East runs past Revere to advance to OHSAA boys basketball district final
NORTH RIDGEVILLE — East seniors Mike Woodall and La’Grand Sowell have given quite a few opponents fits this season.
Revere was the latest boys basketball team that struggled to corral the high-scoring guards Thursday night when East recorded a 65-46 win in a Division II district semifinal at North Ridgeville High School.
Woodall scored 24 points with five rebounds and five assists as East (20-5) utilized its speed and quickness to separate from Revere (19-5).
“The mindset was to get up and down the floor,” Woodall said. “We are a run-and-gun team and we knew they were going to play slower.
“... Coach [Chad Hazard] made sure we were ready in practice. We watched film and we saw all of their shooters and their plays.”
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Sowell finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three steals as the Dragons advanced to a district final matchup with Rocky River Lutheran West at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“We had a hard week in practice,” Sowell said. “We have been working hard all week for this game. We played as a team all night and got the win.”
Junior Conner Groce paced Revere with 16 points and four rebounds and junior Carson Banks scored 12 points.
“Akron East played very, very well,” Revere coach Dean Rahas said. “They are a very good team. They have got guards. They have guys that can finish inside, defend, rebound and pressure. They are a regional team. I can see them winning the next game.
“... Last year we were 7-16 and finished second to last in the Suburban League American Conference. To come back and have such an amazing turnaround in one year and win the league championship with a 12-2 record just speaks volumes of our seniors and the character of our team.”
Sophomores De’Arion Holley and Kardiay Tyler were also active for East. Holley totaled seven points, eight rebounds, five assists, five blocks and two steals. Tyler contributed six points, six rebounds and three assists.
“We were ready to play as a team,” Holley said. “Our preparation was very good for this game.”
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Sowell scored 13 points in the first quarter as East jumped out to a 20-5 lead. Holley and Sowell concluded the quarter with a right-handed slam dunk and a layup, respectively.
The Dragons led 37-24 at halftime, 49-33 through three quarters and 57-37 with 4:50 to play on a layup by Holley.
“We wanted to take them out of what they wanted to run,” Hazard said. “We pressured the ball. We really dissected their film and looked at everything that they run. I must have watched 10 games. It was overkill, really. We repped what they do over and over. We actually practiced on a bigger floor earlier this week and went to Garfield. We wanted to simulate what it looked like out here. We had a couple of brutal practices where the guys worked hard.
“Hats off to Revere. They had a heck of a year. Anytime you win 19 games and win your league, that is a heck of a year. They do a good job over there. Dean has been here and done that. He has won 20 games multiple times.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: East tops Revere in dominant fashion in basketball district semifinal
