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If Mentor coach Bob Krizancic needed to place his younger group in a pressure-cooker surroundings to see how it might deal with it, he couldn’t have picked a extra becoming opponent than Rhodes, who got here into the Playing cards’ Nest with a 4-0 file on Dec. 11.
The Rams pressured the Cardinals the size of the ground, and compelled them into quite a few errors, together with 20 turnovers.
Mentor held a largely slim lead for 3 quarters, however fell behind Rhodes, 56-52, with 5:11 to play within the fourth.
However the Cardinals rallied, closing out the sport on a 12-4 run to prevail, 64-60, and cross a stern early-season check.
Six-foot-six sophomore Ian Ioppolo paced 4 gamers in double figures for Mentor with 14 factors, and he added seven rebounds. Junior Ryan Ioppolo (13), senior Sean Collins (11), and senior Austin Kiggins (10) all reached double figures.
“Positively, in dealing with strain we have to get manner higher,” Ian Ioppolo stated. “Pulling this win off was big. Now we have Euclid subsequent week, and so they play just like Rhodes, so we simply need to get manner higher in apply.”
Mentor (2-0) scored the primary eight factors of the sport and led, 18-11, after the primary quarter.
Rhodes (4-1) cranked up the defensive strain on the Cardinals within the second quarter and turned them over seven instances within the body. A ten-0 run on each side of halftime pulled the Rams inside 33-31 early within the third.
Mentor pushed its result in 42-33 after a Ryan Ioppolo 3 with 5:11 left within the third quarter, however Rhodes scored the final eight factors within the body, the ultimate two off of a steal, to attract inside 47-46 after three stanzas.
Free throws by Kenyon Giles and Jamal Sumin gave the Rams their first lead, 52-50, with 6:11 to play. Rhodes stayed in entrance till Mentor regained its lead, 60-58, on an and-one by Collins with 1:24 left.
4 Ryan Ioppolo free throws made it 64-58, however Rhodes scored as soon as extra off a steal to chop it to 64-60 with three seconds to go. The Rams missed a 3 on their remaining possession.
Sumin, a 6-foot-3 senior, had an excellent efficiency for the Rams with a game-high 24 factors. Giles, a sophomore, added 17. Rhodes, which is taking part in a difficult nonconference slate this season, shot 36% (26 of 72), however had simply eight turnovers.
“Poor shot choice towards the tip of the sport,” Rhodes coach Shawn Spencer stated concerning letting the fourth-quarter lead slip away. “Youth confirmed up with a few of my youthful guards. We took some fast pictures that weren’t there. We’ve acquired to be taught from it and get higher for (Dec.14 in opposition to John Hay).”
Mentor, which has 5 gamers in its rotation who’re at the very least 6-foot-3, and two of those that are 6-foot-6, gained the rebounding battle, 42-33. Collins led with 13. The Cardinals shot 45% (24 of 53).
“I felt that this weekend was essential for the season, to drag out ‘W’s,” Mentor coach Bob Krizancic stated. “We didn’t play effectively, we didn’t play sensible, there have been loads of issues that didn’t go effectively. In crunch time, final evening and tonight, we had some gamers that got here via.”
Mentor, which handled accidents and hasn’t had its full element of gamers collectively for a lot of practices, may have just a few days of labor subsequent week to arrange to host rival Euclid, one other group off to a robust begin, on Dec. 17.
“We performed smarter on the finish, and it was an important studying expertise for the 2 video games,” Krizancic stated. “Euclid does an important job with strain. Now we have them subsequent Friday, right here. I believe this sport will actually assist us with that one. I hope I’m proper about that.”
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