Mentor High Boys' Basketball Coach Not Satisfied with Big Win

What could be better?

Mentor not only crushed another opponent, they went over 100 points to do it, and for the second straight game, every one of their players who traveled to Euclid High School for Saturday night’s Division I sectional final against Cleveland East Tech got into the scoring column.

Sorry, not good enough.

After the Cardinals smashed the Scarabs, 106-66, Mentor coach Bob Krizancic rained down the kind of fury that boomed straight through the boys’ locker room walls. No kneeling at the keyhole or holding a cup to the concrete was required.

What got him so riled up? To start with, Mentor, which usually averages around 14 3-pointers a game, had only eight. To make it worse, they went 8-of-28 from beyond the arc.

And that was just for starters, according to the coach.

“We gave up a lot of layups. You can’t have any weaknesses at this point. And we’re looking to definitely clean up our weaknesses and play like we’re capable of playing,” Krizancic said. “You can’t play for just 16 minutes, especially at this point. And we played for a lot less than 50 percent most of the time. Our guys know they’ve got to be ready.”

Lake Erie League Lake Division champion Mentor (18-4) has now won 11 of their last 12 games, with their only loss coming to St. Edward, 108-105, in their final home game of the season on Feb. 19. The Scarabs finished the season 10-10.

The Cardinals will face Shaw on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the district semifinals.

Despite some mishaps here and there, it was still an awesome display of offensive power for Mentor.

Justin Fritts led the Cardinals with 18 points, while Collin Barth and Brandon Fritts, Justin’s younger brother, also reached double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

But surprisingly, it was Devonte Isom of East Tech who was the game’s high scorer with 19 points, while Kesean Christian (16) and Martinez Anderson (10) both posted in double figures.

It was probably the first quarter that gave coach Krizancic his greatest level of concern. The Scarabs held a 12-9 lead after Raleigh Forte knocked down a 3-pointer to go briefly ahead.

A little while later, a Jeff Foreman layup and foul shot gave the Cardinals the lead 14-13, but Forte surprised again with another 3-pointer to regain the lead for the Scarabs, 16-14.

The Cardinals surged ahead with five straight points to 19-16, but this time, it was Tracy McGee who tied the game with a 3-pointer with just under a minute remaining. Justin Fritts promptly answered with a score and the Scarabs never led or tied the game again.

The Cardinals put their foot down in the second quarter, outscoring the Scarabs, 26-7, as Brandon Fritts led the Cardinals with seven points in the quarter.

The Cardinals' largest lead came at 106-63 seconds before the game ended.

Mentor 25 26 24 31 106

East Tech 21 7 11 27 66

Mentor: Justin Fritts 18, Collin Barth 13, Brandon Fritts 12, Mitchell Trubinsky 9, Tom Strobel  8, Jeff Foreman 7, Branden Piks 7, Cole Krizancic 7, Brad Kukula 6, Matt Solden 5, Derek Bryner 4, Danny Wallack 3, Kyle Morris 3, Conner Krizancic 2, Cody Kern 2.

East Tech: Devonte Isom 19, Kesean Christian 16, Martinez Anderson 10, Malcolm Adams 9, Raleigh Forte 7, Tracey McGee 5.