Boys Basketball: Gilmour Heads To Sectional Final Game

Boys Basketball: Gilmour Heads To Sectional Final Game

By: Kristy Booher Angelo, Associate Athletic Director
For More Info: booherk@gilmour.org

The varsity boys basketball team finished the regular season with a record of 17-5 and a North Coast League (NCL) record of 8-2. The Lancers were the champions of the White Division and earned eight individual player honors, including CJ Charleston '19 (pictured on the left), Offensive Most Valuable Player; Connor O'Toole '20 (pictured on the right), Defensive Most Valuable Player; first-team selections Ryan Coan '19 and Ian Miller '20; second-team selections Garrett Olsen '20 and Kyle Culler '21; and honorable mention picks Andre Rodgers '21 and Kevan Pack '20. First-year Lancer head coach Dan DeCrane was also named Coach of the Year.

The final games of the regular season included a fun game against John Adams at Quicken Loans Arena in which the Lancers earned a 96-67 victory. O'Toole hit an impressive nine 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 33 points. Charleston and Coan were also hot from the perimeter and totaled 19 and 17 points, respectively. Rodgers contributed five assists as Miller had five rebounds, five steals and four assists. The Lancers went on to defeat NCL opponent St. Thomas Aquinas, 65-40 with O'Toole hitting five 3-pointers and dishing out eight assists. Culler drained three long-range field goals.

The team then went to battle on its home court in the final two games of the regular season, first with a 52-48 loss to Willoughby South that came down to the final seconds. Charleston totaled 22 points, four assists and three steals to pace Gilmour. Olsen added seven points and two steals, while Coan contributed seven points, five rebounds and one assist. Against Benedictine, the Lancers lost 75-69 in an exciting contest. Charleston scored a career-high 42 points on his way to becoming the new program record holder for single-season points with 550. O'Toole added three 3-pointers and took two key charges, while Miller had a tremendous defensive game. He also scored seven points to go along with six assists, five rebounds, one steal and one block. Coan added six points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Lancers now head into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Stow District. They host Aurora tonight at 7 p.m. in a sectional final game. Fans are reminded that no Gilmour Family Athletic passes are accepted to any tournament games, even those played on campus. This is in accordance with OHSAA regulations. All fans, including students must purchase tickets to attend this event. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and will go on sale at 6 p.m. Here is a look at the complete tournament bracket.

The junior varsity boys basketball team earned a dominant 62-36 win against St. Thomas Aquinas on the road. Ben DeMell '21 recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Vinny Bandwen '21Michael Snelling '21 and Matt Benisek '21 were also key components of the Lancer offense as Kyle Jackson '21 added four steals. Gilmour then went on to split their final home games of the season, defeating Willoughby South 62-55 and losing to Benedictine, 70-57. In the win, Bandwen scored 13 points as Benisek and Colin Vizy '21combined for 20 points on a total of six 3-pointers made. In the final loss, Bandwen opened the game with the first eight points on his way to a team-high 18 for the night. The tandem of Benisek and Vizy again combined for six treys, with 12 and nine points, respectively. Snelling added five rebounds.  

For the season, the JV team finished 13-9 overall and 8-3 in the conference. Five of their losses were by four points or fewer, including one overtime defeat. 

The freshman boys basketball team finished the season with three tough losses to Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Benedictine and Willoughby South. In a close 57-51 loss to Benedictine, Josh Bruce '22 and Ryan Mueller '22 led Gilmour with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Robert Sullivan '22 hit two corner 3-pointers en route to 10 points and Mick Hopkins '22 totaled a team-high eight rebounds. Another highlight was a big three-point field goal in the second quarter by Nathan Flaherty '22 that pushed the Lancers to a nine-point lead. Against South, the Lancers lost by a mere six points. Alexander Beedles '22led the way with 15 points, five steals and four rebounds, while Michael DiPuccio '22hit two three-point shots and contributed seven points. Hopkins added seven points and seven rebounds, while Sullivan led the defense with four steals and four rebounds. 

The Lancers ended the season with an overall record of 7-14 and a league record of 2-5. What those numbers don't show is that half of the team's losses were by seven points or less, including one double-overtime defeat and two buzzer-beater losses. On an even more positive note, the team swept the games against rivals Hawken and University School. 

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