Tallmadge boys basketball rolls in opener vs. Springfield

A new-look Tallmadge boys basketball team had plenty of opportunities to spread the wealth as everyone got involved in a season opening 63-32 win over visiting Springfield.

Tallmadge cruised to victory as head coach Bill Johnson’s only dilemma was distributing minutes and using various combinations in his deep player rotation.

Johnson doesn’t mind that “problem” and he liked what he saw.

“It was really nice to look at the scoreboard and see great balance all over the place,” emphasized Johnson. “In fact, I prefer to play that way.”

With five seniors and three juniors back, including All-District performer Collin Dixon and standout veterans in senior guard Kyle Ries and junior point guard Ty Hurst, coupled with Stow-Munroe Falls transfer Desmond Copeland and exciting freshman Kaden Davis, Tallmadge has a lot of pieces this winter.

“I thought it was fun to see and the guys were relaxed and playing unselfish basketball,” said Johnson.

“Davis did not show any anxiety about playing in his varsity debut and he fit it nicely, and Desmond (Copeland) is obviously a really nice addition and those guys blend in really nice with our experience,” said Johnson.

Senior returnee and starter Aaron Gergely converted a steal and a transition layup to give Tallmadge an early 9-3 lead and then Hurst buried a 3-point shot off a feed by Dixon to cap a 12-2 run to make it 14-3 at the 3:36 mark of the first quarter.

Sparking off the bench, senior guard Niko Roldan, knifed through traffic near the rim for a layup, converting a conventional 3-point play with 52.9 seconds left for a 22-10 lead.

Off and running, Tallmadge extended the lead as Anthony Ahern’s bucket with 1:33 left in the first half was Springfield first field goal in the second period!

In fact, Ahern’s offensive putback was the Spartan’s only offensive carom in the entire first half as Tallmadge owned the defensive glass. It was 35-13 at that point.

“We have had an emphasis on rebounding as we are not a huge team, but we did a great job on the boards,” noted Johnson.

Gergely, a 6-foot-5 forward, kept on shooting after a slow start and ended with a team-high 12 points, four boards, and a pair of 3-pointers. He had two triples and eight points in the third stanza, before Johnson emptied his bench.

“This was a great growth point for Aaron because he kept shooting, and did not get down,” said Johnson. “That’s what we want. He had some good looks and kept shooting.”

Letterman Caiden McCullough, an athletic 5-11 junior guard who was injured last winter, looked sharp with his entire game.

Showing a quick lefty release, McCullough drilled three triples and netted 11 points, had four rebounds, and dished out three assists.

“Caiden was injured last year and we knew he could play, and showed it as he worked really hard in the off-season on his agility and his entire game,” explained Johnson. “He has a great shooting stroke, but he created opportunities for himself and others.”

A steady influence, Hurst contributed nine points, four boards, three assists and hit a 3-pointer.

Copeland and Davis both shined.

A 6-3, 220-pound senior, Copeland started and fit in well on both ends with eight points and five caroms. Davis, a 6-3 guard with diverse skills, had six points, three boards, two feeds, and one triple off of the bench.

Dixon had a strong floor game with eight points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and dished out three assists.

Senior wing Mason Dexter (two points, two thefts) and Roldan (four points) were flying around on the court, showing all kinds of energy off the bench.

“We have a lot of guys who can score in a lot of different ways, plus we were unselfish,” noted Johnson, who captured his 99th career victory.

Also making their varsity debut were sophomore forward Noah Horner (one point), sophomore guard Ryan Eisaman (two points), and sophomore center Nate Ulrich. Senior post Carson Cowley and junior guard Brennen Murray are also on the roster.

“I thought all of our rotations were good,” offered Johnson.

Springfield, 6-17 in 2020, has two decent scorers in guard Trenton Stevens and wing Michael Fuller.

Stevens drilled six 3-pointers in a win over Rootstown last year, showing his potential. Going up against multiple Blue Devil defenders, Stevens was frustrated and was held without a field goal in the game. He had just four free throws.

In all, the Spartans managed just 10 field goals against the Blue Devil’s man defense.

“Our defense was tremendous,” said Johnson. “We did a good job adjusting on defense as we didn’t know a lot about Springfield. The guys created some easy opportunities off of our defense.

Fuller led the Spartans with 13 points and seven rebounds.

After non-league games against visiting Akron Firestone Dec. 3 and at Boardman Dec. 7 at 7 p.m., Tallmadge will open the Suburban League American Conference Dec. 10 at Medina Highland at 8 p.m.