Sports

Beachwood's Best Season Ends At Regional Final

The Beachwood boys basketball team fell to LeBrae 59-30 Saturday

Beachwood’s best season in school history came to an abrupt halt in Saturday’s Division III regional final at Canton’s Memorial Fieldhouse.

The Bison, who won a school record 23 games with just four losses, struggled early to put the ball into the hoop as Leavittsburg LaBrae cruised to a 59-30 victory. The Vikings led 17-0 after the first quarter and 27-4 at halftime.

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Although it will be tough, Beachwood head coach Jason Pecjak hopes his players remember the 2012-2013 for what they accomplished rather than for what they didn’t.

“I’m just proud of our kids, No.1, above and beyond everything,” Pecjak said. “I just hope that this game, obviously right now this is going to leave a bad taste in their mind, but as they move forward they’ve got to remember the positives.”

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Their achievements include winning more games than any other Beachwood team before them and claiming the school’s first district championship and regionals victory.

LaBrae had a lot to do with Beachwood’s inability to score on Saturday.

The Vikings, led by 6-foot-7 junior Peyton Aldridge, played a zone defense to perfection. LaBrae closed off the lane, forcing the Bison to shoot from the perimeter. When a Beachwood player managed to sneak his way to the hoop Aldridge often was there to deny the shot.

Aldridge, who scored 14 pounds with 17 rebounds, blocked 7 Bison scoring attempts.

"We didn't shoot the ball well, but obviously, they had a lot to do with that," Pecjak said. "With Peyton in the middle, we couldn't get to the rim and we couldn't make a shot from the perimeter. That's a bad combination."

Beachwood hit on just 7-of-50 field goal attempts and was 0-for-24 from behind the 3-point arc. Sixteen of the Bison’s 24 points came from the free throw line.

The Bison were shut out in the first quarter and scored from the floor just one time in each of the second and third quarters.

“We didn’t shoot it good tonight. Obviously they had a good team,” Pecjak said. “They did a good job with the zone and we couldn’t get anything at the rim, just a bad combination. To their credit though, that’s basketball. Some games you’re not going to shoot it good. Everything kind of snowballed on us tonight.”

Junior Julio Stevens led the Bison with 12 points and classmate John Davis III scored 9.

LaBrae outrebounded Beachwood, 50-29.

Pecjak plans to honor seniors Devin Moore, Jared Williams, Jon Tramer and Jordan Richardson for their contributions to this historic season.

“When the time is right we’re going to honor those guys,” he said. “The young guys, you just hope it kind of motivates them too. They worked hard, every one of them. We’ll take some time off here, recover and everything. Those guys will use it as motivation and the seniors will be honored accordingly.”

Beachwood ended the season 23-4.


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