VERMILION — Regardless of the outcome of the 2008 Gene Legeza Classic at Vermilion High School, former Elyria coach Bob Walsh would walk off the court a winner in his final game as a head coach.
And behind the strong play of a trio of Elyria Pioneers, that stroll off the floor followed a victory as the West defeated the East 116-102 Sunday night in the county all-star game for seniors.
“This really worked out well tonight,” Walsh said after his 42-year career as a head coach came to end. “The kids had fun and they were able to get up and down the floor to showcase their individual talents.
“I don’t think as a coach you can ask for anything more in a game like this.”
The West jumped on the East from the opening tip thanks to the hot hand of Demetrius Dalton. The Pioneer scored the first 10 points for the West.
“I just caught a little bit of fire there in the beginning,” said Dalton. “Everyone was telling me to shoot a little bit to see what I could do. It turned out that everything was going in.”
The game was tied at 10 when the West took a lead on a basket by Lorain County Mr. Basketball Promis Cabbil, who finished with 12 points.
“It was a lot of fun out there,” said Cabbil. “The coaches gave us a lot of freedom throughout the whole game to just play. It was like a backyard game with friends where you play to have fun.”
The West continued its strong play as it took a 61-47 lead at the intermission. Picking up where it left off, the West extended its lead to 72-55 before things hit a snag offensively.
And that gave the East the opening it was looking for.
Avon’s Steve Isaac scored seven of his 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half as the East cut the deficit to 78-70. Admiral King’s Terrance Atkinson hit a pair of baskets, including a 3-pointer, as the East went on a 13-6 run to cut the West lead to 84-83.
And that was enough to wake up the West.
A 3-pointer by Columbia’s Richie Bics put the West up
87-83 with 6:21 left. Following an East free throw, baskets by Lake Ridge’s Jack Kirwin and Elyria’s Seryell Davis pushed the West lead to 91-84.
The play of the game turned out to be the last one. East’s Jared Ramirez (Brookside) hit a 3-pointer from three-quarters the length of the court. The basket brought the crowd to its feet as the buzzer sounded the end of Walsh’s head coaching career.
“This was pretty special for me,” said Vermilion coach Kurt Habermehl, who served as co-coach of the West squad. “To sit there next to Coach Walsh in his last game and having played for him, I really can’t fully put into words what it meant for me.
“Tonight was about having fun but it was also about seeing Coach Walsh go out with a win. He has influenced a lot of players and coaches over the years and he deserved to leave with a win.”
North Ridgeville’s Bill Noggle, who coached the East with Admiral King’s Michael Scott echoed Habermehl.
“What made it a lot of fun was having Coach Walsh on the other side. I got to pick his brain a bit,” said Noggle.
Dalton led all scorers with 30 points and was named MVP. Vermilion’s Matt Liljegren chipped in 12. Atkinson led the East with 18 points.
Contact Hans Schneider at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.
West 116, East 102
EAST (102): Terrence Atkinson 7-1-18, Steve Issac 4-3-14, Derek Haney 4-1-12, Tehran Roundtree 5-1-12, Kris Robinson 5-0-11, Jeff Ickes 4-1-11, Tommy Kuzniar 3-0-8, TJ Tripp 3-0-6, Jared Ramirez 1-2-5, Drew Laurent 2-0-4, Joe Fitch 1-0-2, Mike Carge 0-0-0. Totals 49-9-102.
WEST (116): Demetrius Dalton 12-0-30, Promis Cabbil 5-2-12, Matt Liljegren 5-2-12, Richie Bics 4-0-11, Ryan Rua 4-0-11, Seryell Davis 5-1-11, Jack Kirwin 4-0-9, Kyle Shaw 3-0-8, Andy Pena 2-0-5, Blake Sword 2-0-4, Cory Kidd 1-1-3, Brendan McNabb 0-0-0. Totals: 48-4-116.

East        47    55    —    102
West        61    55    —     116
Three-point goals: East 15 (Atkinson 3, Haney 3, Issac 3, Kuzinar 2, Ramirez, Robinson, Roundtree, Ickes), West ( percent). Rebounds: East 28 (Robinson 7), West 38 (Dalton 9).
 

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