Brecksville wins 8th straight, adds to Suburban League lead with 56-48 win vs. No. 25 Twinsburg

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio — Thomas Green pulled down a rebound, turned and found Kenny Ganley racing toward the basket.

Ganley rose up to dunk before a Twinsburg defender impeded the opportunity. Didn't matter. Off-balance, Ganley still twisted his 6-foot-4 frame and scored while drawing the foul.

He yelled out Friday night toward his bench to celebrate. A few minutes later, Brecksville is alone in first place of the Suburban League National Division, adding to its lead with a 56-48 win against the Tigers.

Ganley and Green are two rare seniors to play for Brecksville (12-3, 8-1), which won its eighth straight. The Bees have won 10 of their last 11 since a 59-45 loss at Twinsburg, which entered this week No. 25 in the cleveland.com boys basketball rankings.

"I think we just knew their personnel a little bit better," said Ganley, who scored 13 points, while sophomore Joe Labas added 14 points and 11 rebounds. The last time Brecksville played Twinsburg (12-4, 7-3), it was the first time both played this season.

All of a sudden, the Bees are three wins shy of their win total from last season. They are doing it with a lineup that includes three sophomores, plus freshman Tyler Ganley. Kenny Ganley's younger brother scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer that closed the second quarter and began to build Brecksville's momentum.

"Going into this season, we thought we were going to be a smaller team," said Labas, one of Brecksville's bigger players at 6-3. "As we've practiced, we've gained chemistry."

Brecksville coach Steve Mehalik praised Labas for his defensive work on Twinsburg's Ralph Campbell, an athletic 6-4 senior who finished with 12 points. Guard Ryan Felberg added 12 points, while Mike Simpson pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked two shots coming off the bench for Twinsburg.

The Tigers jumped out to an 11-4 lead, which quickly dissipated by the end of the first quarter. They led at halftime, but could not regain control the rest of the night. A swarming defense, led by Labas, forced Twinsburg into 16-of-46 shooting.

"Every time we jumped out to a lead, we had mental lapses where we didn't take good shots," Twinsburg coach Phil Schmook said. "We also had a period in the third quarter where we had transition layups and we missed them. We had three or four possessions in a row. I think the other big difference, too, was we gave up wide-open 3s in the second half."

A headache for Schmook, those wide-open 3s come from a style that is making coaching the opposite for Mehalik.

"This group is just so fun to coach," Mehalik said, "carving people up with drives and kicks."

The chemistry has been somewhat of a surprise, particularly for Mehalik and his fourth-year standout.

"I didn't know what to expect, really," Kenny Ganley said. "Everyone on our team is skilled. They can shoot. We just keep getting better. Every night, it seems like it's someone else's night."

Ganley had just four points in the first half. Instead, he served as a distributor with sophomore Jeremy Jonnozo and Green.

Mehalik thought Ganley's ability to set teammates up took another stride on this night.

"It's just the evolution of his game," Mehalik said. "He got other players involved because they were really focusing on him. The trust on this team was fantastic."

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