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02/08 - 7:30 PM Boys Basketball Final Elyria Catholic 42 Bay 58
BAY VILLAGE, Ohio – Bay senior Erik Painter chose the perfect night to make history. And it didn’t take long.
Amidst several Bay former high school basketball standouts, Painter scored one minute into the game – becoming Bay’s all-time leading scorer with 1,524 points. He finished with a game-high 21 to lead the Rockets to a 58-42 Great Lakes Conference win over Elyria Catholic.
“It’s awesome, a lot of the guys that paved the way for me have been great role models,” said Painter. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play all four years. It has been a blessing.”
On a night in which Bay recognized its seniors, it was the Rockets starting five – all seniors – that dictated the tempo from the start, taking a 10-point lead, 29-19, into the half. It was the hosts’ defensive intensity that impressed coach Jared Shetzer.
“We’ve been talking about playing defense all year long. Our kids just got it done on the defensive end,” said Shetzer. “It’s something we’ve been talking about for two to three months. I think they’re starting to get it and that’s great.”
Both teams came out of the half strong, trading bucket-for-bucket in the third quarter, with Bay maintaining a nine-point lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Elyria Catholic (10-7, 8-2) then found its groove, cutting the deficit to three with an 8-2 run to start the fourth quarter, as junior center Bronson Taylor scored six of his team-high 13 during the spurt.
But just as they did all night, the Rockets responded in fashion, ending the game on a 13-0 run to secure the win. It was Painter delivering the final dagger – a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:30 to go to put the game out of reach.
“He [Erik] is so special. I’m so proud of him and what he’s been able to do in his career,” continued Shetzer. “The Lord has blessed me to be able to coach really great players and he’s definitely one of them.”
Fellow senior Christian Dupps added 10 points and seven rebounds, while Cade Gergye contributed seven points and eight rebounds for the Rockets.
The win keeps Bay (14-4, 7-3) in the conference title picture, now one game back of the Panthers, with two conference games remaining.
“We lost to them at their place earlier in the season and we’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” added Painter. “We played a really good team game. I think our best effort of the year.”
Elyria Catholic was led by Taylor who added 12 rebounds to his 13 points. Senior Jarred Logan pitched in 10 points, five boards and three assists for the visitors.
Both teams will return to action next Tuesday, as the Panthers travel to Lorain and Bay hosts Oberlin.
Austin Opfer is a freelancer from Lakewood.
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