Mentor Boys Basketball Beat Mayfield

Mentor Boys Basketball Coach Bob Krizancic wanted to make sure his team was focused on Mayfield Friday night.

They have a matchup looming with nationally-ranked Huntington (W.Va.) Prep tonight during Dunk For Diabetes, but Krizancic wanted his team to focus and stick to the game plan Friday.

That's why he called a time out 11 seconds into the game.

“We were talking about going strong to the hoop, and then on our first possession Jeff Foreman gets the ball and shoots a three,” Krizancic said to Ohio Varsity. “Right off the bat I said we have to not make these mistakes.”

The Cardinals locked immediately. They led 63-32 at the half en route to a 109-77 win.

True to their game plan, Mentor (13-2) didn't employ their usual barrage three pointers.

Instead, the only hit 13 threes -- a relatively low number for the team that beat the school record for shooting beyond the arc. Every other field goal came on a driving layup or a post move.

The Cardinals both out-sized and outmuscled Mayfield, and they controlled the post all evening.

It took six minutes for the Cardinals to pull ahead 22-10. By the end of the first half, Mentor led by 31 and the Wildcats never clawed back into contention.

Five Mentor players scored in double figures. Foreman led the way with 20 points, followed by Kade McClure and Caleb Potter with 14 points, Conner Krizancic with 13 and Brandon Fritts with 10.

Fritts has only played intermittently this season while he rehabilitates an injury he received during the Mentor football team's state Division I semifinal.

“I’m feeling great,” Fritts told Ohio Varsity. “I think that extra week of rest I got after the Garfield Heights game really helped a lot. I felt pretty good, but I know I have to get back into basketball shape. I have a lot to work on.”