by Steve Batko

Correspondent

Strong execution on both ends allowed the Stow boys basketball squad to defeat Solon Jan. 22 at home, cruising to a 74-56 Northeast Ohio Conference River Division win.

The Bulldogs had a host of blocks and deflections early on to flex its defensive muscle, but Stow also clicked on the offensive end.

"I was pleased with a balanced team effort," said veteran mentor Dave Close. "By balanced, I mean I felt we executed our game plan effectively on both offense and defense. Also by balance, I felt like we did a nice job of executing our offense, sharing the basketball and finding the open man."

Stow moved to 6-5 on the season and is 3-2 in NOC River action. Twinsburg and Brush lead at 4-1, followed by Solon and Stow.

The Bulldogs pulled ahead 18-7 at the first quarter break. Junior 6-foot-7 post Mike Garrison hit a shot from the lane to put Stow up 24-9 and then sophomore point guard David Walker made short jumper as Stow led 29-9 to cap an 11-2 run.

Rangy senior guard Aaron Stefanov hit on a runner while sophomore guard Kyle Scelza followed with a hoop as Stow's lead inflated to 39-14. It was 39-16 at the half.

"I felt our first half may have been our best half of the season," said Close. "Defensively, holding Solon 16 points at half while scoring 39 ourselves showed a lot of focus by our guys and I'm proud of their efforts."

Close and his troops stretched it to 59-31 in the fourth, but lost some focus as the Comets (6-6) got hot from outside and got some defensive stops.

Solon actually had a 17-2 spurt fueled by Jake Voigt and sliced the lead to 61-48. It was too little, too late.

Stefanov led all scorers with 24 points, pouring in 13 in the first half. Walker had an interesting line with 15 points, seven rebounds, several blocks and deflections, and a steal.

Blake Williams, a senior, finished with 10 points, with Garrison hitting for 9, while grabbing 5 rebounds.

Another senior, forward Kevin Podnar looked good with nine points, seven boards, and dishing out five assists.

Scelza had seven points and junior Ryan Yurkschatt added five caroms as he helped battle 6-6, 260-pound center Darryl Baldwin, who led Solon with 13 points.

"Solon got it going late in the game to cut into our lead, but aside from that, we responded well to their pressure defense," said Close, who saw his club outrebound the Comets 28-19.

"That is a solid statistic for us since Solon has some size and athleticism inside."

Final results of the Jan. 29 and 30 road games at Valley Forge and Copley were not available as of press time. Stow hosts North Royalton Feb. 5 and rival Cuyahoga Falls Feb. 9. Both games kick off at 7:30 p.m.

On the season, Stefanov and Williams lead the Bulldogs in scoring at 12.0 points a game.

Post players Garrison (9.0) and Yurkschatt (8.0) are next for Stow showing the team's great outside-inside balance.

Podnar and Scelza are averaging 7.0 points apiece while Walker is averaging 5.0 points while running the team at the point position.

Seniors Ryan Shay and Tyler Hawkins have also contributed, but are recovering from injuries. Post Rodney Bills is another senior on the roster.

"I believe we are continuing to improve game-by-game and hope to see our intensity continue to improve as well," said Close.

E-mail: stowsports@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3113