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02/15 - 7:30 PM Boys Basketball Final St. Edward 64 St. Vincent-St. Mary 78
AKRON, Ohio — One down, one to go.
In this case, No. 5 down and No. 3 to go.
St. Vincent-St. Mary, the top-ranked team in the cleveland.com Top 25, completed the first half of its boys basketball weekend gantlet against two of the area's top teams. First, they took down fifth-ranked St. Edward with a 78-64 win Friday night at the LeBron James Arena in Akron.
Next up, No. 3 Brush comes to town Sunday afternoon.
A balanced attack Friday night, led by four players in double figures, paced the Fighting Irish (14-3) against the Eagles (12-7). Senior guard Chris Painter scored a team-high 19 points, while sophomore forward Malaki Branham added 15. Ohio University-bound senior forward Lunden McDay scored 14 points, while sophomore guard Seth Wilson had 13.
STVM slowly built its lead to nine by halftime and 13 after the third quarter.
Junior guard Grant Huffman led the Eagles with 21 points and Devontae Blanton added 14.
St. Edward lost its second straight after a 65-53 loss last Friday at rival St. Ignatius. The Eagles' weekend does not get much easier with a visit Saturday from state-ranked Toledo Whitmer.
As for Brush, the team STVM plays at 5 p.m. Sunday, the Arcs clinched the Western Reserve Conference on Friday with their second win against rival Willoughby South.
Senior guard Andre Harris led Brush with 35 points in 75-57 home win.
Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]). Or log in and leave a message below in the comments section.