No. 15 Revere rallies from 21 down to stun No. 18 Warrensville Heights for 12th straight win

BEDFORD, Ohio — Dean Rahas dug into his coat pocket and found a good-luck charm.

He pulled out a piece of paper, his scouting report from Revere's boys basketball district championship win last year against Warrensville Heights.

"Dumb luck," Rahas said Tuesday night after Revere's 71-66 comeback victory vs. that same Warrensville Heights team.

Rahas didn't plan it, but he wore the same coat and tie from that district title win, also a comeback from nine points down in the final three minutes. On this night at Bedford High School, which served as host because Warrensville's gym was unavailable, Revere (15-3) rallied from a 21-point deficit in the second quarter.

A year ago, the Minutemen shocked Warrensville on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Chris Richardson in the Division II district final at Stow. This time, they chipped away and took control as the second half wore on.

Revere (15-3), ranked 15th in the cleveland.com Top 25, won its 12th straight game.

"People said we hadn't played many good teams yet," said sophomore guard Jimmy Salamone, who scored a team-high 20 points. "But I think we proved tonight we can play with anybody. We know we can play with anybody. So that's what it all comes down to is confidence."

Salamone gave Revere the lead for good on consecutive baskets with about three minutes left, scoring off a setup from fellow sophomore Andrew Rinn and later off a turnover and long pass from Richardson that led to an open layup.

No. 18 Warrensville Heights (12-7) dominated at the start, fueled by the memory of last year's district tournament matchup. Sophomore point guard Ramelle Arnold and Omahn Dobbins led the attack. Arnold finished with 23 points and Dobbins added 12. Senior guard Brandon Rush added 13.

"That's the best team we've played so far," Revere senior point guard Samson Albert said. "They've got great guards. Rush and Arnold, they're tough to stay in front of."

Arnold knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 19 of his points in the first half. All of Dobbins' offensive production came in that stretch, as the Tigers also wanted to wipe the memory of last week's double-digit loss to Lutheran East.

They had an edge with an up-tempo pace.

"I think they kind of lost a little bit of that at halftime and came out like it was over," coach Brian Swift said. "That's the disappointing thing."

Swift said his coaches charted Revere for 10-of-12 shooting in the paint for the second half. That allowed the Minutemen to creep back in, as Albert repeatedly found open passing lanes to hit cutting teammates at the hoop. Albert finished with nine assists and found 6-8 junior Hunter Drenth open under the basket multiple times.

The biggest difference for either team from a year ago is the graduation of Pete Nance, the versatile 6-9 forward who is now at Northwestern.

"Without Pete, we have something to prove now," said Drenth, who provided 10 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks. "All of us, we want to be better than we were last year."

They are proving to be on pace, already clinching the Suburban League American Division. On Sunday, Revere earned the top seed for that Division II Stow District.

The Minutemen won't face Warrensville, which is now back in Division III and competing in the Garfield Heights District.

That old scouting report served its purpose.

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.