St. Edward Basketball Team Drops Close One in Cleveland Heights

Tyree Gaiter is not a big man.

Yet the 5-foot-7 senior guard seemingly carried the Cleveland Heights basketball squad en route to a 63-58 victory over  High School on Saturday.

In front for most of the game, all the Tigers had to do was sink a few free throws to protect a slim three-point lead over St. Edward with a little more than a minute left, but sophomore Marcus Bagley and senior Najeeb Johnson missed four straight from the charity stripe.

“You’ve got to give Cleveland Heights credit," said Eagles head coach Eric Flannery. "They came to play tonight. They were definitely focused and ready to go for us. It was a battle and that’s what we expected."

In a matchup of Top 10 teams, Cleveland Heights’ win gave them a 4-0 record as the No. 9 team in The Plain Dealer’s Top 25 poll. St. Edward, ranked third, fell to 3-2, its other loss coming to Toledo St. John’s Jesuit in two overtimes.

Gaiter led Cleveland Heights with 18 points, and Bagley had 15. Sophomore Tony Vuyancih had 11 points and senior Myles Hamilton had 10 for the Eagles. Hamilton let Cleveland Heights native James Crawford have a homecoming moment and start in his spot, according to St. Edward head coach Eric Flannery.

Perhaps it was the football team raising its banner at halftime or witnessing its special teams coach Mario Houston,  during the football season, make an appearance before the fourth quarter.

Maybe it was facing the school that , 28-14, on Nov. 6 in the. But whatever it was, the Tigers couldn’t make late free throws and seemed a little overwhelmed by the moment. For the game, the Tigers made 17-of-32 free throws.

Fortunately, the team had Gaiter to pull them together when the danger reached a fever pitch. He not only concentrated on his late-game duties but also tried to guide his own players in the clutch.

“A couple times, we were getting to a one-possession game and a chance to take lead," Flannery said. "Either we didn’t get a stop or we turned the ball over or missed an easy shot or an open shot. There were so many opportunities where I think the game could have changed in either direction and they just happened to do a better job of keeping it in their favor tonight."

St. Edward led the early proceedings until Antonio Harper, who replaced a recently disciplined Kevin Clark, sank a pair of free throws to give the Tigers a 6-5 lead that ended the Eagles’ only lead in the game.

Trailing by eight points with 5:15 remaining in the third, the Eagles steadily chipped away at the Tigers’ lead. St. Edward senior guard Mike Newton splashed home a three-pointer to cap a 12-5 run that put the Eagles within one at 43-42 with 49 seconds remaining.

But Bagley rained down a three-pointer to answer Newton at the buzzer to maintain the Tigers’ lead, 46-42, heading into the fourth quarter.

Cleveland Heights extended its advantage to 51-44 when Bagley and Hamilton got in each other’s faces after Bagley fouled him. The two exchanged some sharp words and had to be separated. Hamilton sank both free throws, Newton hit a pair of his own and Tim Stainbrook had a tip-in to put the Eagles within one again, 51-50, with less than four minutes left.

The Tigers responded with the game’s decisive run as Gaiter twisted and turned through the Eagles’ defense and found Harper inside for a turnaround shot that polished off an 8-2 run that gave them a 59-52 lead with 2:27 left.

After a pair of Eagles' buckets drew them to 59-56 with 1:17 remaining, St. Edward fouled both Bagley and Johnson, but neither could convert at the line.

St. Edward’s Hamilton hoisted a three-pointer with 32 seconds left in an attempt to tie the game but missed as Newton fouled Gaiter who made 1-of-2 for a 60-56 lead.

Crawford hit a wrap-around scoop shot that drew the Eagles to 60-58, but Gaiter canned two more at the line, and Kojo Lockhart made one more for the final margin.

St. Edward will play again next in Myrtle Beach for the Beach Ball Classic on Dec. 28.

St. Edward                13  12  17  16  58

Cleveland Heights    17  16  13  17  63

St. Edward – James Crawford 6, Mike Newton 9, Mike Mason 2, Marsalis Hamilton 10, Mark Murray 4, Tony Vuyancih 11, Myles Hamilton 10, Tim Stainbrook 6.

Cleveland Heights – Tyree Gaiter 18, Najeeb Johnson 4, Marcus Bagley 15, Kojo Lockhart 9, Antonio Harper 7, Delaunte Davis 7, Dairyon Davis 3.