EASTLAKE — A week made all the difference.

After falling to Eastlake North on their home floor last Saturday, the Willoughby South Rebels returned the favor Friday night, pulling away in the second half for a 62-50 Western Reserve Conference rivalry win.

“It was a great win,” South coach Doug Barber said. “It was nice that we only had to think about that loss for six days. We thought about it for six days and wanted to get back and avenge that loss.”

South (5-16, 1-8 WRC) led 23-22 at halftime before breaking the game open with a decisive 19-7 third quarter. North (4-17, 1-9) never fully recovered.

Rakeem Drew sparked the surge, scoring seven of his game-high 21 points during the pivotal stretch. The Rebels found the consistency they lacked in last week’s 52-44 loss, when they were unable to protect a lead.

This time, they slammed the door.

Brady Shazivari added 14 points for South, while Malick Sy delivered his strongest outing of the season with 13 points — 11 coming in the second half as the Rebels built separation. Jack Makar chipped in six points, Jaiden Lamb and DaRian Finnie each scored three, and Kayden Johnson added two.

“Rakeem was absolutely huge for us tonight,” Barber said. “Brady Shazivari had a big game, and Malick Sy had the best game of his season with 13 points. We needed it because we were down two starters.”

North stayed within striking distance early behind Braylon Rolf’s 18 points and Nate Sagendorph’s 11. Greyson Barney and Mike Lowrie each scored six, Ethan Grinstead added five, Brand Bambrick had three, and Vinny Marsico scored one.

But after halftime, the Rebels controlled the tempo. South outscored North 19-7 in the third quarter, turning a one-point edge into a double-digit cushion. Though both teams scored 21 in the fourth, the damage had already been done.

South hosts Chardon on Feb. 19, while North returns home to face West Geauga on Feb. 17.

WILLOUGHBY—Rivalry Saturday belonged to Eastlake North.

The Rangers traveled across town and came away with a sweep in a girls-boys doubleheader against Willoughby South, pulling away for a 55-24 victory in the girls’ game before rallying late for a 52-44 win in the boys’ matchup. The girls earned a season sweep over the Rebels, while the boys secured a much-needed rivalry win on South’s home floor.

North’s girls set the tone early, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter behind Kaitlin Dobida, who finished with a game-high 20 points. Dobida drained four 3-pointers in the win. Angelie Cisternino added nine points with three triples, while Amaya Majette chipped in eight as the Rangers steadily widened the gap.

“They brought a lot of energy, which was good to see,” North girls coach Staci Greene said. “I kind of threw something new at them today, doing the 1-3-1 (defense). I just told them, take a chance on stuff. We’ve got nothing to lose out here. Bring lots of energy, bring more energy to the game than them, and I think we did just that today.”

The defensive switch sparked the Rangers, who held South to just two points in the third quarter and limited the Rebels to single-digit scoring in every period.

“It was just to get some energy flowing,” Greene said. “I feel like sometimes when we are playing back, especially against our rivals, we kind of play to their same level. … It’s fun to get steals. It’s fun to push ahead and shoot a three in transition, so they did a really great job sticking with it.”

North also received contributions throughout the lineup, with Paylin Oostdyk and Sophia Petro each scoring five, Gillian Forwick adding four, and Maddy Ferrari and Cammy Vo finishing with two apiece. Sydney Isabella led South with nine points, while Lanila Fatica scored eight.

“Every screen, every hand off, every possession matters,” Greene said. “It’s nice when we can get Kaitlin to score 20-plus points a game, but I always tell them we need someone to score eight, and I feel like we've had a lot of people step up. Amaya has been playing really, really well.”

The boys’ game followed a much tighter script.

South held a slim halftime edge, and despite North turning the ball over eight times in the first quarter, the Rangers settled in and kept the game within reach entering the fourth. That’s when Greyson Barney took over, scoring all 11 of his points in the final period, including three 3-pointers that helped North hold off South in the fourth and close out the rivalry win.

“Shooting is contagious,” North boys coach Nick Mayer said. “If you knock a shot down, someone else feels confident now, and it gets another guy going, it gets another guy going, and that's ultimately what happened.”

Barney and Ethan Grinstead each finished with 11 points to lead North, while Braylon Rolf added 10 and Nate Sagendorph chipped in nine with two 3-pointers. Brand Bambrick scored six, Vinny Marsico had three, and Drew Morbeto added two.

After the early turnover issues, Mayer credited his team for settling down as the emotions of the rivalry game leveled off.

“It’s always an emphasis to make sure we clean things up,” Mayer said. “With emotions high, nervousness, and things like that, it's one of those things where we were able to control our nerves once we got into it. That's usually what happens in games like this.”

South had balanced scoring of its own, led by Josh Jensen with 14 points and Brady Shazivari with 12. Malik Sy finished with five, while Rakeem Drew and Kayden Johnson each scored four, Jaden Lamb added three, and Damarhi Morgan chipped in two.

“I saw a lot of fight, obviously, they always do,” South coach Doug Barber said. “They always give their all for 32 minutes, but we just didn't score enough, and we didn't get it done at the foul line. When we hold a team to 52 points, you’ve got to win.”

Barber also pointed to Barney’s late shooting as a turning point.

“We don’t want to leave shooters open like that,” Barber said. “He got some clean looks and credit to him, he knocked them down.”

Despite the losses, Barber said the Rebels’ effort never wavered.

“They play like that all year, and they're a great group of kids,” Barber said. “They never quit. They play all 32 minutes. It's just not breaking our way this year.”

The boys’ teams will meet again Feb. 13 at Eastlake North, giving the Rebels another shot at the rivalry as both programs look to build momentum late in the season.

• Girls Photos
• Boys Photos

Willoughby South built a double-digit cushion, weathered a late push, and did just enough right when it mattered most in a 50-41 nonconference win over host Jefferson on Thursday.

The Rebels carried a comfortable lead into the fourth quarter, then leaned on poise and free throws when the Falcons made it a two-possession game midway through the final period.

“We had a double-digit lead, and we just didn’t make very good decisions in the first part of the fourth quarter,” said South coach Doug Barber. “But to our credit, we didn’t let the lead slip away. We made our foul shots down the stretch and were able to come home with the win.”

South controlled the game early, taking a 26-19 lead into halftime and extending it to 40-27 after three quarters behind steady offensive balance and defensive pressure. Brady Shazivari set the tone with 18 points, knocking down three 3-pointers, while Rakeem Drew added 11 off the bench and Josh Jensen finished with 10.

Jefferson made its move late, trimming the margin to eight with just over two minutes remaining, but Jensen answered at the line. He scored six of his 10 points in the fourth quarter and went 4-for-6 on free throws during the final stretch to keep the Falcons at bay.

“They made a nice run at us in the fourth, and we have blown a few that we wish we could have back, similar to this one,” Jensen said. “The difference tonight, though, was our ability to play at our pace to end the game.”

Barber pointed to the Rebels’ balance as a key reason the lead never fully disappeared.

“When you can get that many in double figures, it helps tremendously,” Barber said. “Brady Shazivari has been super consistent with the ball, and he has been consistent putting the ball in the hoop, which is good, and he did it again tonight. Josh made his foul shots down the stretch. Rakeem Drew came off the bench, and he was big.”

Jefferson was led by Joel Navarro and George Dzura with 13 points apiece, with Dzura connecting on four 3-pointers. Paxton Fritzsche added seven points, and Preston Hitchcock scored six.

The win improved Willoughby South to 4-11 on the season and provided a confidence boost heading into conference play.

“I’m glad we had tonight to kind of spring us into the action,” Jensen said. “Tonight, we did a better job of taking care of the ball and letting the game come to us, and that’s what we’re going to need against some solid conference opponents.”

South returns home Friday to host Kenston in a Western Reserve Conference game, beginning a stretch of seven straight league contests.

Willoughby South put an end to a five-game skid Saturday, rolling past visiting Ravenna, 69-42, in a nonconference game that was effectively decided in the opening minutes.

“We've been playing some good basketball offensively,” said South coach Doug Barber. “It’s been a little bit of a struggle, but the hoop opened up for us tonight. We were able to throw some shots in and beat the Ravens.”

Senior Brady Shazivari made sure the Rebels (3-9) had breathing room early, scoring 11 of his game-high 21 points in the first quarter as South surged to a 19-5 lead. Shazivari buried three 3-pointers in the opening period as the Rebels never trailed.

“He got us going from the outside,” Barber said. “He made three 3-pointers in the first quarter. That kind of set the tone, and then we kind of fed off of that momentum. Then we got our defense going. We were able to create and cause turnovers against them.”

South maintained control throughout, matching its first-quarter output with another 19 points in the second to take a 38-16 halftime lead. Jaiden Lamb added 11 points, while Josh Jensen and Malick Sy chipped in nine apiece as the Rebels balanced their scoring across the lineup.

Rakee Drew and DaRian Finnie both contributed to the win with six points, Timmy Dunn added four, Jackson Klouda scored three, and Kayden Johnson finished with one.

Defensively, South focused on limiting Ravenna’s top threat and forcing mistakes with pressure.

“They have that kid, (CJ) Ross, and we had a couple of game films on them where he scored 28 and 32 points,” Barber said. “We were able to create turnovers with our run-and-jump defense. We denied him on the defensive end, and he had only nine points going into the fourth quarter, and by then, it was already over.”

For Shazivari, the win provided a needed boost after a difficult stretch.

“It feels great,” Shazivari said. “This win will definitely boost our confidence as we go into our conference games. I think we have a talented group of guys, and getting into the groove of things how we did today, will be crucial for us.”

South’s energy never dipped, something Shazivari credited for the Rebels’ ability to pull away and stay aggressive on both ends.

“I think it came down to our energy on both the defensive and offensive side,” Shazivari said. “We were able to force a lot of turnovers out of them. On offense, everyone played aggressive, and we were able to get the shots that we wanted. We didn’t let off the gas pedal, and that ultimately is what got us the win.”

Shazivari said confidence fueled his hot start.

“Just having confidence in my shot,” he said. “I’ve been getting a lot of shots up in practice, and just trusting in my ability to shoot was the key. I saw that their defense allowed for me to get many open shots, and I just made sure I was in position to knock them down.”

South travels to Chardon on Tuesday.

PAINESVILLE--When the game tightened and momentum began to swing, Harvey leaned on its experience, and the seniors delivered in a 63-53 nonconference win over visiting South on Saturday.

The Red Raiders carried a 13-point halftime lead, saw it trimmed in the second half — much like a recent win over Orange — and then steadied themselves down the stretch to close out the victory and improve to 3-3.

“We had a very similar game against Orange on Wednesday where we had a double-digit lead and kind of threw it away before winning by four, and I think we learned a couple of lessons from that game,” said Harvey head coach Eric Monty. “We took better care of the ball, and the shot selection was better late in the game. We made sure we got better looks when we didn’t need to run an offense, having that decent lead in the fourth quarter.”

Harvey set the tone early behind Dominick Snyder, who drilled three 3-pointers to spark a 17-8 start and a 22-10 lead heading into the second quarter. Balanced scoring followed, with Eryck McClain and Deontae Ware adding four points apiece and Armani Hall chipping in five — including a 3 — as the Red Raiders took a 38-25 advantage into halftime.

Rakeem Drew helped keep South within striking distance, scoring seven points in the second quarter.

Out of the break, the Rebels found traction.

“We made our layups, we forced some turnovers, limiting them to one shot in stretches,” said South head coach Doug Barber.

South opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run, fueled by two Drew baskets and another from Josh Jensen, trimming the deficit to 38-31. Harvey answered with poise, as Hall found McClain on the break before scoring on the offensive glass. Snyder followed with two key buckets — one in transition after a McClain chasedown block and another on a putback —and Hall capped the quarter with a cut and finish to give the Red Raiders a 54-41 lead after three.

Snyder took control in closing time, scoring nine points in the fourth to seal the 63-53 win. He and Hall, both seniors, guided Harvey through the final minutes after a week that included two subpar practices.

“We’re very pleased with the result that we got today, and it’s big to have an older team with guys who have seen situations like this before so we can rely on them,” Monty said of Harvey’s leaders. “We’ve been challenging the boys about leadership this season, and guys are stepping up to become leaders for this team.”

Snyder finished with a game-high 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Hall filled the stat sheet with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Ware added nine points and two steals, while McClain contributed eight points and four rebounds.

For South, a turnover-heavy first quarter proved costly before the Rebels settled in.

“At the half, they had 38, putting them on pace for about 80, and we had eight turnovers in the first quarter, but I’m proud of the way the guys responded,” Barber said. “We protected the ball the rest of the way, and defensively, we were able to do some things and slow (Harvey) down a bit in the second half and give us a chance to win.”

With an entirely new roster from last season, Barber said roles are beginning to take shape.

“This is a new group, and the roles are still being formed, and we’ve got a couple guys like Josh and Rakeem who really stepped up this afternoon and led the charge back,” he said. “I think we’re starting to put the puzzle together a little bit. We have a great group of kids; they do everything we ask of them, and these kinds of games will turn in our favor in the future. I’m confident in that.”

Drew paced the Rebels with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting, adding six rebounds and steals. Jensen finished with 13 points.

Harvey hosts Lakeside on Dec. 22, while South returns home to face Aurora on Dec. 23.