Saturday, March 27, 1999
Moeller's final foe formidable
BY CAREY HOFFMAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COLUMBUS - Moeller gets less than 24 hours of turnaround time to prepare for a state title meeting tonight at 8:30 p.m. with Shaker Heights. Crusader coach Carl Kremer claims he can't even be sure how his team will spend it.
"We have no plan. I don't even know where we're eating tomorrow," Kremer said. "The thing with this team has just been to survive 32 minutes at a time."
Pulling that off one more time will again be a challenge. Shaker Heights is ranked No. 2 in Ohio and No. 9 nationally by USA Today.
"In all truthfullness, Shaker Heights looks like they're on a different level than any team in the state," Kremer said. "They're the best team to come up here in years. It will be a tough matchup, but we're thrilled just to get the chance to try."
Shaker Heights (25-1) won the semifinal game prior to Moeller's victory, defeating East Liverpool 71-63. Three Raiders scored in double figures.
Michael Tucker, a 6-6 senior center, led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds, while 6-5 forward Sidney Williams added 15 points and 6-4 senior forward Anton Smith 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Shaker Heights' best player, 6-foot-3 senior guard Jon Higgins, had nine points and five assists. Higgins missed the first 15 games of the season with a knee injury but has come back strong and is considered by some the best college prospect in the state. He has orally committed to play at Tennessee.
Moeller's Mike Monserez has faced some Shaker Heights players in summertime play.
"They're very athletic," Monserez said. "I've faced Michael Tucker and Jon Higgins in the summer, and their whole team top to bottom is solid. They'll be a great challenge."
Tucker broke open a close game all by himself Friday night when he went on a 6-0 run, complete with two dunks that left the backboard shaking. Each time, he picked off a pass in the East Liverpool zone, drove the length of the court and slammed it through the hoop. The second dunk gave the Raiders a 59-42 lead with 3:59 left to play.
"I thought it was our game at that point," Shaker Heights coach Bob Wonson said. "He's got a big body but inside it is the heart of a point guard."
Shaker Heights is making its first state tournament appearance after making it to the regional tournament four times since 1990.
Shaker Heights is on a 21-game winning streak and is 47-3 over the past two years.
SHAKER HTS. — Finley 1-2 3-5 6, Smith 6-11 1-2 13, Higins 1-6 6-8 9, Williams 6-13 3-3 15, Tucker 6-12, 6-8 18, Barnes 2-4 0-0 5, Nash 0-0 0-0 0, Foster 1-3 2-4 5. Totals 23-51 21-30 71.
E. LIVERPOOL (23-2) — Swoger 5-8 0-0 13, Kreefer 3-8 4-4 13, Green 4-5 2-2 10, Kirby 4-9 1-2 9, Jackson 6-21 2-5 16, Reed 0-0 0-0 0, Stansbury 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-52 9-13 63.
Shaker Hts. 1417 18 22—71
E. Liverpool 821 16 18—63
3-point goals— Shaker Hts. 8-20 (Swoger 3-5, Kreefer 3-6, Jackson 2-9), E. Liverpool 4-10 (Finley 1-2, Smith 0-1, Higins 1-2, Barnes 1-3, Foster 1-2). Fouled out— None. Rebounds— Shaker Hts. 31 (Smith 10), E. Liverpool 30 (Green 9). Assists— Shaker Hts. 10 (Higins 5), E. Liverpool 13 (Swoger 7). Total fouls—Shaker Hts. 16, E. Liverpool 19. A—16,807.
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