BAY VILLAGE, Ohio (Dec. 20, 2024) -- Rocky River overcame a sluggish start to earn a come-from-behind victory in battle No. 1 of the 2024-25 War by the Shore rivalry series against Bay. Behind a big both-ends-of-the-floor performance from junior guard Jacob Radcliffe and a sizeable shooting edge after halftime, the Pirates dismantled the Rockets 62-53 Friday.
The host Rockets (5-3, 3-1 Cleveland West Conference) rode the first six points of the second quarter -- part of an 11-3 run for the home five -- to a 30-20 edge at halftime. A Rocky River (4-2, 3-1) squad that shot just 29.2% (7-of-24) in the opening 16 minutes managed to flip the script and connect on 54.2% (13-of-24) of its looks the rest of the way. That shooting proficiency included the Pirates going 6-for-their-last-11 from distance, and it included the exploits of Radcliffe, who scored 12 points in the third period and would tally 18 in the game.
That third quarter -- with River outscoring Bay 19-8 -- was the start of something big. What blasted the Rockets into an outright losing orbit was a 15-8 Pirate run over the middle minutes of the fourth. That stretch was bolstered by 3-pointers from Jackson Paige and Rowan Kennedy and an artful drive to the bucket by Radcliffe.
Sharp team passing and a big Michael Swallow assist on a Brandon Nazette basket at the 1:11-mark helped finalize the comeback. Rocky River closed out the contest by scoring 10 of the game's last 11 points.
Three-point shooting and turnovers loomed large in what marked the Pirates' third consecutive win over their rivals and their fourth straight victory this December. The Maroon & White went 7-of-19 (36.8%) from distance; the Rockets went just 3-of-20 (15%). And for the game, the Roundball Raiders were a plus-7 in turnovers (11-18); RRHS reeled in 17 points of Bay miscues.
Radcliffe clocked his 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field; that included a 3-of-6 performance from beyond the arc. He also had a team-high eight rebounds and came away with three steals as part of a River defensive effort that has become a trend. After the Sons of Blackbeard were touched up for a combined 139 points in twin losses to start the season, they have rallied to yield just 52.3 points per game since.
Swallow finished with 14 points and four assists. Nazette had 10 points and was a team-best plus-14 on the night. Danny Berg chipped in with 3P and 4S. He also filed five assists against just one turnover.
Max Cockburn (14P), Collin Melvin (11P, 8R), and Tommy Mack (8P, 8R) paced the effort for Bay.
CANNON FIRE ...
SERIES UPDATE: Since 2006, Rocky River and Bay have met 47 times. After Friday's win, the Sons of Blackbeard lead the series over that stretch 24-23. The Pirates' three straight wins over Bay mark their most in the series since River took nine in a row from 2010-13.
BUCCANEER BOMBERS: Over their last four games, the Pirates have shot 37.2% (32-for-86) from 3-point range. ... For the season, Radcliffe's 13 triples (13-for-36, 36.1% lead the team. Five players (Berg, Kennedy, Jeff Maslar, Nazette, Radlciffe) have made five-or-more treys; all five are shooting better than 33.3%.
by Skip Snow
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