Huge weekend tips off with Sandusky-Bellevue

The slate of big basketball games and showcases over the upcoming MLK holiday weekend is impressive, and it starts Friday when Bellevue hosts Sandusky in a battle between the SBC Lake Division's top boys teams. The Blue Streaks will take a 23-game conference winning streak to Bellevue, which lost by just five points in the teams' first meeting in December. "We understand the magnitude of the game," Sandusky coach DeMar Moore said. "Whoever wins controls their own destiny. Our guys are looking forward to competing." Sandusky is 5-0 in the Lake and 8-4 overall. The Blue Streaks, who have won five straight games, are ranked No. 21 in the state in Division III by MaxPreps. Bellevue also has won five straight. The Redmen, 10-3 overall and 4-1 in the Lake, are ranked No. 25 in the state in Division IV. The Redmen led early in the first meeting before an 11-0 run in the second quarter gave Sandusky the advantage in a game it won 53-48. Bellevue coach Ed Rich said he can live with some turnovers, but the live-ball variety that lead to layups is something he hopes to avoid. "There was a 2-3 minute span when we went from ahead to down 11," Rich said. "It was from turnovers. It's an avalanche when they get going." Bellevue is coming off a win against Upper Sandusky on Tuesday in which the Redmen scored 28 points in the third quarter and went 7 for 7 from 3-point range in the period. "They can shoot it," Moore said. "Playing a team with a bunch of shooters can be scary. If they get hot, it can change the outcome very quickly." Sandusky played without starters Aa'Zoriyon Bonner and Azarieon Arrington in the first Bellevue game. Bellevue likely will be without leading scorer Ike Brown for the rematch. Brown broke his nose in a game at Perkins last Friday. "His nose was broken in two spots," Rich said. "It's going to need surgery and it needs to be done quickly before the nose heals up." Bellevue has been a pleasant surprise this season after losing a handful of productive seniors from a team that finished 17-6. The Redmen are shooting a Lake-leading 35 percent from 3-point range. "I'm not going to tell you we were expecting this, but we didn't expect a 5- or 6-win season either," Rich said. "We thought this would be one of our best shooting teams." Margaretta, Bellevue headed to CITC Two of the region's best girls basketball teams — Margaretta and Bellevue — will play in the Classic in the Country showcase at Berlin Hiland High School. Margaretta, ranked No. 2 in the state in Division VI by MaxPreps, will play Marietta at noon Sunday in the first of seven games on Day 2 of the three-day event. Marietta is ranked No. 1 in Division III. The Polar Bears, who have been regulars at CITC in recent years, are staying overnight Saturday and Sunday to soak in plenty of basketball. "What the team gets off the floor with bonding is just as important as what we get on the floor," Margaretta coach Ray Neill said. The event itself is a tasty draw, too. "It starts with the facility and the organization of the event," Neill said. "And the food... from the noodles and fry pies, it's the best anywhere." Margaretta is 12-3 and has won five straight. The Bears are healthy and rounding into tournament form. "We went through some injuries and had key players (Raegan Heck, Dani Grunden) out multiple games and practices," Neill said. "We got those two girls back and they're getting back into basketball form." Junior post Cassidy Lane, who has some college offers, leads the Bears in scoring with 11.1 points per game. Heck, a senior, also will get a chance to play at the next level. Bellevue, the last team to beat Margaretta, takes a 14-1 record and No. 1 state ranking in Division IV into its 6 p.m. Monday game against Strasburg-Franklin, which is ranked No. 5 in Division VII. The Lady Red are 0-2 in their previous trips to CITC. "It's special to be invited," Bellevue coach Kory Santoro said. "You're gonna have college-level players and there are a ton of college coaches on the baseline." The Lady Red have five girls averaging 7 points per game or more, led by senior Hailey Rees (13.9) and junior post Kaitlyn Turinsky (10.7). Rees is committed to Indiana Tech while the 6-3 Turinsky already has two NCAA Division I offers (Youngstown State, Loyola-Maryland). "It's great for her to play in that environment and for the college coaches to see her with her high school team and not her AAU team, where her role might not be as defined," Santoro said. Boys showcases Margaretta's boys, who are 13-0 and ranked No. 6 in Division V, will play in the prestigious Flyin' to the Hoop showcase Monday at Kettering Fairmont High School in suburban Dayton. The long-standing event draws some of the best teams in the country and state. The Polar Bears will play Valley View at 3 p.m. on the final day of the showcase. The event is billing the matchup as the "small town showdown of the weekend." Margaretta junior Julian Washington, who averages 21.8 points per game, has several Division I offers and will be on college coaches' radar. It's not uncommon for Flyin' to draw big-name coaches. One year, John Calipari arrived at the arena in a helicopter. Valley View, from the Dayton area, features star sophomores Brody Denny and Ty Fritz. Perkins' boys take an 8-4 record into the Rossford MLK Showcase where the Pirates face Toledo St. John's (6-5) at 4:30 p.m. Monday It is the fourth of five games at Rossford on MLK Day.