Eagles Rout Cornerstone Christian 81-52
"Cheerleader for a Day" winners enjoyed the game alongside the varsity Eagle cheer team.
St. Edward defeated Cornerstone Christian Academy 81-52 on Saturday night in Lakewood. CCA, the top ranked Division IV school in the area, features star guard Michael Bothwell, who has committed to play Division I college basketball at Furman University next year. Bothwell led all scorers with 25 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough to hold off a three point barrage by the Eagles. St. Edward had 15 three pointers in the game, and had eleven different players reach the scoring column.
Bothwell scored the first basket of the game, as the Patriots took an early 4-0 lead 70 seconds into the action. Eagle senior Emmett Chambers responded with a pair of early three pointers, as he scored St. Edward’s first eight points of the game. Bothwell scored a total of ten points in the first quarter, keeping CCA in the game. Eagle sophomore Devontae Blanton scored a basket with three seconds left in the first, giving St. Edward a 16-14 lead at the end of the quarter.
St. Edward made defensive adjustments against Bothwell, and took command early in the second period. They went on an 11-0 run in the first three minutes of the quarter, getting three pointers from senior Elliott Tirbaso, Blanton, and Chambers. Junior Mark Gaertner and senior PJ Flannery would also add three pointers in the second quarter, helping the Eagles take a 48-24 halftime lead.
Sophomore Montorie Foster opened the third quarter with another three pointer for the Eagles, who led 68-37 entering the fourth quarter. Both teams used many reserve players during the final period, and the final score was 81-52. Foster was the leading scorer for the Eagles with 19 total points; Chambers had 13; Blanton 10; Flannery 7. The bench was led by Gaertner with nine points. St. Edward (3-0 on the season) returns to action Friday night in a home game against Padua. Varsity tipoff is scheduled for 7pm.
Mike Deneen
Mike Deneen has extensive experience covering sports and community stories for the Lakewood Observer. Mike has been a Senior Industry Analyst for the Freedonia Group in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1998. He has appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell, NPR’s MarketPlace and has been quoted multiple times in The Wall Street Journal. He has made multiple guest appearances on ESPN Cleveland radio. Mike also writes for Inside Northwestern, a website that covers Northwestern Wildcat Athletics. You can reach him on Twitter at @MikeDeneen1