28 points, followed by sophomore Jerry Higgins with 21,including several acrobatic moves the basket. But it was Stauffer who stood out, stepping up for the second consecutive night. After a 61-51 win over St. Thomas Aquinas in which he scored 11, Stauffer again came through with a 16-point, eight-rebound night.
“I wasn’t really happy with the way I was playing earlier in the season. So in practice I put in the work, I got a little upset with myself. I let it fuel me, and I pushed myself harder,” the 6-foot-6 senior said. “If I’ve come this far in one week, I can only imagine what I can do in the next month.”
The Vikings used multiple defensive sets that forced 16 turnovers and numerous fast-break points.
“We’ve played a lot of good teams. But haven’t been able to come out of the games that are questionable,” Stauffer said. “We’ve had a lot of games going in as the underdogs or evenly matched, but we haven’t been able to win any of them. This is the first one. I think that’s huge for our confidence and I think we earned it.”
Kwasniak said the win was satisfying because he felt the Ironmen (15-7, 9-1 NCL White) were a more talented team on paper, though Dean felt the Vikings are just getting started.
“In the playoffs, I think we can play better than we played today,” Dean said. “If we keep up the intensity, we have greatness ahead of us.
“Tonight was very emotional and a great win. It meant a lot and it was a win we needed.”
VASJ 83, Cleveland Central Catholic 62
Cleveland Central Catholic (15-7, 9-1 NCL): Bybee 15, Beck 12, Del. Jackson 8, Thomas 8, Golphin 6, Ivory 3, Dy. Jackson 3, Lillard 3, Clark 2, Lundy 2
VASJ (17-5, 8-2 NCL): Dean 28, Higgins 21, Stauffer 16, Roberts 13, Butler 2, McGarry 2, Gaffney 2, Bessick 2, Porter 2, Newlon 1
,
Cleveland Central Catholic 18 12 13 19 62
VASJ 22 20 19 22 83
Free throws: Cleveland Central Catholic 21 of 28 VASJ 15 of 24
3-Pointer: Cleveland Central Catholic 6 ( Bybee 3, Beck, Del. Jackson, Ivory) VASJ 7 (Dean 5, Roberts 2)
JV: VASJ 51 CCC 48
VASJ defeats St.Thomas Aquinas, 61-51, in boys basketball
Bill Tilton Feb 19, 2016
Villa Angela-St. Joseph started a busy and critical weekend in fine fashion with a 61-51 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 19.
The Vikings (16-5) avenged an earlier loss this season to the Knights behind a balanced offensive effort and some key role players contributing in a big way.
“Aquinas is very good. That is a very good team and we had some guys step up,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“I thought Jacob Stauffer (11 points) played one of his best games for us. Will Butler, Danny McGarry, Andre George off the bench – all huge.”
Sherman Dean hit four 3s and finished with 17 points. Jerry Higgins and Kevin Roberts each chipped in with 11 for the Vikings, who host rival Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20.
VASJ outscored Aquinas, 20-13, in the decisive fourth quarter.
VASJ 61, St. Thomas Aquinas 51
St. Thomas Aquinas: Paul 22, Duplin 10, Pellegrene 8, Knott 5, Knox 5, Sommers 1
VASJ (16-5): Dean 17, Higgins 11, Stauffer 11, Roberts 11, Butler 8, McGarry 3
,
St. Thomas Aquinas 11 13 14 13 51
VASJ 14 14 13 20 61
Free throws: St. Thomas Aquinas 8 of 11 VASJ 10 of 13
3-Pointer: St. Thomas Aquinas 9 ( Paul 6, Duplin, Knox, Pellegrene) VASJ 6 (Dean 4, Butler 2)
The Vikings (16-5) avenged an earlier loss this season to the Knights behind a balanced offensive effort and some key role players contributing in a big way.
“Aquinas is very good. That is a very good team and we had some guys step up,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“I thought Jacob Stauffer (11 points) played one of his best games for us. Will Butler, Danny McGarry, Andre George off the bench – all huge.”
Sherman Dean hit four 3s and finished with 17 points. Jerry Higgins and Kevin Roberts each chipped in with 11 for the Vikings, who host rival Cleveland Central Catholic on Feb. 20.
VASJ outscored Aquinas, 20-13, in the decisive fourth quarter.
VASJ 61, St. Thomas Aquinas 51
St. Thomas Aquinas: Paul 22, Duplin 10, Pellegrene 8, Knott 5, Knox 5, Sommers 1
VASJ (16-5): Dean 17, Higgins 11, Stauffer 11, Roberts 11, Butler 8, McGarry 3
,
St. Thomas Aquinas 11 13 14 13 51
VASJ 14 14 13 20 61
Free throws: St. Thomas Aquinas 8 of 11 VASJ 10 of 13
3-Pointer: St. Thomas Aquinas 9 ( Paul 6, Duplin, Knox, Pellegrene) VASJ 6 (Dean 4, Butler 2)
VASJ falls at Mentor, 68-60, in boys basketball showdown
Bill Tilton Feb 6, 2016
Villa Angela-St. Joseph coach Babe Kwasniak is proficient when it comes to preparing a team for the postseason.
The Vikings have won two state titles under Kwasniak in the past three years, including the 2015 Division III crown.
VASJ is gearing up to make another run to Columbus, and while the youthful Vikings suffered a 68-60 setback at Mentor on Feb. 6, Kwasniak recognized the benefits long term of facing the Cardinals.
“The only way you get experience is by this. This is so good for us,” Kwasniak said. “The only way to achieve success is to not be afraid to fail.
“I know one thing. There’s a lot of people in that meeting room tomorrow who don’t want to see Mentor and I understand why,” he added, speaking of the district tournament seeding on Feb. 7. “That guy (Mentor coach Bob Krizancic) is the best coach at any level in Ohio. Their team takes on his personality ad his competitiveness. That is a huge reason for their success.”
VASJ will enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed at the D-III Garfield Heights District. The draw is on Super Bowl Sunday.
Mentor (10-9) jumped out to a 29-16 lead in the second quarter before VASJ rallied behind standout sophomore guard Jerry Higgins, who scored a game-high 30 points.
The Vikings pulled to within two in the third quarter at 34-32 before a key 3-pointer by Caden Kryz. Andrew Robinson scored 27 to lead the Cardinals, who pulled away over the final 12 minutes.
“I hate to put it as simply as we didn’t make shots, but we got some good looks and the ball didn’t go down,” Kwasniak said. “We defended well, and if you told me Andrew Valeri and Kyle McIntosh would (be a non-factor scoring) I would have taken my chances. We are going to be OK. We have to clean some things up.”
Trailing, 31-21, VASJ (12-5) went on a 7-0 run before halftime to cut the deficit to three. But Mentor opened the game back up to 49-39 on a Kryz 3-pointer midway through the third. The Vikings could not bring the game back within its final eight-point resting spot after being held at bay by the Cardinals’ 11 3-pointers.
Kwasniak said part of the outcome of the game was a matter of his team not creating enough on offense.
“I know they pride themselves on wearing people out. We pride ourselves on not getting worn out, and I don’t think we did, we just missed some shots,” he said. “I hate using the term ‘we just missed shots,’ but they can really guard, so when we missed those open looks. It just perpetuated it.”
Mentor coach Bob Krizancic was happy with the win, given that his team was fully healthy for the first time all season.
“This weekend, it was exciting to just coach the team I thought would be there Game 1. It took 18 games, and this is 19,” he said. “We have pretty good depth. I thought we played harder this weekend, and you can tell that the guys on the floor have more confidence because the pieces are there.”
While he was missing from the scorebook, McIntosh played a key role in the win, holding VASJ’s leading scorer, Sherman Dean, to two points on one-of-10 from the floor.
“I thought we did a real good job on him,” Krizancic said.
“(Jerry) Higgins is a real nice player. They’ve got some nice talent over there. This is a great atmosphere for tournament time. It’s always great playing, the later the better, and two weeks before the tournament starts, it was great timing.”
Robinson spoke to the importance of the Cardinals coming out on top in a tough game against a quality opponent like the Vikings.
“This was probably one of our most important games of the season,” he said. “We had everyone back, we proved to everyone that we’re back and ready to play.”
The Vikings have won two state titles under Kwasniak in the past three years, including the 2015 Division III crown.
VASJ is gearing up to make another run to Columbus, and while the youthful Vikings suffered a 68-60 setback at Mentor on Feb. 6, Kwasniak recognized the benefits long term of facing the Cardinals.
“The only way you get experience is by this. This is so good for us,” Kwasniak said. “The only way to achieve success is to not be afraid to fail.
“I know one thing. There’s a lot of people in that meeting room tomorrow who don’t want to see Mentor and I understand why,” he added, speaking of the district tournament seeding on Feb. 7. “That guy (Mentor coach Bob Krizancic) is the best coach at any level in Ohio. Their team takes on his personality ad his competitiveness. That is a huge reason for their success.”
VASJ will enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed at the D-III Garfield Heights District. The draw is on Super Bowl Sunday.
Mentor (10-9) jumped out to a 29-16 lead in the second quarter before VASJ rallied behind standout sophomore guard Jerry Higgins, who scored a game-high 30 points.
The Vikings pulled to within two in the third quarter at 34-32 before a key 3-pointer by Caden Kryz. Andrew Robinson scored 27 to lead the Cardinals, who pulled away over the final 12 minutes.
“I hate to put it as simply as we didn’t make shots, but we got some good looks and the ball didn’t go down,” Kwasniak said. “We defended well, and if you told me Andrew Valeri and Kyle McIntosh would (be a non-factor scoring) I would have taken my chances. We are going to be OK. We have to clean some things up.”
Trailing, 31-21, VASJ (12-5) went on a 7-0 run before halftime to cut the deficit to three. But Mentor opened the game back up to 49-39 on a Kryz 3-pointer midway through the third. The Vikings could not bring the game back within its final eight-point resting spot after being held at bay by the Cardinals’ 11 3-pointers.
Kwasniak said part of the outcome of the game was a matter of his team not creating enough on offense.
“I know they pride themselves on wearing people out. We pride ourselves on not getting worn out, and I don’t think we did, we just missed some shots,” he said. “I hate using the term ‘we just missed shots,’ but they can really guard, so when we missed those open looks. It just perpetuated it.”
Mentor coach Bob Krizancic was happy with the win, given that his team was fully healthy for the first time all season.
“This weekend, it was exciting to just coach the team I thought would be there Game 1. It took 18 games, and this is 19,” he said. “We have pretty good depth. I thought we played harder this weekend, and you can tell that the guys on the floor have more confidence because the pieces are there.”
While he was missing from the scorebook, McIntosh played a key role in the win, holding VASJ’s leading scorer, Sherman Dean, to two points on one-of-10 from the floor.
“I thought we did a real good job on him,” Krizancic said.
“(Jerry) Higgins is a real nice player. They’ve got some nice talent over there. This is a great atmosphere for tournament time. It’s always great playing, the later the better, and two weeks before the tournament starts, it was great timing.”
Robinson spoke to the importance of the Cardinals coming out on top in a tough game against a quality opponent like the Vikings.
“This was probably one of our most important games of the season,” he said. “We had everyone back, we proved to everyone that we’re back and ready to play.”
Defense keys easy win for VASJ boys basketball at Warren JFK
By Bill Tilton Feb 5, 2016
Villa Angela-St. Joseph left no doubt on Feb. 5 at Warren JFK that defense is the calling card of the Vikings this season.
VASJ held Warren JFK to 11 points over the decisive second and third quarters in a convincing 63-40 win over the Eagles.
VASJ outscored Warren JFK, 34-11, over the second and third quarters to run away from the Eagles in an NCL White Division road contest.
The Vikings (13-4) were led by Sherman Dean, who hit six 3s and scored 18 points. Kevin Roberts added 12 and freshman Alonzo Gaffney chipped in nine for VASJ, which travels to Mentor for a non-conference showdown on Feb. 6.
VASJ held Warren JFK to 11 points over the decisive second and third quarters in a convincing 63-40 win over the Eagles.
VASJ outscored Warren JFK, 34-11, over the second and third quarters to run away from the Eagles in an NCL White Division road contest.
The Vikings (13-4) were led by Sherman Dean, who hit six 3s and scored 18 points. Kevin Roberts added 12 and freshman Alonzo Gaffney chipped in nine for VASJ, which travels to Mentor for a non-conference showdown on Feb. 6.
VASJ overwhelms Lutheran East in boys basketball headliner
BY BTILTON ON JANUARY 31, 2016
A potential non-conference showdown turned into a beat-down quickly on Jan. 30 at Viking Village.
Villa Angela-St. Joseph scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed, going on to dismantle a very good Lutheran East team, 78-43.
The Falcons came into the game with an 11-3 record and averaging 80 points per contest, but there was no doubt left on this night by the Vikings and their suffocating defensive effort.
“We haven’t arrived, we are becoming who we are and finding out who we are and who we are is we are pretty darn good when we get in a stance and defend people,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“That’s a good team. (Lutheran East) is a young, talented team, and I feel like defensively we took their heart a little bit, we took their soul with how we played defense.
Kwasniak pointed to Terrance Lawler, who held Alexander Heath (24 points per game) to 2 points.
Offensively, VASJ (12-4) was led by Sherman Dean with 20 points, and Kevin Roberts and Will Butler came off the bench with 11 each.
“We have a lot of firepower off the bench with this team and that hasn’t been the case lately, which don’t get it twisted, isn’t anything to do with the kids who came of the bench for us in the past, we just had kids in the starting lineup that are in college playing on TV on Saturdays now,” Kwasniak said. “This is a much different team and we don’t know what we are yet, but we are getting there. We are going to continue to get better.”
VASJ led, 22-9, at the end of one quarter and 37-17 at halftime after Butler hit a 3 from halfcourt.
The Vikings continued defensively to frustrate Lutheran East throughout the second half and maintained a comfortable lead.
“The great thing about this team is Lutheran East had 17 at half and I think we felt like we gave up some easy points, and that has to be the mindset of this group,” Kwasniak said.
“We can really get after it on defense and you can stay in any game when you play that way.”
Kwasniak mentioned the game being special because of Ronny Faddoul, a former VASJ manager, now with Lutheran East and his brother, assistant coach Johnny Faddoul.
“I don’t know anybody who loved this school more than Ronny, so it was strange to see him on the other bench,” Kwasniak said.
“The kids played hard, and that starts with our sophomore point guard (Jerry Higgins). He doesn’t have an off switch. There are a lot of good point guards in the area, but he is as good as they come.”
Higgins finished with 8 points and several showcase assists for the Vikings.
VASJ freshman Alonzo Gaffney added nine points and nine rebounds.
VASJ 78, Lutheran East 43
Lutheran East (11-4): Graves 13, McCain 11, Hicks 7, Powell 3, Heath 2, Heard 2, Taylor 2, Bateman 2, Veasly 1
VASJ (12-4): Dean 20, Roberts 11, Butler 11, Gaffney 9, Higgins 8, Stauffer 6, McGarry 4, Newlon 3, Bessick 2, Turk 2, Lawler 2
,
Lutheran East 9 8 15 11 43
VASJ 22 15 18 23 78
Free throws: Lutheran East 11 of 16 VASJ 12 of 15
3-Pointer: VASJ 6 (Dean 4, Newlon, Butler)
Villa Angela-St. Joseph scored the first 12 points of the game and never trailed, going on to dismantle a very good Lutheran East team, 78-43.
The Falcons came into the game with an 11-3 record and averaging 80 points per contest, but there was no doubt left on this night by the Vikings and their suffocating defensive effort.
“We haven’t arrived, we are becoming who we are and finding out who we are and who we are is we are pretty darn good when we get in a stance and defend people,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“That’s a good team. (Lutheran East) is a young, talented team, and I feel like defensively we took their heart a little bit, we took their soul with how we played defense.
Kwasniak pointed to Terrance Lawler, who held Alexander Heath (24 points per game) to 2 points.
Offensively, VASJ (12-4) was led by Sherman Dean with 20 points, and Kevin Roberts and Will Butler came off the bench with 11 each.
“We have a lot of firepower off the bench with this team and that hasn’t been the case lately, which don’t get it twisted, isn’t anything to do with the kids who came of the bench for us in the past, we just had kids in the starting lineup that are in college playing on TV on Saturdays now,” Kwasniak said. “This is a much different team and we don’t know what we are yet, but we are getting there. We are going to continue to get better.”
VASJ led, 22-9, at the end of one quarter and 37-17 at halftime after Butler hit a 3 from halfcourt.
The Vikings continued defensively to frustrate Lutheran East throughout the second half and maintained a comfortable lead.
“The great thing about this team is Lutheran East had 17 at half and I think we felt like we gave up some easy points, and that has to be the mindset of this group,” Kwasniak said.
“We can really get after it on defense and you can stay in any game when you play that way.”
Kwasniak mentioned the game being special because of Ronny Faddoul, a former VASJ manager, now with Lutheran East and his brother, assistant coach Johnny Faddoul.
“I don’t know anybody who loved this school more than Ronny, so it was strange to see him on the other bench,” Kwasniak said.
“The kids played hard, and that starts with our sophomore point guard (Jerry Higgins). He doesn’t have an off switch. There are a lot of good point guards in the area, but he is as good as they come.”
Higgins finished with 8 points and several showcase assists for the Vikings.
VASJ freshman Alonzo Gaffney added nine points and nine rebounds.
VASJ 78, Lutheran East 43
Lutheran East (11-4): Graves 13, McCain 11, Hicks 7, Powell 3, Heath 2, Heard 2, Taylor 2, Bateman 2, Veasly 1
VASJ (12-4): Dean 20, Roberts 11, Butler 11, Gaffney 9, Higgins 8, Stauffer 6, McGarry 4, Newlon 3, Bessick 2, Turk 2, Lawler 2
,
Lutheran East 9 8 15 11 43
VASJ 22 15 18 23 78
Free throws: Lutheran East 11 of 16 VASJ 12 of 15
3-Pointer: VASJ 6 (Dean 4, Newlon, Butler)
VASJ Holds off Lake Catholic
Varsity Chalk Talk Dec 4, 2015
It wasn’t pretty or perfect, but the Villa Angela-St. Joseph boys basketball team remained unbeaten with a 52-51 win over visiting Lake Catholic on Dec. 5.
The Vikings built a 38-18 second-half lead behind a tremendous defensive effort before the Cougars (1-1) mounted a furious rally in the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, we were very good. We were outstanding on defense for most of the game and on that side we were fine, but obviously we needed to make some free throws and that would have helped down the stretch,” VASJ interim coach T.J. Kwasniak said.
“A team like Lake Catholic that is so well coached with (Coach) Matt Moran isn’t going to quit or go away. We had a 20-point lead and needed to make a few more plays and we are a young team that needs to learn to attack a little bit more. That’s on me. But, I am happy with where we are. We pointed to these first two games and we did what we needed to do to get two wins.”
VASJ (2-0) defeated Euclid in the season opener and stayed unbeaten with a 16-point effort from standout sophomore Jerry Higgins, who had a key basket late in the fourth quarter with the outcome still hanging in the balance.
“Higgins is a special talent and he will learn as we move forward to be even better, but he is as good as they get,” Kwasniak said. “I will take him over any sophomore guard in the state.”
Sherman Dean added 13 points for the Vikings, who withstood the comeback by Lake Catholic, fueled by Connor Fitzgerald, who scored 20 for the Cougars.
Lake Catholic outscored VASJ, 22-11, in the final frame and hit a 3 a the buzzer for the final margin of victory.
The Vikings shot 18 of 35 from the foul line.
VASJ 52 Lake Catholic 51
Lake Catholic (1-1) Fitzgerald 20, Meola 8, Dunnungs 7, Horton 6, Caja 6, Stalwaker 4
VASJ (2-0) : Higgins 16, Dean 13, Stauffer 7, Gaffney 6, Roberts 3, Newlon 3, McGarry 3, Butler 1
Lake Catholic 10 6 13 22 51
VASJ 14 16 11 11 52
Free Throws Lake Catholic 10 of 16 VASJ 18 of 35
3-Pointer Lake Catholic 7 (Fitzgerald 3, Caja 2, Meola 2) VASJ 2 (Newlon, Dean)
JV VASJ 68 Lake Catholic 44
The Vikings built a 38-18 second-half lead behind a tremendous defensive effort before the Cougars (1-1) mounted a furious rally in the fourth quarter.
“Defensively, we were very good. We were outstanding on defense for most of the game and on that side we were fine, but obviously we needed to make some free throws and that would have helped down the stretch,” VASJ interim coach T.J. Kwasniak said.
“A team like Lake Catholic that is so well coached with (Coach) Matt Moran isn’t going to quit or go away. We had a 20-point lead and needed to make a few more plays and we are a young team that needs to learn to attack a little bit more. That’s on me. But, I am happy with where we are. We pointed to these first two games and we did what we needed to do to get two wins.”
VASJ (2-0) defeated Euclid in the season opener and stayed unbeaten with a 16-point effort from standout sophomore Jerry Higgins, who had a key basket late in the fourth quarter with the outcome still hanging in the balance.
“Higgins is a special talent and he will learn as we move forward to be even better, but he is as good as they get,” Kwasniak said. “I will take him over any sophomore guard in the state.”
Sherman Dean added 13 points for the Vikings, who withstood the comeback by Lake Catholic, fueled by Connor Fitzgerald, who scored 20 for the Cougars.
Lake Catholic outscored VASJ, 22-11, in the final frame and hit a 3 a the buzzer for the final margin of victory.
The Vikings shot 18 of 35 from the foul line.
VASJ 52 Lake Catholic 51
Lake Catholic (1-1) Fitzgerald 20, Meola 8, Dunnungs 7, Horton 6, Caja 6, Stalwaker 4
VASJ (2-0) : Higgins 16, Dean 13, Stauffer 7, Gaffney 6, Roberts 3, Newlon 3, McGarry 3, Butler 1
Lake Catholic 10 6 13 22 51
VASJ 14 16 11 11 52
Free Throws Lake Catholic 10 of 16 VASJ 18 of 35
3-Pointer Lake Catholic 7 (Fitzgerald 3, Caja 2, Meola 2) VASJ 2 (Newlon, Dean)
JV VASJ 68 Lake Catholic 44
VASJ defeats EUCLID
Varsity Chalk Talk Nov 27, 2015
Villa Angela-St. Joseph is a much different team than the squad that won the Division III state championship in March of 2015.
The Vikings proved emphatically on Nov. 27 that regardless of the new look, the tradition of excellence is ready to continue.
Standout sophomore Jerry Higgins led four VASJ players in double figures with 16 points as the Vikings defeated neighborhood rival Euclid, 77-57, in an emotionally charged victory in front of a standing room only crowd at Viking Village.
VASJ (1-0) graduated a stellar senior class from the state title winners that included three Division I college players in Carlton Bragg (Kansas), Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) and Brian Parker (Marist) as well as point guard Mo Johnson and sharpshooter Simon Texidor.
The new-look Vikings played with a chip on their shoulder and seemingly something to prove, roaring to a 17-point halftime lead against the Panthers and cruising to win No. 1 in the 2015-2016 season.
Interim coach T. J. Kwasniak, serving in the role of head coach for his brother, Babe Kwasniak, who is on a leave of absence from the team, said the Vikings were a motivated group and the strong performance was no surprise.
“I think this was an angry team and one that wanted to prove themselves and show that we can be pretty darn good,” Kwasniak said. “We have some things to clean up and we need to work on how we played down the stretch, but I think we can be very dangerous in March.
“I have been around these guys for a long time and I know what they are capable of and I know how hard they work. The rankings and the preseason talk didn’t mean anything to them. We had a JV team that went 19-1 last year and some great senior leadership and I would take these guys any time.”
VASJ and Euclid played a tight first quarter with the Vikings holding a 14-10 edge after 8 minutes of play. Noah Newlon hit three 3s in the second quarter as VASJ pulled out to a 41-24 lead at halftime.
“When Noah hit those 3s I felt like the game was over. Those were huge shots,” Kwasniak said.
Newlon hit four 3s and finished with 13 points. Wearing the No. 4 jersey that Texidor wore during his stellar career for VASJ, Newlon helped the Vikings take control of the game in the first quarter.
“It was huge to hit those 3s and contribute to the energy of the game and to be able to wear Simon’s number and shoot the ball well was special,” Newlon said.
The 17-point halftime lead was never threatened and VASJ received big contributions from Higgins (16 points, 8 assists), Sherman Dean (14 points) and freshman Alonzo Gaffney, who scored 12 points and was a game-changer on defense.
“Alonzo is phenomenal. We haven’t had him long enough, but his feel for the game is phenomenal. That’s obviously why everyone is so excited,” Kwasniak said. “I think he’s actually ahead of some of the guys we had last year, as far as Dererk (Pardon) and Carlton (Bragg). I know that’s high praise, and I hate to put that on the kid, but that’s the fact. As a freshman. Can he get there? That’s up to him, but right now, he’s as talented as anyone to come through those doors.”
Higgins, who suffered a shoulder injury during the football season, played a tremendous overall floor game and is emerging as one of the area’s top point guards in his sophomore season.
“We came together as a team and it was big to set the tone in the first game,” Higgins said. “Our coaches are fantastic. We knew what was expected of us and we knew what we needed to do to get this win.”
David Wright led Euclid with 19 points.
VASJ 77 Euclid 57
Euclid (0-1): Wright 19, Simpson 7, Dove 6, Sanders 5, Baldwin 5, Richardson 4, Farrell 3, Wynn 2, McClady 2, Berry 2
VASJ (1-0): Higgins 16, Dean 14, Newlon 13, Gaffney 12, Stauffer 9, Lawler 7, Butler 2, George 2, Turk 2
Euclid 12 12 15 18 57
VASJ 14 27 18 18 77
Free Throws Euclid 14 of 22 VASJ 12 of 21
3-Pointer Euclid 6 (Wright 3, Sanders, Baldwin, Farrell) VASJ 7 (Newlon 4, Lawler, Gaffney, Dean)
JV VASJ 69 Euclid 60 (OT)
The Vikings proved emphatically on Nov. 27 that regardless of the new look, the tradition of excellence is ready to continue.
Standout sophomore Jerry Higgins led four VASJ players in double figures with 16 points as the Vikings defeated neighborhood rival Euclid, 77-57, in an emotionally charged victory in front of a standing room only crowd at Viking Village.
VASJ (1-0) graduated a stellar senior class from the state title winners that included three Division I college players in Carlton Bragg (Kansas), Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) and Brian Parker (Marist) as well as point guard Mo Johnson and sharpshooter Simon Texidor.
The new-look Vikings played with a chip on their shoulder and seemingly something to prove, roaring to a 17-point halftime lead against the Panthers and cruising to win No. 1 in the 2015-2016 season.
Interim coach T. J. Kwasniak, serving in the role of head coach for his brother, Babe Kwasniak, who is on a leave of absence from the team, said the Vikings were a motivated group and the strong performance was no surprise.
“I think this was an angry team and one that wanted to prove themselves and show that we can be pretty darn good,” Kwasniak said. “We have some things to clean up and we need to work on how we played down the stretch, but I think we can be very dangerous in March.
“I have been around these guys for a long time and I know what they are capable of and I know how hard they work. The rankings and the preseason talk didn’t mean anything to them. We had a JV team that went 19-1 last year and some great senior leadership and I would take these guys any time.”
VASJ and Euclid played a tight first quarter with the Vikings holding a 14-10 edge after 8 minutes of play. Noah Newlon hit three 3s in the second quarter as VASJ pulled out to a 41-24 lead at halftime.
“When Noah hit those 3s I felt like the game was over. Those were huge shots,” Kwasniak said.
Newlon hit four 3s and finished with 13 points. Wearing the No. 4 jersey that Texidor wore during his stellar career for VASJ, Newlon helped the Vikings take control of the game in the first quarter.
“It was huge to hit those 3s and contribute to the energy of the game and to be able to wear Simon’s number and shoot the ball well was special,” Newlon said.
The 17-point halftime lead was never threatened and VASJ received big contributions from Higgins (16 points, 8 assists), Sherman Dean (14 points) and freshman Alonzo Gaffney, who scored 12 points and was a game-changer on defense.
“Alonzo is phenomenal. We haven’t had him long enough, but his feel for the game is phenomenal. That’s obviously why everyone is so excited,” Kwasniak said. “I think he’s actually ahead of some of the guys we had last year, as far as Dererk (Pardon) and Carlton (Bragg). I know that’s high praise, and I hate to put that on the kid, but that’s the fact. As a freshman. Can he get there? That’s up to him, but right now, he’s as talented as anyone to come through those doors.”
Higgins, who suffered a shoulder injury during the football season, played a tremendous overall floor game and is emerging as one of the area’s top point guards in his sophomore season.
“We came together as a team and it was big to set the tone in the first game,” Higgins said. “Our coaches are fantastic. We knew what was expected of us and we knew what we needed to do to get this win.”
David Wright led Euclid with 19 points.
VASJ 77 Euclid 57
Euclid (0-1): Wright 19, Simpson 7, Dove 6, Sanders 5, Baldwin 5, Richardson 4, Farrell 3, Wynn 2, McClady 2, Berry 2
VASJ (1-0): Higgins 16, Dean 14, Newlon 13, Gaffney 12, Stauffer 9, Lawler 7, Butler 2, George 2, Turk 2
Euclid 12 12 15 18 57
VASJ 14 27 18 18 77
Free Throws Euclid 14 of 22 VASJ 12 of 21
3-Pointer Euclid 6 (Wright 3, Sanders, Baldwin, Farrell) VASJ 7 (Newlon 4, Lawler, Gaffney, Dean)
JV VASJ 69 Euclid 60 (OT)
Follow the former Vikings playing in college this year
Click on the names for each player's bio page
Click on the link below the names for team schedules
Carlton Bragg '15 Kansas
http://www.kuathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Derrerk Pardon '15 Northwestern
http://www.nusports.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Brian Parker '15 Marist
http://www.goredfoxes.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=27700&SPID=95215&SPSID=638727
Simon Texidor '15 College of Wooster
http://www.woosterathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2014-15/schedule
Deandre Forte '14 University of Charleston
http://ucgoldeneagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
Demonte Flannigan '13 Cleveland State University
http://www.csuvikings.com/sports/m-baskbl/2015-16/schedule
Duane Gibbson '13 Evansville
Evansville Basketball Schedule
Check out the 2015 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEO by clicking this link!
VASJ WINS D-3 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH 63-50 VICTORY OVER LIMA CC
Varsity Chalk Talk March 28, 2015
The Villa Angela-St. Joseph boys basketball team had high expectations, goals and standards for the 2014-2015 season.
Despite a brutal schedule and outside chatter, everything the Vikings did this winter was directed at winning a state championship.
Mission accomplished.
VASJ defeated Lima Central Catholic, 63-50, to win the Division III state championship at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on March 28.
It was the second state title in three years for the Vikings (23-4) and the sixth in program history.
The Vikings joined Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (six) and Middletown (seven) as the only teams in Ohio history to win six or more titles, while becoming the first team to win a crown in all four divisions.
The win was also the 100th career victory for Coach Babe Kwasniak at his alma mater.
“To do it with these guys, what are the words? Perfect? Serendipitous?” Kwasniak said.
“Lima Central Catholic is one of the toughest teams we played this year and we played an unbelievable schedule and some incredible basketball teams. I think they play as hard as any team we faced. Congratulations to them on a great season, too. They are everything that is right about high school basketball. They came right at us.”
Senior Dererk Pardon barely missed a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks. The 6-foot-8 Northwestern recruit was brilliant in his final game as a Viking, and also became the VASJ single-season record holder, surpassing Eric Riley’s mark of 95.
“He’s going to the Big Ten. He’s going to be a great player,” Kwasniak said of Pardon. “He’s a better young man, and I’m going to miss coaching him. It seemed like at one point it was just — we even said in the scouting report, ‘If they come at you, Dererk, just start beating stuff.’ Especially with Carlton (Bragg) out — it’s not like we have a lot to complain about with our size and length — but man, some of those blocks I thought were kind of game changing. They knew they had to kick the ball out because they weren’t getting layups. They got some layups early.
“He knows, for us, that when he gets those blocks, those balls, and keeps them in play, it’s like getting a big dunk. It helps us run the break, and it did several times.”
The Vikings played large stretches of the game without McDonald’s All-American Carlton Bragg due to foul trouble, but were able to secure a 27-22 halftime lead against the team that beat them in the 2014 state championship game. VASJ got its revenge, using a third-quarter surge to open up a 42-31 lead after three quarters and extended the lead prior to the starters leaving late in the final frame.
VASJ finished with four players in double-figures: Pardon, Brian Parker — the game’s leading scorer with 17 — Simon Texidor and Bragg, both of whom finished with 12.
“I know we just won, but what is going through my mind right now is the fact that I won’t play with these seniors anymore,” Parker said. “I’m glad to go to state three years in a row. It’s a great feeling.
“When I came in as a freshman, I didn’t honestly expect to make it this far until my sophomore year (2013 Division IV state championship), I realized how good we’d be.”
Pardon was the star of the afternoon on the home floor of Ohio State – where he will see time as an opponent playing for Northwestern in college. But rather than talk about his stat line, which Kwasniak compared to former Viking great Clark Kellogg, he said he’d remember the team and school for another reason.
“These people, they’re my family,” Pardon said. “No one can ever take that away from me. It’s a great feeling.”
Bragg, a Kansas recruit and the Division III AP Ohio player of the year, put an exclamation mark on his high school career with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers.
“We accomplished our goals and nobody can take that from us,” Bragg said.
Senior point guard Mo Johnson had four points, two assists, two rebounds and played a solid floor game before leaving the floor in the fourth quarter to a long embrace by his head coach.
VASJ used the motivation of losing in the 2014 state title game to Lima Central Catholic in the run to this year’s championship. Kwasniak said it was the perfect ending to the career of the eight senior captains.
“When you read a book, you don’t read it to get to the middle, you read it to get to the end,” Kwasniak said. “Last year as hard as it was to realize and as hard as it was to deal with, it wasn’t the end. These guys up here with me right now just would not let us lose, and that is a great ending to the story.
“We knew we could be pretty good and the great thing was to see the growth in leadership. That’s what is so special.”
Despite a brutal schedule and outside chatter, everything the Vikings did this winter was directed at winning a state championship.
Mission accomplished.
VASJ defeated Lima Central Catholic, 63-50, to win the Division III state championship at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus on March 28.
It was the second state title in three years for the Vikings (23-4) and the sixth in program history.
The Vikings joined Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (six) and Middletown (seven) as the only teams in Ohio history to win six or more titles, while becoming the first team to win a crown in all four divisions.
The win was also the 100th career victory for Coach Babe Kwasniak at his alma mater.
“To do it with these guys, what are the words? Perfect? Serendipitous?” Kwasniak said.
“Lima Central Catholic is one of the toughest teams we played this year and we played an unbelievable schedule and some incredible basketball teams. I think they play as hard as any team we faced. Congratulations to them on a great season, too. They are everything that is right about high school basketball. They came right at us.”
Senior Dererk Pardon barely missed a triple-double with 15 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocks. The 6-foot-8 Northwestern recruit was brilliant in his final game as a Viking, and also became the VASJ single-season record holder, surpassing Eric Riley’s mark of 95.
“He’s going to the Big Ten. He’s going to be a great player,” Kwasniak said of Pardon. “He’s a better young man, and I’m going to miss coaching him. It seemed like at one point it was just — we even said in the scouting report, ‘If they come at you, Dererk, just start beating stuff.’ Especially with Carlton (Bragg) out — it’s not like we have a lot to complain about with our size and length — but man, some of those blocks I thought were kind of game changing. They knew they had to kick the ball out because they weren’t getting layups. They got some layups early.
“He knows, for us, that when he gets those blocks, those balls, and keeps them in play, it’s like getting a big dunk. It helps us run the break, and it did several times.”
The Vikings played large stretches of the game without McDonald’s All-American Carlton Bragg due to foul trouble, but were able to secure a 27-22 halftime lead against the team that beat them in the 2014 state championship game. VASJ got its revenge, using a third-quarter surge to open up a 42-31 lead after three quarters and extended the lead prior to the starters leaving late in the final frame.
VASJ finished with four players in double-figures: Pardon, Brian Parker — the game’s leading scorer with 17 — Simon Texidor and Bragg, both of whom finished with 12.
“I know we just won, but what is going through my mind right now is the fact that I won’t play with these seniors anymore,” Parker said. “I’m glad to go to state three years in a row. It’s a great feeling.
“When I came in as a freshman, I didn’t honestly expect to make it this far until my sophomore year (2013 Division IV state championship), I realized how good we’d be.”
Pardon was the star of the afternoon on the home floor of Ohio State – where he will see time as an opponent playing for Northwestern in college. But rather than talk about his stat line, which Kwasniak compared to former Viking great Clark Kellogg, he said he’d remember the team and school for another reason.
“These people, they’re my family,” Pardon said. “No one can ever take that away from me. It’s a great feeling.”
Bragg, a Kansas recruit and the Division III AP Ohio player of the year, put an exclamation mark on his high school career with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers.
“We accomplished our goals and nobody can take that from us,” Bragg said.
Senior point guard Mo Johnson had four points, two assists, two rebounds and played a solid floor game before leaving the floor in the fourth quarter to a long embrace by his head coach.
VASJ used the motivation of losing in the 2014 state title game to Lima Central Catholic in the run to this year’s championship. Kwasniak said it was the perfect ending to the career of the eight senior captains.
“When you read a book, you don’t read it to get to the middle, you read it to get to the end,” Kwasniak said. “Last year as hard as it was to realize and as hard as it was to deal with, it wasn’t the end. These guys up here with me right now just would not let us lose, and that is a great ending to the story.
“We knew we could be pretty good and the great thing was to see the growth in leadership. That’s what is so special.”
VASJ ROLLS INTO THE D-III STATE TITLE GAME WITH A 62-34 DEMOLITION OF EASTMOOR ACADEMY
Varsity Chalk Talk March 26, 2015
Unfinished business.
That was the overwhelming theme after Villa Angela-St. Joseph overwhelmed Columbus Eastmoor Academy, 62-34, in a Division III state semifinal on March 26.
VASJ (22-4) is in the state championship game for a third straight season and for the 11th time in program history, but the Vikings are far from satisfied.
And considering the state title game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus is a rematch against Lima Central Catholic, who defeated VASJ in last year’s final, motivation is not a problem for the Vikings – and neither was the semi matchup against the Warriors.
McDonald’s All-American and Kansas recruit Carlton Bragg was dominant with 22 points and eight rebounds in just over three quarters of play. Northwestern signee Dererk Pardon added 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for VASJ, who outscored Eastmoor, 55-27, after a tie game midway through the first quarter.
“Our strategy was shock and awe, to really press up on them defensively and attack them offensively,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said. “I think the schedule we played and being here before really helped. But, congratulations to Eastmoor on a great year. It isn’t easy to get here.”
Bragg felt at ease on the home floor of Ohio State University in his fifth game at the Schottenstein Center in three seasons. The 6-foot-10 senior at one point had scored 20 points while Eastmoor (17-12) had 19 in the third quarter.
“I feel like this a second home for me. Three years in a row down here, I feel comfortable,” Bragg said.
“It feels good now (to be in the finals), but I don’t want to take it in too much. We have unfinished business.”
VASJ had a 46-16 advantage in the paint against Eastmoor and won the second and third quarters by a combined score of 35-10.
Lima Central Catholic knocked off Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 55-50, in the second D-III state semi on March 26. In 2014, the Thunderbirds nipped the Vikings in the state championship game, 64-62.
Revenge is on the minds of VASJ, but more importantly, Saturday gives the Vikings’ seniors two state titles in three years and a sixth overall for the program – and the potential for an Ohio first of one championship in each of the state’s four divisions.
If VASJ brings the state title back to East 185th and Lakeshore, Kwasniak believes is will be because of the defensive effort of his team despite all the impressive offensive numbers. The Vikings are 55-0 over the last three seasons when they hold the opposition under 60 points.
“We have been unbelievable on defense lately,” Kwasniak said. “We are averaging somewhere around 82 points per game. We are one of the most efficient offensive teams in school history. We are going to set some records, but when we defend like that, we are really tough to beat.”
Senior guard Brian Parker (Marist recruit) scored nine points and Simon Texidor added eight for VASJ.
Kwasniak is at 99 career wins at his alma mater and will go for the century mark milestone as his team goes for a state championship on Saturday afternoon.
“Our guys have goals, and as (senior point guard) Mo Johnson has said, we don’t want to lose our last game,” Kwasniak said. “So that has kind of been our message.”
That was the overwhelming theme after Villa Angela-St. Joseph overwhelmed Columbus Eastmoor Academy, 62-34, in a Division III state semifinal on March 26.
VASJ (22-4) is in the state championship game for a third straight season and for the 11th time in program history, but the Vikings are far from satisfied.
And considering the state title game Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus is a rematch against Lima Central Catholic, who defeated VASJ in last year’s final, motivation is not a problem for the Vikings – and neither was the semi matchup against the Warriors.
McDonald’s All-American and Kansas recruit Carlton Bragg was dominant with 22 points and eight rebounds in just over three quarters of play. Northwestern signee Dererk Pardon added 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for VASJ, who outscored Eastmoor, 55-27, after a tie game midway through the first quarter.
“Our strategy was shock and awe, to really press up on them defensively and attack them offensively,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said. “I think the schedule we played and being here before really helped. But, congratulations to Eastmoor on a great year. It isn’t easy to get here.”
Bragg felt at ease on the home floor of Ohio State University in his fifth game at the Schottenstein Center in three seasons. The 6-foot-10 senior at one point had scored 20 points while Eastmoor (17-12) had 19 in the third quarter.
“I feel like this a second home for me. Three years in a row down here, I feel comfortable,” Bragg said.
“It feels good now (to be in the finals), but I don’t want to take it in too much. We have unfinished business.”
VASJ had a 46-16 advantage in the paint against Eastmoor and won the second and third quarters by a combined score of 35-10.
Lima Central Catholic knocked off Dayton Chaminade-Julienne, 55-50, in the second D-III state semi on March 26. In 2014, the Thunderbirds nipped the Vikings in the state championship game, 64-62.
Revenge is on the minds of VASJ, but more importantly, Saturday gives the Vikings’ seniors two state titles in three years and a sixth overall for the program – and the potential for an Ohio first of one championship in each of the state’s four divisions.
If VASJ brings the state title back to East 185th and Lakeshore, Kwasniak believes is will be because of the defensive effort of his team despite all the impressive offensive numbers. The Vikings are 55-0 over the last three seasons when they hold the opposition under 60 points.
“We have been unbelievable on defense lately,” Kwasniak said. “We are averaging somewhere around 82 points per game. We are one of the most efficient offensive teams in school history. We are going to set some records, but when we defend like that, we are really tough to beat.”
Senior guard Brian Parker (Marist recruit) scored nine points and Simon Texidor added eight for VASJ.
Kwasniak is at 99 career wins at his alma mater and will go for the century mark milestone as his team goes for a state championship on Saturday afternoon.
“Our guys have goals, and as (senior point guard) Mo Johnson has said, we don’t want to lose our last game,” Kwasniak said. “So that has kind of been our message.”
VASJ ROUTS URSULINE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT TRIP TO FINAL FOUR
Varsity Chalk Talk March 21, 2015
Next stop, Columbus.
Enough said.
Actions speak louder than words, and on March 21, Villa Angela-St. Joseph spoke emphatically with their actions in a resounding 66-45 rout over Youngstown Ursuline in a Division III regional final at the Canton Fieldhouse.
The Vikings overcame a lot of on-the-floor talk and physical play by the Fighting Irish, putting the regional championship away with an impressive third quarter, to punch their third straight ticket to the final four. VASJ will face Columbus Eastmoor in a D-III state semi at the Schottenstein Center on the Ohio State University campus on March 26 at 5:15 p.m.
“I didn’t need to say much to motivate these guys, and sometimes, I don’t need to coach them a whole lot either,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said. “These are my guys. This is a special group. ... Tonight, we played a very good basketball team, and we were nasty defensively. When we play like that on defense, we are tough to beat.”
VASJ (21-4) led, 32-23, at halftime and went on a 14-0 run in the third quarter – sparked by a pair of monster dunks by Kansas recruit Carlton Bragg (14 points, 5 blocks) – to assume total control of the game. The Vikings hit their first seven shots of the third quarter and outscored Ursuline, 16-4, in the game-changing frame.
VASJ led, 48-27, at the start of the fourth quarter.
Vikings senior guard Brian Parker (Marist recruit) scored a game-high 21 points and Northwestern recruit Dererk Pardon added 11 points and 20 rebounds to overwhelm Ursuline.
“I like playing physical. They thought they were getting in my head, but they really weren’t. We just sometimes have to remind each other to be smart, play our game and when we did that we were fine,” Parker said.
“Winning three regional titles in a row and getting to Columbus three times just means we won the state as sophomores, we lost in the championship game last year and we need to go down and take care of business this time and bring the trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”
VASJ has won 98 games in five seasons under Kwasniak, including the 2013 Division IV state title. Last year, the Vikings lost in the D-III state championship game to Lima Central Catholic, who is in the other state semi this season facing Dayton Chaminade-Julienne.
Pardon said the physical play of the Fighting Irish was not unusual to the Vikings considering the schedule they have faced this winter, and at halftime, the message was clear to come out and put Ursuline away.
“We talked about the fact we took their best shot in the first half and we were still up and if we played our game and not theirs we would be good,” Pardon said.
“(20 rebounds) is a good game, but any game we win is one of my best games. … This feeling is unreal, now we just have to go take care of business in Columbus.”
Bragg - a McDonald's All-American selection - electrified the crowd and his team with a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the third-quarter surge that the Fighting Irish could not recover from. The second slam was a windmill dunk by Bragg that even Kwasniak was awed by.
“It was something I never tried in a game before,” Bragg said of his dunk.
“After that, the crowd really got into it and we knew then that we had them.”
Simon Texidor added 14 points and point guard Mo Johnson chipped in five and played his usual steady game running the VASJ offense.
In the build-up to the game, Ursuline had referred to VASJ as a Kentucky-type of team and “wanted to see St. Joe’s”.
The motivation was not something Kwasniak needed or used, even though it was not lost on Parker and some of the players.
“Two things about the Kentucky reference and that is we are not undefeated (like 36-0 Kentucky) and the NCL might be a better conference than the SEC,” Kwaniak joked.
“Cleveland Central Catholic is in our league and they beat (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) and are going to state. We beat Central Catholic twice.
“People have no idea how tough our schedule was and the level of competition we faced. We play those games to be ready for a night like this and these guys are ready for anything.”
Wright State recruit Mark Hughes led Ursuline with 14 points.
“We were special defensively, maybe as good as we have ever been,” Kwasniak said.
“To get to Columbus three times in a row and that is hard to do. … I told our guys to celebrate. I told them to enjoy this. We have the ultimate goal to go down and win the whole thing, but I know I am going to enjoy this.”
Enough said.
Next stop, Columbus.
Enough said.
Actions speak louder than words, and on March 21, Villa Angela-St. Joseph spoke emphatically with their actions in a resounding 66-45 rout over Youngstown Ursuline in a Division III regional final at the Canton Fieldhouse.
The Vikings overcame a lot of on-the-floor talk and physical play by the Fighting Irish, putting the regional championship away with an impressive third quarter, to punch their third straight ticket to the final four. VASJ will face Columbus Eastmoor in a D-III state semi at the Schottenstein Center on the Ohio State University campus on March 26 at 5:15 p.m.
“I didn’t need to say much to motivate these guys, and sometimes, I don’t need to coach them a whole lot either,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said. “These are my guys. This is a special group. ... Tonight, we played a very good basketball team, and we were nasty defensively. When we play like that on defense, we are tough to beat.”
VASJ (21-4) led, 32-23, at halftime and went on a 14-0 run in the third quarter – sparked by a pair of monster dunks by Kansas recruit Carlton Bragg (14 points, 5 blocks) – to assume total control of the game. The Vikings hit their first seven shots of the third quarter and outscored Ursuline, 16-4, in the game-changing frame.
VASJ led, 48-27, at the start of the fourth quarter.
Vikings senior guard Brian Parker (Marist recruit) scored a game-high 21 points and Northwestern recruit Dererk Pardon added 11 points and 20 rebounds to overwhelm Ursuline.
“I like playing physical. They thought they were getting in my head, but they really weren’t. We just sometimes have to remind each other to be smart, play our game and when we did that we were fine,” Parker said.
“Winning three regional titles in a row and getting to Columbus three times just means we won the state as sophomores, we lost in the championship game last year and we need to go down and take care of business this time and bring the trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”
VASJ has won 98 games in five seasons under Kwasniak, including the 2013 Division IV state title. Last year, the Vikings lost in the D-III state championship game to Lima Central Catholic, who is in the other state semi this season facing Dayton Chaminade-Julienne.
Pardon said the physical play of the Fighting Irish was not unusual to the Vikings considering the schedule they have faced this winter, and at halftime, the message was clear to come out and put Ursuline away.
“We talked about the fact we took their best shot in the first half and we were still up and if we played our game and not theirs we would be good,” Pardon said.
“(20 rebounds) is a good game, but any game we win is one of my best games. … This feeling is unreal, now we just have to go take care of business in Columbus.”
Bragg - a McDonald's All-American selection - electrified the crowd and his team with a pair of highlight-reel dunks in the third-quarter surge that the Fighting Irish could not recover from. The second slam was a windmill dunk by Bragg that even Kwasniak was awed by.
“It was something I never tried in a game before,” Bragg said of his dunk.
“After that, the crowd really got into it and we knew then that we had them.”
Simon Texidor added 14 points and point guard Mo Johnson chipped in five and played his usual steady game running the VASJ offense.
In the build-up to the game, Ursuline had referred to VASJ as a Kentucky-type of team and “wanted to see St. Joe’s”.
The motivation was not something Kwasniak needed or used, even though it was not lost on Parker and some of the players.
“Two things about the Kentucky reference and that is we are not undefeated (like 36-0 Kentucky) and the NCL might be a better conference than the SEC,” Kwaniak joked.
“Cleveland Central Catholic is in our league and they beat (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary) and are going to state. We beat Central Catholic twice.
“People have no idea how tough our schedule was and the level of competition we faced. We play those games to be ready for a night like this and these guys are ready for anything.”
Wright State recruit Mark Hughes led Ursuline with 14 points.
“We were special defensively, maybe as good as we have ever been,” Kwasniak said.
“To get to Columbus three times in a row and that is hard to do. … I told our guys to celebrate. I told them to enjoy this. We have the ultimate goal to go down and win the whole thing, but I know I am going to enjoy this.”
Enough said.
Next stop, Columbus.
VASJ 88, Tuslaw 48
Varsity Chalk Talk March 18, 2015
Villa Angela-St. Joseph senior captain Simon Texidor sometimes gets overlooked because of his teammates that already have Division I scholarships locked up.
There was no overlooking the talented 6-foot-3 guard’s outside shooting prowess during an 88-48 Division III regional semi win over Massillon Tuslaw at the Canton Fieldhouse on March 18.
And if Texidor’s show-stopping performance in which he knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 23 points wasn’t enough to leave a lasting impression, just take a look in the Vikings record book.
Texidor hit his first 3 of the game, which gave him 148 career triples, breaking the school record previously held by Karlton Garner. Texidor now has 154 3-pointers in his career, but more important to the perimeter marksman, he and VASJ now have a chance at a third straight trip to the final four in Columbus.
VASJ (20-4) looks to secure its third straight trip to the state tournament when the Vikings face Youngstown Ursuline on March 21 at 7 p.m. The Fighting Irish defeated Canton Central Catholic, 55-45, in their regional semifinal in the first game of the night at the Canton Fieldhouse.
VASJ won the Division IV state title in 2013 and were D-III runner-up in 2014.
“It was just one of those games tonight,” Texidor said. “It was a big game, a regional
semifinal, and the next step we had to take to reach our goal of a state championship so it felt good.
“All the credit goes to my teammates for getting me the ball, especially (point guard) Mo Johnson.”
Johnson had 10 assists in the first half, many of them setting up Texidor, who responded with five 3 in the opening 16 minutes of play to lead VASJ to a commanding 46-21 edge at halftime.
The Vikings remained focused, blitzing Tuslaw in the third quarter, 29-7. In the third, Texidor hit two more 3s and had one rim out, but he still emphatically got the school record and helped his squad roll into the elite eight.
“Simon is as talented as anyone we have. He is just so talented at shooting the basketball,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“I can’t think of a better young man to have the record (career 3s). That one might stay up there for a while. He has been shooting like that and making big shots for three years. And when he gets going like he did tonight, the kids feel it and it is impossible for him to take a bad shot.”
Dererk Pardon, who scored 15 points for VASJ, anchored a defensive unit that was suffocating until the backups allowed 20 points in the fourth. Brian Parker added 12 and Jeff Grudzinski chipped in 11 for the Vikings.
“The guy that has been locked in is Dererk Pardon,” Kwasniak said. “He’s just been absolutely locked in. Just his mentality, the way he’s been in practice. Everyone is being very jovial, but Dererk hasn’t smiled in three days and I love it. ... I just don’t think he feels like losing much.”
As for the next opponent, Kwasniak spoke glowingly of the Fighting Irish and said Ursuline reminds him of another postseason foe from last March.
“I’ve said this all year long, and I don’t like to look ahead - of any team that reminds me of (D-III state champ) Lima Central Catholic other than Lima Central Catholic, it’s them,” he said. “They’re guard-oriented, they shoot the daylights out of it, I think they’re very well-coached. I didn’t get to watch many of their games, but I was hoping they’d have their shooting game like that on Saturday. They didn’t shoot it tonight like they normally do. They’re great.”
There was no overlooking the talented 6-foot-3 guard’s outside shooting prowess during an 88-48 Division III regional semi win over Massillon Tuslaw at the Canton Fieldhouse on March 18.
And if Texidor’s show-stopping performance in which he knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 23 points wasn’t enough to leave a lasting impression, just take a look in the Vikings record book.
Texidor hit his first 3 of the game, which gave him 148 career triples, breaking the school record previously held by Karlton Garner. Texidor now has 154 3-pointers in his career, but more important to the perimeter marksman, he and VASJ now have a chance at a third straight trip to the final four in Columbus.
VASJ (20-4) looks to secure its third straight trip to the state tournament when the Vikings face Youngstown Ursuline on March 21 at 7 p.m. The Fighting Irish defeated Canton Central Catholic, 55-45, in their regional semifinal in the first game of the night at the Canton Fieldhouse.
VASJ won the Division IV state title in 2013 and were D-III runner-up in 2014.
“It was just one of those games tonight,” Texidor said. “It was a big game, a regional
semifinal, and the next step we had to take to reach our goal of a state championship so it felt good.
“All the credit goes to my teammates for getting me the ball, especially (point guard) Mo Johnson.”
Johnson had 10 assists in the first half, many of them setting up Texidor, who responded with five 3 in the opening 16 minutes of play to lead VASJ to a commanding 46-21 edge at halftime.
The Vikings remained focused, blitzing Tuslaw in the third quarter, 29-7. In the third, Texidor hit two more 3s and had one rim out, but he still emphatically got the school record and helped his squad roll into the elite eight.
“Simon is as talented as anyone we have. He is just so talented at shooting the basketball,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
“I can’t think of a better young man to have the record (career 3s). That one might stay up there for a while. He has been shooting like that and making big shots for three years. And when he gets going like he did tonight, the kids feel it and it is impossible for him to take a bad shot.”
Dererk Pardon, who scored 15 points for VASJ, anchored a defensive unit that was suffocating until the backups allowed 20 points in the fourth. Brian Parker added 12 and Jeff Grudzinski chipped in 11 for the Vikings.
“The guy that has been locked in is Dererk Pardon,” Kwasniak said. “He’s just been absolutely locked in. Just his mentality, the way he’s been in practice. Everyone is being very jovial, but Dererk hasn’t smiled in three days and I love it. ... I just don’t think he feels like losing much.”
As for the next opponent, Kwasniak spoke glowingly of the Fighting Irish and said Ursuline reminds him of another postseason foe from last March.
“I’ve said this all year long, and I don’t like to look ahead - of any team that reminds me of (D-III state champ) Lima Central Catholic other than Lima Central Catholic, it’s them,” he said. “They’re guard-oriented, they shoot the daylights out of it, I think they’re very well-coached. I didn’t get to watch many of their games, but I was hoping they’d have their shooting game like that on Saturday. They didn’t shoot it tonight like they normally do. They’re great.”
VASJ DEFEATS BEACHWOOD, 58-39, TO WIN D-3 GARFIELD HEIGHTS DISTRICT TITLE
Varsity Chalk Talk March 3, 2015
Villa Angela-St. Joseph went to the well in a Division III district final on March 13 vs. Beachwood at Garfield Heights High School.
The Vikings were well prepared, well disciplined and well coached against the slow-it-down, deliberate Bison - and now, VASJ is well on its way to another sweet sixteen.
McDonald’s All-American Carlton Bragg scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Vikings to a third consecutive district championship with a 58-39 win over Beachwood.
The decisive win puts the VASJ (19-4) in a D-III regional semifinal against Massillon Tuslaw. The game will be played at the Canton Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
“I credit (Beachwood coach) Matt Miller for playing a game and a style that gave them a chance to win the game,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
"We're intelligent. We're so talented that we don't get credit for the other things. We made some intelligent plays. … The district semifinal (against Elyria Catholic), we were never in danger of losing and there was never any threat or possibility of losing. But, Beachwood played a style of game that gave them a chance to win. What a great coaching job. Hats off to those kids, it isn’t always easy to get kids to play that way.”
Despite the steady approach by the Bison, an explosive first half by Bragg gave the Vikings (19-4) an early cushion. Beachwood scored the first four points of the game and led, 12-10, but Bragg had 17 points at the break, and VASJ held a 30-23 halftime lead over Beachwood (19-6).
The Vikings’ defense was dominant in the second half, as it held Beachwood to just 16 points while opening up a double-digit advantage.
“We have such an arduous schedule and we are so used to playing against elite individual players and great teams that I think our kids are ready for anything, no disrespect to Beachwood,” Kwasniak said. “Our three biggest weapons we have going are we shoot 74 percent from the free throw line, we average 21 assists and we have a 3.68 GPA so we are really smart.”
Bragg, who has now won three straight district championships after losing a heartbreaker to Richmond Heights as a freshman, said it was a mentality and preparation that helped VASJ overcome Beachwood’s slower style of play.
“Coach harped on me to be aggressive, attack the basket and I couldn’t have done any of this without my teammates,” Bragg said. “We play the flow of the game and try to play our game because they wanted to keep the ball away from us.”
Brian Parker scored 12 points and Simon Texidor added 11 for VASJ. Dererk Pardon, a Northwestern recruit, had 8 point for the Vikings and was a game-changer on defense in the paint.
The Vikings were well prepared, well disciplined and well coached against the slow-it-down, deliberate Bison - and now, VASJ is well on its way to another sweet sixteen.
McDonald’s All-American Carlton Bragg scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Vikings to a third consecutive district championship with a 58-39 win over Beachwood.
The decisive win puts the VASJ (19-4) in a D-III regional semifinal against Massillon Tuslaw. The game will be played at the Canton Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
“I credit (Beachwood coach) Matt Miller for playing a game and a style that gave them a chance to win the game,” VASJ coach Babe Kwasniak said.
"We're intelligent. We're so talented that we don't get credit for the other things. We made some intelligent plays. … The district semifinal (against Elyria Catholic), we were never in danger of losing and there was never any threat or possibility of losing. But, Beachwood played a style of game that gave them a chance to win. What a great coaching job. Hats off to those kids, it isn’t always easy to get kids to play that way.”
Despite the steady approach by the Bison, an explosive first half by Bragg gave the Vikings (19-4) an early cushion. Beachwood scored the first four points of the game and led, 12-10, but Bragg had 17 points at the break, and VASJ held a 30-23 halftime lead over Beachwood (19-6).
The Vikings’ defense was dominant in the second half, as it held Beachwood to just 16 points while opening up a double-digit advantage.
“We have such an arduous schedule and we are so used to playing against elite individual players and great teams that I think our kids are ready for anything, no disrespect to Beachwood,” Kwasniak said. “Our three biggest weapons we have going are we shoot 74 percent from the free throw line, we average 21 assists and we have a 3.68 GPA so we are really smart.”
Bragg, who has now won three straight district championships after losing a heartbreaker to Richmond Heights as a freshman, said it was a mentality and preparation that helped VASJ overcome Beachwood’s slower style of play.
“Coach harped on me to be aggressive, attack the basket and I couldn’t have done any of this without my teammates,” Bragg said. “We play the flow of the game and try to play our game because they wanted to keep the ball away from us.”
Brian Parker scored 12 points and Simon Texidor added 11 for VASJ. Dererk Pardon, a Northwestern recruit, had 8 point for the Vikings and was a game-changer on defense in the paint.