LYNDHURST, Ohio — The layup line tells SPIRE coach Jermaine Jackson something each time he watches it.
He said Tuesday night at Brush he knows whether his team will win, lose or what kind of challenge it will face based on what he observes during that pregame stretch.
Thirteen games in, the layup line has turned out to be proper glimpse into his team's undefeated run.
"There's certain little things that you see as a coach when you've been in the game for a long time, where you're like, 'We got 'em,'" he said after an 82-61 win at Brush. "Be locked in at that layup line."
Jackson said he watches every team, notices whether they are serious or showboating; looking to the crowd and how they respond to when his SPIRE team trots back out to the floor — with an all-star lineup of LaMelo Ball, Rocket Watts, Myron Gardner and Isaiah Jackson leading the way.
Brush coach Chet Mason called the matchup a "teachable moment."
Jackson, who listened a few feet away, later added the layup line is an aspect.
In addition to SPIRE's visit to Brush, the No. 3-ranked team in the cleveland.com Top 25, here is what you might have missed Tuesday and a look ahead this week in the boys basketball rewind.
MIDDIES' MARCH
Four days after Jonny Manning's buzzer-beater to upset Olmsted Falls, the 6-foot-6 junior forward scored 20 points to help Midview take down No. 10 Lakewood with a 45-33 upset.
The Middies (7-3, 6-2) now are just a game back in the Southwestern Conference standings and control their own destiny after consecutive wins against last year's co-champions. There also is a logjam for second place in the SWC. Olmsted Falls and North Ridgeville also are tied for second behind Lakewood.
Midview will play the Rangers again Feb. 15 in Lakewood.
In a potential district tournament preview, Christian Dupps scored 20 points and Erik Painter added 17 to lead Bay in a 74-71 win at No. 18 Fairview.
Marty Rehor scored 17 points and Luke Howes added 15 to lead Fairview at home.
Next season, both teams will be Great Lakes Conference rivals.
They already know they could meet this postseason in the Division II North Ridgeville District tournament, just as they did last year. Fairview is aiming to improve on last year's school-record 20 wins, and it now will have to win out to reach that mark in the regular season.
The win should help Bay in its quest for a top seed in that district tournament, which has a new look this season with the addition of Cleveland Central Catholic.
Junior guard Michael Favazzo now has two buzzer-beaters this season for Mayfield.
The second came Tuesday to deliver the Wildcats a 41-39 home win vs. Parma. Check it out below.
Senior point guard Kyle Goessler scored 36 points, but Brunswick (7-6) suffered its sixth loss in the last seven games. This one came at home in nonconference play against Nordonia of the Suburban League.
Joel Jones led the Knights with 19 points, while Julius Jones added 13 and Evan Wiehe scored 12. Robby Levak added 10 points to Nordonia's balanced effort.
Click here for Tuesday's full scoreboard.
No. 3 Brush (10-1) at No. 11 Willoughby South (9-2): Following Brush's matchup with SPIRE, the Western Reserve Conference comes in focus. Neither team has lost in the WRC.
No. 4 St. Edward (9-3) vs. Kennedy Catholic in Erie, Pa.: The Eagles took down the three-time state champions from Pennsylvania when they met in Elyria at the Scholastic Play By Play Classic. They meet again on a neutral floor, but this time closer to Kennedy Catholic's neck of the woods.
Gilmour (9-2) at No. 5 Villa Angela-St. Joseph (9-2): Senior guard C.J. Charleston has been a scoring machine for Gilmour, which faces one of its toughest tests in a North Coast League crossover.
No. 16 Warrensville Heights (8-3) at No. 13 Cleveland Heights (7-4): Both squads are looking up at Lorain in the Lake Erie League, but Warrensville has yet to face the Titans. This is a huge hurdle to set up that game, as Cleveland Heights pushed them last week. Big senior guard Anthony Johnson will get his second crack at Northeast Ohio competition. The multisport star from Jeannette, Pa., made his debut last week after a dominant fall in football.
Holy Name (10-2) at Rocky River (8-2): Holy Name trailed Rocky River, Bay and Elyria Catholic by a game in the Great Lakes Conference.
Rhodes (8-4) at Glenville (9-7): Both teams are looking up at East Tech in the Senate League. Defending champion Glenville has been fueled by sophomore sophomore Byron Ottrix Jr., while Rhodes is loaded with young talent. Ottrix had 31 points Tuesday in 78-58 win vs. Cleveland JFK.
Mogadore (6-3) at Crestwood (10-2): The Portage Trail Conference County Division lead is up for grabs as Crestwood plays host to Mogadore, which recently celebrated coach Russ Swartz's 400th career victory. His Wildcats scored an impressive 69-51 victory Tuesday against Lake Center Christian, bringing the Tigers into a first-place tie with Mogadore, Crestwood, Rootstown and Youngstown Valley Christian.
Click here for the full schedule.
Clearview (8-2) at No. 2 Lorain (10-1): The Clippers follow a conference matchup Friday against Lutheran West with a neighborhood matchup at Lorain. The Titans will be much more rested, having not played since their 75-71 win last week at Cleveland Heights. After this one, they have another week off until a big LEL matchup at Warrensville Heights.
No. 20 St. Ignatius (5-5) at No. 22 Cleveland Central Catholic (6-5): These teams have summed up area competition in terms of parity. They've beaten some top teams and lost to them, too. Last year, Central Catholic's Tevin Jackson and St. Ignatius' Chase Toppin shared point guard duties for the Wildcats. They will meet in this one on opposite sides.
No. 21 Benedictine (6-5) at No. 23 Harvey (8-2): The Bengals have struggled since the holiday break, but should provide a stern test for Chagrin Valley Conference frontrunner Harvey.
Lake Center Christian (7-5) vs. Open Door (8-2) at North Canton Hoover: The Mercy Medical Classic is this weekend at Hoover, and this 1:30 p.m. matchup has two teams that should make noise in Division IV.
Click here for the full schedule.
Have notes to add for the rewind? Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).
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