Rangers Rounding Up Record-Setting Season
Junior Wes Gerhardt earned Player of the Week for the entire state for his game against Bay that included 11 3-pointers.
The Ranger varsity boys’ basketball team has turned a penchant for the perimeter into a record-setting season that has the squad known as the “Runts on Bunts” sporting a 13-2 record that has earned the team a top 25 ranking and command of the West Shore Conference.
Propelling the short-in-stature Rangers (only three players top 6 feet) to its lofty record has been the team’s 3-point proficiency, led by senior Mike Angers and junior Wes Gerhardt. The two are shooting 45% and 49%, respectively, from behind the arc. The team is shooting almost 41%.
“For high school basketball that is phenomenal,” said head coach Phil Argento. Typical high school teams usually average in the mid- to low 30s, he said. The team’s strategy of pressing its opponents then shooting 3-pointers in transition is unusual as well, but it plays to the Rangers’ strength.
Earlier this season, Angers set a school record for 3-pointers made when he sunk 10 in an overtime loss to Westlake. Gerhardt promptly broke that record 10 days later when he hit 11 3-pointers in a rout over Bay Village. Gerhardt’s 36-point performance that night earned him 8th place in the state record books for most 3-pointers and the honor of being named JJHuddle.com’s Best Player of the Week for the state of Ohio.
The team’s 19 total 3s against Bay earned the Rangers 5th all time in the state for 3-pointers made. Overall the team is shooting 53% from the field.
Argento also attributes the Rangers’ success this season to a healthy and injury-free squad. After losing three of his starters during the course of last season, the hardiness of this group has been a boon for the team, giving them time to gel with each other. This has been important as Argento lost seven players from last year’s 14-9 team due to graduation or moves out of district.
The team, which is currently ranked 20th in the Plain Dealer Top 25, also has five seniors that have provided leadership for those who have moved up the ranks from JV and freshmen teams, led by senior starters and co-captains Angers and Jacob Schmidt. Shawn McDonald, Logan Swift-Stewart, Jamie Fesko, Nick Porter and Dan Matthews have also been key contributors to the team.
Beyond the healthy players and plethora of 3s, Argento sees the team’s boost in assists this year as part of the recipe for its success. That success has also brought the team a level of attention not seen in the past. Sitting atop the West Shore Conference is a great place to be, but it also means everybody is preparing extra hard for the Rangers.
“We’re the biggest game for everyone we play in the conference,” Argento said. “It’s a good place to be.”