Preston Gedeon, Jackson Sommer catch fire, help Garfield top Liberty
GARRETTSVILLE — Preston Gedeon caught fire in the first half.
Jackson Sommer did the same in the final minutes of the third quarter.
That was enough to maintain, and expand, the lead for Garfield Tuesday night in a 69-50 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Gray Tier victory over visiting Liberty.
"All season long, our kids have worked hard, both in practice and in the games," G-Men coach Andrew Olesky said. "Every coach would love to be rewarded with more wins, and sometimes that's just not the way it falls, but what it means to me right now is that our hard work and good attitude and our will to continue working hard paid off."
Gedeon's first-half surge included three straight makes from the field in the second quarter as the sophomore tallied 16 first-half points and 24 overall.
Sommer's four straight 3-point makes in the final two minutes and change of the third sparked a 16-3 G-Men run after the Leopards had drawn within two (33-31). It also helped the senior produce a career-high 26 points.
"When he catches fire, when he finds his groove, he's a great shooter," Olesky said. "He had moments last year where he caught fire. He's had moments this year where he's caught fire and that's what I saw. Jackson was on fire."
All of which capped a transformative few days at the Garrettsville Garden. Garfield returned to its home court Friday trying to snap a five-game skid, including four straight losses on the road. After Friday's 20-point victory over Champion and Tuesday's 19-point win against Liberty, it's safe to say the G-Men are feeling refreshed.
"I think it's our best performance of this season, our best performance for sure," Sommer said. "We're nearing the end. We knew we just had to catch a break eventually. I think this is our break so we just got to finish out the season."
Jackson Sommer catches fire late in the third
The G-Men hadn't trailed since mere minutes into Tuesday's game, when Gedeon's 3-point play put them in front 6-5.
But the Leopards were threatening late in the third.
To that point, Gedeon had dominated the scoring for the home team, but Garfield's seniors stepped up in the closing minutes of the quarter.
The G-Men's game-changing run — 16-3 to end the third and 23-7 overall — started with senior Carter Bates taking advantage of a gap in Liberty's zone for a driving layup to double their lead to four (35-31). After the Leopards missed a 3-pointer, Sommer drained a transition 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining in the third.
"I've been needing it the past few games," Sommer said. "The shots haven't been falling, but it's nice to finally make some shots."
No one then could have anticipated just how hot Sommer, who had seven points at the half, would get.
After Liberty missed another 3-pointer, Sommer cut behind a screen from fellow senior Vinnie Grandizio and turned a pass from Nick Edic into his second straight 3-pointer (and third of the night).
"Most of my 3s come from Preston or Vinnie," Sommer said. "Preston pushing the floor, Vinnie setting screens on some plays, but it's good to have nice teammates. When you get open, they find you."
Gedeon followed with an equally jaw-dropping finish in transition, knocking down a runner as he tumbled to the floor with 1:10 left in the third, and Sommer added two more 3-pointers before the quarter was done.
Gedeon set up Sommer's penultimate 3-pointer of the night, as the sophomore surged up the court, then slung a side pass to the senior for his third straight 3-pointer. Sommer added a final make from deep, helped by another Gedeon assist and a friendly roll, with 10 seconds remaining in the third to push the G-Men lead to 15 (49-34).
"When he's hot, he won't miss," Gedeon said of Sommer. "So I know to get the ball to him or whoever else is hot on the team."
Kalen Turner, Silas Robinson combine to score 44 of Liberty's 50 points
The Leopards had their share of big-time scoring as well.
Indeed, Kalen Turner led all scorers Tuesday with 28 points, including three straight makes to end the first half and 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Silas Robinson also proved to be an electric scorer with 16 points, as the duo combined for 44 of Liberty's 50.
Still, Garfield did a good job minimizing the damage, in part by holding its own on the boards, rarely allowing second-chance points. The G-Men were also sound with the ball, including just three turnovers in the first three quarters, before the Leopards forced four in the fourth.
"I'm kind of an old-school coach, so I preach fundamentals all the time, and sometimes when it doesn't show out, I get a little frustrated, but if you saw that tonight, it's because I have some old-school mentalities that we're going to emphasize in practice and in games," Olesky said. "In terms of the rebounding, that was definitely a point of emphasis in the scouting report and film sessions."
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Preston Gedeon, Jackson Sommer catch fire, help Garfield top Liberty
