Did you catch..."Stark's big day at the Hall of Fame City Hardwood Classic?"
The Crusaders won two big games in a row within 12 hours and Luke Vlacovsky was named player of the game.
Central Catholic 43, Mogadore 41
When a Mogadore shot at the buzzer from behind the 3-point line hit the front of the rim with a clank and fell harmlessly to the floor, Central Catholic could finally breathe a sigh of relief. The Crusaders had their second win in less than 12 hours and third of the week.
Central (3-2) defeated the Wildcats 43-41 in the opening game early Saturday afternoon, just hours after beating Perry 54-51 Friday night.
"The kids gutted it out," Central head coach Matt Creamer said. "We made a lot of big shots down the stretch against a well-coached team. I just have to give the kids a lot of credit for battling through this one."
Luke Vlacovsky led the way for Central with 16 points and made two free throws with 28.2 seconds left to help seal the win for the Crusaders.
"It feels great to come out with the win," Vlacovsky said. "It was a tough game but I never doubted our ability to find a way to win. I was always confident in that."
For a while it looked as though Mogadore might be on its way to spoiling a strong Central effort. A 17-point third quarter gave Mogadore a 30-26 lead going into the final period.
"We had to flip the switch no matter how tired we were," Vlacovsky said. "We just came out for the forth quarter and got after it and everything clicked."
Layne Miller led Mogadore with 14 points before fouling out. Devin Graham also contributed 13 points for the Wildcats.
Player of the game - Luke Vlacovsky, Central Catholic
The junior leading scorer with 16 points for Central and did not come off the floor. Vlacovsky added two steals and a rebound for the Crusaders in a strong all-around effort. "Luke did a great job today," Creamer said. "He works really hard. In fact, he may be one of the hardest workers I've ever had." Vlacovsky totaled 50 points in the three wins this week.
Three numbers to remember
12.2: The amount of time left on the clock when Easton Miller scored the final point of the game. His made free throw gave the Crusaders a two-point advantage down the stretch.
13: The number of points Lance Vlacovsky contributed off the bench for Central. Lance Vlacovsky was clutch in the fourth quarter, delivering two 3-pointers and two made free throws. Mogadore managed just four points off the bench as a team.
17: The number of points scored by Central in the fourth quarter. It was the most scored in a period for the day for the Crusaders despite it being Central's second game in 12 hours.
They said it
Central head coach Matt Creamer on making some defensive adjustments in the fourth quarter with new personnel: "It can be a little bit like hockey for us. Sometimes a new shift comes out to give us a different look. We like to put Chace Johnson and William Minor out there. They can both defend well along the perimeter and inside."
Creamer on returning to the Massillon gym: "It's always fun to be back. Being in the gym brought back a lot of memories. I look up at the banners and see a lot of names and some numbers. A lot of those were from my time here." Creamer spent 15 years as the head coach of the Tigers during his career.
Luke Vlackovsky on the performance of his brother Lance off the bench: "He came out and stepped up in a big way today."