On emotional night, Western pulls away from Norwalk

NORWALK — In the most difficult of ways, it was fitting. There was a lot of pain and sorrow in the gymnasium Monday night at Norwalk High School as the Truckers hosted Western Reserve in a non-league boys basketball game. Steve Gray, who is the all-time wins leader and coached the Truckers to a state championship and maintained a heavy presence at the school in his retirement, died suddenly on Sunday. The shock of his death has sent a tidal wave of emotions. Trying to pick up the pieces one day later, current NHS head coach Adam Kreischer couldn't help but notice who was on the opposite sideline in WR head coach Chris Sheldon. Gray was very close with Rob Sheldon, also a legendary coach in North Central Ohio, and likewise with one of his sons, Chris. Kreischer played for Gray at Lexington and arrived to the Norwalk community with Gray 25 years ago as a member of his coaching staff. There was a difficult moment of silence and a spotlight on an empty seat on the Norwalk bench pregame, which included Gray's daughters, Elise, Kelsey, and Kailyn, placing a basketball net, jacket, and clipboard on the chair. And after a moment of silence, there was still a basketball game to be played. The winless Truckers gave it a run, but ultimately the visiting Roughriders went on a big third-quarter run in the 46-29 win. "I am proud of the way our kids competed tonight," Kreischer said. "A lot of kids logged a lot of minutes, played hard, and competed both physically and emotionally. It's rough, obviously, but there is some appreciation for the fact that it was Western and Chris Sheldon here tonight. "I know he felt some of those emotions I was feeling, as Steve loved him, too, and is part of that coaching tree that does things the right way and is loyal to people," he added. "There really couldn't have been a better or more fitting opponent than them tonight." Sheldon reflected on a difficult 24 hours that will only get harder. "First and foremost, you say a prayer for his wife, Sue, and his three girls," Sheldon said. "More than anything, you ask God to wrap his arms around them. I know how full of life he was for all of us, but especially for his family. "My heart breaks for those women. Losing someone in the manner they did, it just really hurts anyone. But I'm also at ease and comforted by my faith and knowing where Steve is." The upset-minded Truckers (0-7) tied the game at 20-20 on a pair of free throws by Nolan Jones at the 7:08 mark of the third quarter. It was still just a 23-22 game after Kingston Gonzales scored for the Truckers with 3:48 left in the quarter. But then, the Roughriders (5-3) looked the part. Western closed the quarter on a 13-0 scoring run to open up a 36-23 lead. The key sequence came with the Truckers trailing 29-23. Norwalk missed a layup that could have cut the deficit to 29-25, only for Western to get the rebound and senior Hayden Keith to drill a big 3-pointer from the top of the key for a big swing and a 32-23 lead with 2:17 left in the third. Once Cooper Roe scored consecutive baskets, the last with 3.7 seconds left in the third, the 'Riders were up 36-23. Eventually, Western pushed the lead out to 42-27 with 4:23 left in the game. "The biggest thing is we finally got some stops and got out in transition," Sheldon said. "We got nothing easy in the first half. We allowed their isolation game to impact us, and we moved Hayden Dobias out to the post and put our two best defenders out front, and it was able to disrupt their ability to get downhill in the first half. "Then we started to make some extra passes, got to the rim, and then started to make some threes. Next thing you know, we're either laying it in or going to the line." Sheldon said the ability to play defense and quit settling for shots on a poor shooting night was the biggest key to victory. "Credit to Adam and his team," he said. "They didn't play like a team that has been struggling, and I think we gave them energy and confidence as well. "But when you get in a tight game and win a game you're supposed to win, to see us make that run was refreshing to see we have it in us … but it also can't take us that long to make that type of adjustment." As for the key sequence in the third quarter, Kreischer said it only illustrated what his team has known all season. "A lot of teams have a margin for error that leads to a three like that off a missed layup," he said. "But we're not a team that has that luxury right now. We have to scratch and claw for everything we get. "It's about competing hard and getting better, and hopefully we are getting to a point where we are competing in more games. "But that's a spot where we had no margin for error, or the game gets away from us pretty quickly, no matter what point of the game it was." In the first half, the 'Riders led 11-7 after one quarter and 20-18 at halftime. Western led by as much as 17-10 when Corey Hipp and Tyler Cooper made consecutive 3s with 4:10 left in the half. But Norwalk closed the half with eight of the next 11 points, including 3s from Joel Henderson and Gonzales. Western got 16 points from Dobias in the win. Cooper had nine points and 13 rebounds, while Keith added seven points and six rebounds. Norwalk got seven points from Gonzales and Nolan Jones, while Josh King grabbed nine rebounds. WESTERN RESERVE (5-3) Hayden Keith 3-0—7; Caleb Pausch 1-0—2; Cooper Roe 1-2—4; Hayden Dobias 6-2—16; Chase Hipp 2-0—5; Evan Goodwin 1-0—3; Tyler Cooper 3-2—9. TOTALS 17-6—46. NORWALK (0-7) Kingston Gonzales 3-0—7; Joel Henderson 2-0—6; Kian Kreischer 2-0—6; Nolan Jones 2-3—7; Caiden Schmidt 1-0—2; Josh King 0-1—1. TOTALS 10-4—29. W. Reserve 11 9 16 10 — 46 Norwalk 7 11 5 6 — 29 3-point FGs: (WR) Dobias 2, Hipp, Goodwin, Cooper; (N) Henderson 2, Kreischer 2, Gonzales. JV: Western, 64-14.