PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The host Green Wave leveraged a shooting advantage and a significant edge on the boards, as Holy Name defeated Rocky River, 51-40, on Tuesday.
Holy Name outshot River, 42% to 30%, and out-rebounded the Pirates, 41-28, in the early-season Great Lakes Conference match-up. A staunch Green Wave defense held a Double-R squad which had scored 125 points in its first two games to just five points in the opening period and 10 points in the fourth. The Pirates went a combined 4-for-23 (17.4%) over those two frames.
The loss marked River's fourth in a row to Holy Name. The Pirates have been held to 45 points-or-less in all four.
The Pirates (1-2, 1-2 GLC) and Green Wave went a combined 3-of-20 (15%) from the field in a flat-footed start to Tuesday's contest. By the early moments of the second quarter, 20 points had been scored, and the two fives were knotted at 10 a side. Strong shooting and rebounding lifted Holy Name to a 17-7 run the rest of the way in the opening half. The home side went into halftime leading, 27-17.
Offensive rebounding (Holy Name had 16 offensive boards for the game), transition play (HNHS outscored RRHS, 17-5, on the break), and points in the paint (a 38-18 advantage for the Green Wave) were key factors in the home five building their halftime lead and then extending it -- by three points -- in the third quarter.
Along the way, River's shooting woes got in the way of a potential rally. For the game, the Pirates went 14-for-47 (29.8%) from the field; that included a 4-of-18 (22.2%) mark from 3-point-land. Both percentages marked season lows.
The entire second half was played out with 10-plus points separating the Pirates and Green Wave.
Holy Name struggled from distance (3-of-16, 18.8%) but was dialed in on anything closer than 19 feet-9 inches. The Green Wave went 19-of-37 (51.4%) on its two-pointers. Joshua Petrilla logged 18 points and 13 rebounds in leading the Holy Name effort.
Notable River performances were registered by Charlie Hudson (11 points, six rebounds, three steals), Braedon Spies (nine points, six rebounds, five steals), Robby Lang (eight points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks), and Tommy Bebie (six points, four rebounds, four steals).
by Skip Snow
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