Sandusky, Willard ready for big stage in Cleveland

Willard played Perkins at the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers three years ago and a young Max Dawson was along for the ride as a ballboy. Dawson, who this season leads the SBC Bay Division in scoring with 25 points per game, had a request for Willard coach Joe Bedingfield. "We were coming out of the locker room and he said, 'Coach, do you think I'll ever get to play here?' " Bedingfield recalled. "I told him if we can make it happen, we will." It's happening. Bedingfield inquired about filling one of the slots the Cavaliers reserve for high school games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. He got the go-ahead, then asked Sandusky coach DeMar Moore whether the Blue Streaks would be interested in moving a late-November game between the two teams to the day after Christmas. It didn't take long for Moore to agree to give up the home game, and now Willard and Sandusky will play in Cleveland at 1:30 p.m. Monday. After the game, the teams will grab an early dinner downtown and return to the arena to watch the Cavaliers host the Brooklyn Nets. "The kids are excited and looking forward to playing on that floor," Moore said. The bonus of watching the talented Cavaliers and Nets, who feature Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, also is appealing. "This is a really good basketball group; they're really into it 24/7," Moore said. The game will mark Bedingfield's third as a coach on the NBA court. His Seneca East team lost to New London in Cleveland in 2011 and his Willard team defeated Perkins 61-34 in December 2019. The game will be played on a 94-foot court and the teams have a 90-minute window in which to complete the game. In 2011, Bedingfield was in a timeout huddle in a tie game late in regulation when he was told by a Cavaliers representative that if the game went to overtime, the first team to score would be declared the winner. "I didn't get to finish my timeout because I was arguing with the Cavs guy and didn't get to draw up a play," Bedingfield said. "It is neat for the kids to play on the Cavs' court." Moore said the Blue Streaks will be dressed on the bus and ready to go after an abbreviated warmup period. Also, halftime will be cut short. "As long as we get the 32 minutes to play, that's the main thing," Moore said. Sandusky edged Willard 62-58 in overtime last season at Willard. The Streaks' PJ Brown hit two big 3-pointers in overtime to carry Sandusky to the win. Brown, a senior, is no longer with the team. Moore said he opted to focus on his academics. "He's still part of the family and we talk to him every day," Moore said. "No hard feelings." Willard also will be without a key player from last season's meeting. Cam Robinson, who scored 17 points in the loss, is out with broken and bruised ribs. He was hurt in the Dec. 13 Shelby game before trying to play through the injury. A week later in a loss to Carey, Robinson drove to the hoop and an opponent had second thoughts about drawing a charge. "Cam's a load and the kid realized that halfway through and turned a little bit," Bedingfield said. "(Robinson) landed right on that spot (on his ribs)." The injury puts more stress on Willard's lack of depth. The Flashes (5-4, 4-0 SBC Bay) don't have a lot of scoring options beyond Dawson. Isaac Robinson is averaging 10.3 points per game and Alex Strayer is at 8.0. "Handling the press will be key," Bedingfield said. "We'll have to send a couple guys back on a shot so they don't get transition layups." He also wants his team to avoid trying to imitate NBA players. "They all wanna be Steph Curry. But there's no wall behind the basket and depth perception gets off a little bit," Bedingfield said. Sandusky (5-1, 3-1 SBC Lake) shoots just 28 percent from long range, so firing up 30-footers likely won't be an issue for the Streaks. Pushing the pace on the long court will be part of the strategy. DeMar Moore Jr. (16.8), Daylen Green (16.5) and Kobe Brown (14.0) are all among the top eight in scoring in the SBC Lake. "We've done a little extra conditioning to prepare for that court," Moore said. "Hopefully it works in our favor."