MEDINA — It wasn’t the ideal start to a Division III regional semifinal. The Chaney boys basketball team brought the wrong jerseys to Medina High School for its meeting with Hawken after failing to get the email on time.
But after grabbing Medina’s tops, the Cowboys were ready to go. And the uniform snafu was one of the only blemishes on their night, as Chaney went on runs in the first and third quarters, beating the Hawks 72-46 to move on to the regional final.
“I like to say we go through adversity all the time, so something as simple as a jersey really didn’t matter,” Chaney head coach Marlon McGaughy said. “I told the guys, ‘Just focus and go out. It doesn’t matter what you wear, it’s how you play on the court.’”
And, boy, did the Cowboys play.
Both teams made a three to get on the board. But Chaney’s defense kept the Hawks off the board again until the 42-second mark of the first quarter, forcing Hawken to burn two timeouts in the process.
The Cowboys (22-3) went on a 14-0 run during that stretch and were flying around the court while converting defense to offense. For their effort, they took a 16-7 lead into the second.
“We came out strong. We know if we come out strong, it starts to beat a team down,” Chaney guard Austin Brown said. “I think we were on a 16-7 run, and it just kept going from there.”
The score tightened up a bit in the second quarter.
Hawken (20-6) cut Chaney’s lead to 18-14 just over two minutes into the second. However, the Cowboys quickly pushed their lead back up to 10, and they took a 30-23 lead into halftime.
Then, Chaney got another run started at the beginning of the third, and this time, the Hawks weren’t able to close the gap. The Cowboys dominated the offensive glass in the first three minutes and extended their lead to 39-23.
The Hawks were kept off the board again until Charlie Allen hit a 3-pointer with 3:13 left in the quarter. However, Chaney continued to roll and carried a 48-30 advantage into the fourth.
“(The Hawks) are really good. I just think we took them out of their game today, but they’re really good,” McGaughy said. “I told them to come out strong. We can not take a play off. We gotta play each and every play like it’s our last play.”
Hawken never threatened in the fourth, despite forcing the Cowboys into fouls and turnovers.
For Chaney, Brown finished with a game-high 20 points, with 15 coming during the Cowboys’ dominant first and third quarters. Asuante Mickel tallied 16 points, Deshawn Matlock added 12 and Allex Hill chipped in 11.
Ice Taylor led the Hawks with 14 points, and Greg Price added 13. They were Hawken’s only scorers with more than five points.
“We build off our defense,” Brown said. “Defense is our main focus. If you’re playing defense, lock up, and more points will come to us.”
The Cowboys advance to face Archbishop Hoban on Friday. The two teams met once this season in Akron, with Hoban winning 66-61.
The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. at Medina.
“It’s not just for the players, it’s for our community as well,” McGaughy said. “We’re gonna come out, hope for the best and play one game at a time.”
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