Brookside vs. Firelands basketball: Falcons command tempo, give Cardinals first LC8 loss

Just like the tortoise and the hare, slow and steady wins the race.

Firelands dictated pace, controlled the paint and produced in clutch moments for the Falcons to hand Brookside its first Lorain County League loss of the season with a 69-56 victory Jan. 16.

“We knew that (Brookside) had a quick pace, shooting lots of 3s. We had to slow them down, force them to take shots that they didn’t want, and that’s what we did and it worked,” Firelands forward Niko Gotsis said.

Brookside cut a 31-21 Falcons’ lead to 44-36 to start the fourth. Firelands forward Jimmy Aunspaw took the initiative to score its first 11 points in the fourth quarter. His scoring efforts fueled a 9-2 opening run.

“I felt confident at the start. It showed, being able to score. I was able to get rebounds and get second-chance points,” he said.

Aunspaw was a dominant force in the paint, scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. He even made a 3-point shot.

“We feed him a lot. His physicality always travels and always shows up,” Firelands coach Colin Myers said. “That is something that doesn’t show up in the statsheet. Being the more physical team, that makes a huge difference for us. Other kids start playing better because Jimmy is in there knocking kids down. He is a leader for us.”

According to Gotsis, his performance energized the team, which helped Firelands close the game.

“It was so exciting. Seeing someone on my team go off. It brings so much energy. Everybody is hyping him up,” he said.

Firelands had the size advantage down low, which resulted in a 38-19 rebounding advantage. Though Nata Draga went scoreless, he grabbed 12 rebounds with four assists.

“(The size advantage) showed. Giving us more possessions gave us more points in this game, and it took possessions away from (Brookside),” Gotsis said. “Taking rebounds were huge. When we were killing them on the boards like that, a great game follows.”

Both sides saw the overtime junior varsity game, which meant they also noticed the slippery surface on the floor. Firelands knew it was something it and Brookside had to overcome. It became survival of the fittest.

“(The floor) was an obstacle, but we knew that we had to push through it, too. It was an obstacle that both of us had to overcome. We were able to come out on top,” Aunspaw said.

Firelands’ inside-out offense was effective because Max Stinson hit three 3-pointers in the first half. He made its first field goal of the game, as Brookside attempted to double-team Draga in the paint.

Stinson (13 points), Chris Radman (12) and Gotsis (14) contributed with double-digit scoring performances.

“It was awesome to watch. Being able to do it on the home floor for (the team). That is what the kids are capable of. They play team basketball and play the right way. It was a lot of fun to coach and watch,” Myers said.

Brookside’s leading scorers were Brandon Sharpe (16 points), Nolan Waechter (10) and Jayden Nazario (nine). Coach Larry Babics was not happy about his team’s performance.

“We have been through this all year,” he said. “We settle for too much easy (stuff). Our focus isn’t there. We had a week off to prepare and play like that. Give Firelands credit, but we told them that (Firelands) were playing for their lives tonight. You were going to get everything. If they lost, they were done. Now you let them back in the league (title race).”

After a three-game winning streak, Brookside’s loss had its record at 8-4 overall (6-1 in LC8). Keystone will be the Cardinals’ next opponent Jan. 19.

Firelands improved to 6-5 (4-2 in LC8), as it kept its hopes to contend for a league championship alive. The Falcons will put that to the test again against Clearview on Jan. 19.