“That’s something we don’t normally do,” said first-year Irish coach Cody Sarensen of the hot start. “I was excited for the guys. We said before the game to do what we do best and attack and finish and get great looks. And that’s what we did this evening.”
Thomas Kavanagh was the catalyst with all 16 of his points and four 3-pointers in the first quarter.
“It was confidence,” he said. “The team had a good week of practice so we were feeling good and confident. And we got hot.”
The evening wasn’t all about basketball. Players on both teams wore orange wristbands to show support for fellow OHC member West Liberty-Salem, the site of a shooting Friday morning. A moment of silence was also observed before the game.
Central (9-5, 3-4 OHC) is a blend of seniors like Kavanagh and Cosmas Cantanzaro (10 points) and sophomores Sabien Doolittle (14 points) and Trey Dunn (12 points). Dunn is the point guard and Doolittle is a versatile scorer.
“All of our seniors really embrace the leadership role well this year,” Sarensen said. “They do a great job with practice and the energy they bring and really setting the tone.”
Sarensen likes what his team is becoming, but he’s focused on what needs to improve. Kavanagh sees it the same way.
“We have all the potential in the world,” Kavanagh said. “It all comes down to work, putting in the time and keep practicing and we can make a big run, absolutely.”
Dunn started the trey-fest for Central (9-5, 3-4 OHC) 23 seconds into the game. Kavanagh hit the next three for a 12-0 lead at the 5:04 mark and an Irish shot had yet to touch the rim. Eventually some of their shots did bounce off the rim, but that didn’t slow them down much.
Dunn’s second 3-pointer made it 19-0 before Cedarville (3-10, 1-6) finally scored with 2:53 left in the quarter. When it was over, the Irish led 29-4. The lead reached its peak at 50-17 late in the third quarter.
“They have nice post players, they penetrate well, so we said we wanted to take away the penetration, we wanted to take away the post game and force them to make outside contested shots and that’s what they did,” Cedarville coach Ryan Godlove said.
Cedarville, which was without senior point guard Nick Christman, was led by Brandon Pollock with 11 points and Seth Salisbury with 10.
About the Author