Newark Catholic boys basketball flourishing, reaches district final

On Mar 1, 2023

JOHNSTOWN — Joe Stanley’s contributions to the Newark Catholic boys basketball team are not measured in points, but the senior guard smiled when asked about his increased scoring of late.

Stanley scored eight early points and spearheaded a defensive charge that allowed NC to play from in front. The No. 7 Green Wave then buried No. 15 Wellington late, beating the Jaguars 63-48 in a Division IV district semifinal at Johnstown.

“Obviously, it feels good when you see the ball go through,” said Stanley, who hit two early 3-pointers. He and classmate Braylon Bates each hit two clutch 3s during the Green Wave’s fourth-quarter rally at Fairfield Christian on Saturday.

“I feel like if for example I see Braylon make a shot, ‘Maybe if I shoot it, it will go in.’ It just builds confidence overall,” Stanley added.

NC (7-17), going for its third consecutive district title, plays top-seeded Northside Christian (21-3) at 8:30 p.m. Friday at Ohio Dominican. The Lions, who beat Millersport 53-40 on Tuesday, edged the Green Wave 46-44 on Dec. 20.

Stanley led the defense on standout freshman guard Jaden Shoultz, who racked up 47 points in an upset of Danville on Saturday. Stanley held Shoultz to three points in the first half and drew a five-second count as the Green Wave took a 23-17 lead to halftime.

“Joe’s really the heartbeat of our team. He’s the floor general,” NC coach Travis Schwab said. “I put him on the best perimeter offensive player on the other team, and I ask him to run the show. He’s been shooting well probably the last four weeks. I couldn’t be happier for him.”

Wellington (2-20), which played in the rugged Mid-State League-Ohio Division, cut the NC lead two to early in the third quarter, but the Green Wave caught fire. Bates, who was scoreless in the first half, and senior Eli Morris each hit a pair of 3s.

NC briefly had its first double-digit lead before taking a 39-30 edge to the fourth quarter. Wellington extended its defense, and after a couple turnovers, NC adjusted and feasted in transition with Morris scoring the final 10 of his game-high 26 points.

“Most of the season we had to rely on defense because our shooting percentage hasn’t been the greatest,” Morris said. “We stayed and had our grit, and we put the ball through the hoop. We felt confident going down the stretch.”

Wellington’s senior post player A.J. Taylor scored a team-high 20 points and had two early blocks, but he could not guard both of NC’s threats on the block. Senior Bobby Franks scored seven of his nine points in the first half before Morris took off.

The two-headed monster forces opponents to pick their poison. It is win-win situation for the NC guards.

“Bobby can do the same,” Stanley said. “Either of them are great options. Very few teams can guards two post players as good as they are.”

Stanley totaled 14 points and Bates 12 as his two driving layups along the baseline against the scrambling Wellington defense provided the cherry on top.

Shoultz scored 16 of his 19 points after halftime for the Jaguars, but the Green Wave, who were 15-for-19 from the foul line, never let him make an impact.

“We knew coming into it our plan was to force him right and try to not let him shoot off the dribble,” Stanley said. “We knew (Taylor) and (Shoultz) were their guys. They did their job, but we held them pretty good.”

NC had everything against it early in the season, having a new coach, replacing almost all of its scoring and getting a late start because of another football run to a Division VII regional championship.

The adversity was reflected in NC’s play and record. The Green Wave flashed a few bright spots of late, and a 62-53 victory against Johnstown on Feb. 10 gave a glimpse of their potential.