WYBL Championships: Cavs pull away late for 9-10 boys’ crown
Published 6:35 pm Saturday, March 3, 2018
The Cavs trailed coming out of halftime, tied it by the end of the third quarter, and pulled away in the fourth for a 41-38 win and the 9-10 boys’ championship.
The Thunder gave the Cavs everything they could handle. Jeremiah Glaspie had a short hook, and Herekiah Moore followed with a layup to make it a one-shot game down the stretch.
JaTavion Ebron swatted away a last-second 3-pointer that would have forced overtime. That also clinched the title for the Cavs.
Both teams came out firing. Cav guard Josiah Jennette opened scoring with a trey, but Glaspie neutralized it with one of his own on the next possession. Glaspie missed two shots before grabbing his own rebound and backing up behind the arc.
The Thunder ripped off a 10-2 run in the first to take the lead. Glaspie fueled it with seven points, and Oliver Thomas capped it off with a steal-turned-layup.
Ebron finished the period the same way he started it: with a triple that put the Cavs within a shot again, 16-13, after 10 minutes.
The Cavs rallied back in the second. Calek Smaw had a pair of buckets on a 6-0 spurt that gave his team a 22-20 lead, but the Thunder answered with makes from Khaliq Marsh and Thomas to take a 24-22 lead into halftime.
The Thunder looked poised to create separation in the third. Thomas his an early 3, but the Cavs’ defense hunkered down and held the opposition to just one more basket in the third.
Five points to begin the fourth gave the Cavs a lead they’d be able to cling to for the remainder of the game.