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Magics force 26 turnovers to raise record to 4-0
By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007
BARBERTON: It's too early in the season for the Barberton boys basketball team to declare itself the winner in the Suburban League's race to reload, but the Magics have made a strong case for themselves.
Barberton prevailed 71-51 on Tuesday in a battle between two league rivals who each returned only one starter from last season.
Copley went 21-0 and won the Suburban League title before losing to St. Vincent-St. Mary in a Division II district semifinal last season. The Indians defeated the Magics twice last season — 65-47 at Barberton and 63-61 at Copley. Barberton finished with a record of 16-7 and also fell in a district semifinal.
But the graduation of several key players has changed the landscape of the league, and Barberton (4-0, 3-0) appears to have adapted well.
''We're just fortunate that we have deep junior and senior classes,'' Magics coach Ken Rec
tor said. ''They've been successful at the freshman and junior varsity levels, and they were just waiting their turn.
''We've won for so many years, so they kind of feel like it's not acceptable to take a year off. These kids are ready to play.''
Sophomore guard Jacob North, the Magics' lone returning starter, scored a team-high 14 points.
''It was real disappointing to lose to Copley last season,'' North said. ''They lost a lot of seniors, but they're good every year, so it feels good to beat them.''
Barberton senior guard Steve Pitts, who had 11 points, is one of the main reasons the Magics have been able to win this season. He has been a top sixth man for the majority of his career.
''Even though he's moved into a starting role, he's doing the same things he did for us last year,'' Rector said of Pitts. ''He's going to do the little things it takes to win. He's going to guard the other team's best player, and he's going to rebound at a key time. He just kind of sets the tone for the other kids, and they know that he's there, and they can depend on him.''
After a sloppy first quarter from both teams, Barberton took control in the second quarter to earn a 33-19 halftime lead. Pitts and senior forward Danny Goodwin combined to score 10 points in the final 1:07 of the second quarter, helping the Magics produce a 13-3 run to close the first half.
Barberton then carried its momentum into the second half and went on a 10-1 run to start the third quarter. Copley (2-3, 1-2) never came close again.
First-year Copley coach Steve Coon, whose son, senior guard Michael Coon, is the Indians' only returning starter, said his team struggled because it couldn't dictate the tempo.
''We needed to try to control the pace of the game and we absolutely didn't come close,'' Steve Coon said. ''Turnovers have been our nemesis all year long. A couple of times, we've managed to overcome it. But sooner or later, it's going to come back to get you.''
Copley didn't handle Barberton's high-pressured defense well and committed 26 turnovers as a result.
Indians junior guard Elliot Brown had a game-high 20 points.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nateulrich2007@yahoo.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/.
BARBERTON: It's too early in the season for the Barberton boys basketball team to declare itself the winner in the Suburban League's race to reload, but the Magics have made a strong case for themselves.
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