TOLEDO – Cardinal Stritch scored the first 10 points in a Division III district semifinal against
Eastwood Thursday.
And while the Eagles battled to the end, they were never able to get a lead in the game played at Toledo
Central Catholic.
“I give our kids credit. I thought we did a great job of competing. I thought we played hard,” Eastwood
head coach Todd Henline said. “We did some nice things tonight, we just never got the lead. … We knew
that this was going to be a battle.
“I thought the second half of the year we did a great job of competing,” he added. “I am proud of the
effort they gave me tonight. … I thought we did some nice things offensively, we just could not stop
them defensively.”
Eastwood’s first points of the game came on a Jacob Meyer basket with 4:03 remaining in the opening
quarter. The Eagles then made a run with Meyer finishing with six points in the quarter and Lake Boos
adding five. The Eagles were within two points, 16-14, after the first eight minutes.
Stritch’s Jhaiden Wilson scored only five points in the first quarter but nailed five 3-pointers and
added a 2-point basket for 17 points in the second quarter as the Cardinals held a 38-31 lead at the
half.
Meyer scored 10 of Eastwood’s 17 points in the second quarter.
“When we turned it over they made us pay in the first half,” Henline said. “I think they had 14 points
off our turnovers, and we only had eight turnovers. But when you give up that many points off turnovers
it’s hard to overcome that.”
It was a sluggish third quarter as each team scored 12 points and Stritch took a 50-43 lead into the
final 10 minutes.
Eastwood pulled to within five points early in the fourth quarter, but Stritch was able to seal the
victory by making 16-of-18 free throws in the fourth quarter.
“We just could never get the lead and get over the hump. We were always playing from behind, playing
catch-up,” Henline said. “We really had to work twice as hard to do that.”
Wilson scored only five points in the third quarter, but contributed 11 points in the fourth quarter to
finish with 38 points, including eight 3-pointers.
“He does some things that it’s tough to defend him with one guy,” Henline said about Wilson. “I think
Case (Boos) did a great job on him.”
Meyer carried the offense for the Eagles, finishing with 27 points. Teammate Isaac Badenhop added 13
points.
Stritch’s height of its four starters, who were 6-foot-8, 6-4 and two at 6-2, was also a factor.
“I think their height bothered us more than their zone,” Henline said. “We have been effective against
the zone. What they did a great job of is not giving us 3s to get out of the zone. … We were able to
score inside against their zone.”
Eastwood finishes its season at 14-9 and Cardinal Stritch, now 14-4, will play in the district final
Saturday.
EASTWOOD 14 17 12 22 — 65
CARDINAL STRITCH 16 22 12 25 – 75
EASTWOOD
C. Boos, 1 1 1 – 6; L. Boos, 2-1-1—8; Badenhop, 2-3-0—13; Meyer, 10-1-4—27; Buchman, 1-0—2; Betz, 1-0—2;
Arntson, 2-1-0—7; Hagg, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 19-7-6—65.
CARDINAL STRITCH
Wilson, 5-8-4—38; Hightower, 4-5—13; Morehead, 1-2—4; Revels, 2-1-4—11; Thompson, 3-2—8; Swiergosz,
0-0—0; Burton., 0-0—0; Hughes, 0-1—1. TOTALS: 15-9-18—75.