By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

There weren’t many answers for the Rootstown boys basketball team’s offense on Friday night.

Rootstown sophomore Dean Abdlrasul goes up for a shot against Lake Center Christian’s Jace Hulse during the first half of Friday’s game in Hartville.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

The Lake Center Christian Tigers made sure of that.

The Tigers put on a defensive showcase that started from the opening tip, fueled a 16-0 first-quarter lead and continually eliminated any chance for the Rovers to string together any rhythmic momentum to get back into the game.

The final result was a commanding 61-30 Portage Trail Conference victory for the Tigers in the team’s league opener at home in Hartville.

“Tonight was good, but I think we are still a work in progress on defense,” Lake Center Christian head coach Greg Bryte said. “We work on something a little bit different everyday. Coach (Henry) Cobb is our defensive coordinator, and he does a great job preparing our guys. We came in with a gameplan tonight, and I think our guys did a nice job with it.”

Most of the Tigers’ defensive success came in two forms: On-ball pressure that created turnover and easy runouts and disciplined rotations that repeatedly kept the Rovers on the perimeter for stationary and contested.

For the game, Rootstown shot just 8-of-34 (24 percent) from the field. 

An even more game-defining statistic was that the Rovers made just one 2-point field goal for the entire game, coming on a layup from the low block on the left side of the key by Dean Abdlrasul with 1:02 remaining in the third quarter.

Lake Center Christian’s Brody Zook (center) and Will Caudle go after a rebound in front of Rootstown’s Luke Flowers.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Rootstown was 7-of-22 from 3-point range and 1-of-12 from inside the arc for the game.

Meanwhile, the Tigers’ offense had no difficulty finding a cadence.

When they weren’t scoring baskets in transition, Lake Center Christian’s half-court offense executed well by moving the ball to find moving players.

Of the Tigers’ 27 made field goals in the game, 22 were assisted.

In contrast to the Rovers, Lake Center Christian (5-1, 1-0 PTC) shot 5-of-17 on 3-pointers and was 22-of-37 from inside the long-distance line.

“We always want to pass the ball ahead as frequently as possible to put pressure on the defense to get back,” Bryte said. “We are a team that moves the ball well, and I think there were times tonight that we turned it over more than I would like, but, overall, we did move the ball well tonight.”

Nine different Lake Center Christian players reached the scoring column, with sophomore Brody Zook being the only player to reach double-digits with 12 points to lead all scorers. Freshman Noah Harper had nine points, while Matt Hernandez, Grant Coblentz and Xander Stokes all scored eight points each.

Coblentz also added a game-high eight assists.

Rootstown’s Max McEwuen looks for an open teammate, while Lake Center Christian’s Macaully Baker and Nathan Miller close in defensively.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports

Sophomore Blake Mullaly was the leading scorer for Rootstown (2-5, 0-2 PTC), finishing with nine points.

Lake Center Christian led 16-6 after the first quarter, 29-14 at halftime and 46-25 after three quarters.

All told, it was a complete effort for the Tigers that displayed their depth, which Bryte feels will be a key to the team’s success throughout the season.

“Up and down our lineup, I feel like we complement each other very well, and I think we have a lot of depth. We can approach games with the mentality of next guy up,” Bryte said.

Rootstown sophomore Blake Mullaly releases a 3-pointer over the contention of Lake Center Christian’s Jace Hulse.
Paisley Nader/Portage Sports