Game of the Week: Central Catholic vs Perrysburg

<p>Heading into this game, most of us expected both teams to be undefeated and were looking for that "GAME OF THE YEAR" feel. The Irish got tripped up at home on the way to this epic matchup with a loss to Findlay. The Irish hosted the big time matchup at the Sullivan Center with both teams boasting high profile players, the home team featured [player_tooltip player_id="867942" first="Chico" last="Johnson"],  a four star "do it all player", [player_tooltip player_id="867935" first="Michael" last="Greenlee"] Jr., the tenacious PG and [player_tooltip player_id="1181815" first="Micah" last="Thames"], the baby face assassin, who can flat out shoot the basketball.</p> <p>Perrysburg came in with Kannon Klusmeyer - their most versatile player, Matt Watkins - who plays downhill and attacks the rim and  Luke Manges, who not did not play. This was a game featuring "Speed" Central Catholic vs "Size" Perrysburg.</p> <p><strong>Central Catholic</strong></p> <p>Central coming off a 'hiccup', played with great focus and took advantage of the absence of Luke Manges with Sam Lee on the inside. Lee had his way with seven points in the first half, [player_tooltip player_id="1181815" first="Micah" last="Thames"] also added seven first half points, [player_tooltip player_id="867942" first="Chico" last="Johnson"] who got off to a slow start, finished with a flurry in the second half with some spectacular plays at the rim. The Irish trailed by as many as nine in the second half, then Johnson took over during the mini spurt, scoring eight in the second half, he was assisted by Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1225067" first="Isaiah" last="Brenneman"] who came off the bench to provide a spark, hitting a bucket to tie the game at 39 all. Brenneman then hit a big three to give the Irish a 42-41 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Irish continued its great ball pressure and hot 3-point shooting to keep them in the game throughout the fourth quarter. [player_tooltip player_id="867935" first="Michael" last="Greenlee"] Jr. hit a free throw with 4.8 seconds left that proved to be the difference in the 55-54 win. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Perrysburg</strong></p> <p>Perrysburg came into this matchup after a decisive 74-38 victory over Wauseon. They were clicking on all cylinders even with the absence of 6’6 Luke Manges. Joey Bohman was "in the zone" in the first half, scoring ten points, aided by the scoring of Matt Watkins who chipped in ten first half points as well. The Jackets had a balanced first half, with seven players scoring in the first half, helping to secure a 32-25 halftime lead.</p> <p>The second half started with the Jackets building a nine point lead, as Bohman and Watkins got some scoring help with Klusmeyer adding six second half points. The Jackets and the Irish went back and forth as the two powerhouse teams each tried to enforce their style of play. Klusmeyer made a strong move to the bucket to tie the game up at 54 a piece, that was the last bucket for the Jackets. </p> <p><strong>SUMMARY</strong></p> <p>This game was as good as advertised, both teams were missing key players with Central missing Josh Lee and the Jackets missing Luke Manges. With the depth of both teams' benches, the game was just as thrilling with their absence. Perrysburg who built a nine point lead in the second half, struggled with missing key free throws that could have sealed the game. The Irish continued to fight despite their lack of size, their speed helped fuel their mini run to give them the lead, with Johnson and Brenneman sparking the rally. The game was tied at 54 after a Klusmeyer bucket, but the speedy [player_tooltip player_id="867935" first="Michael" last="Greenlee"] Jr. raced into the lane and was fouled, he sank one of two free throws to give the Irish a 55-54 lead which proved to be the game winner. This game was exciting to watch, the atmosphere at the Sullivan Center was the difference maker, the student section and the crowd seemed to energize the Irish during their key run and down the stretch.</p> <p>Both of these teams will have deep runs and could possibly meet again down the road, Perrysburg will be better because their staff will have them refocused and ready for their next game, as they get ready for their upcoming game versus Clyde. This game was a good indicator for the Irish on where they stand, the Irish know they have a good team, but this win proves they can play with anyone. Best of luck to both teams during the second half of the season.  Perrysburg falls to 7-1 and Central Catholic moves to 6-1 on the season. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>