Cleveland Heights Boys' Hoopsters Top Euclid

Tyree Gaiter scored 16 points to lead host Cleveland Heights to a 56-50 victory over Euclid in a Lake Erie League cross division victory on Friday night.

Guard Sean Dominick had 12 points for the Tigers (14-4, 3-4 LEL). Aaron Ashley had eight points, while Cody Martin had five for Cleveland Heights.

The Tigers overcame strong performances from Euclid’s Martel Medley, who had a game-high 17 points, and Arthur Cook who had 16.

Euclid is now 11-7 overall and 1-6 in the LEL.

Cleveland Heights travels to Canton McKinley on Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

Girls’ basketball

Ra’chel Walton scored 15 points to lead host Cleveland Heights in a loss to Lake Ridge Academy, 50-41, in the team’s final regular season game in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday.

Jasmine Harper had 11 points and no other Tiger scored above five.

Sharday Baines had 14 points to lead the Lions (16-4), and although no other player posted in double figures, Lake Ridge had well-rounding scoring from Martha Thompson (nine points), Stephanie Vukotic (eight) and Monet Sanders (seven).

Wednesday’s contest was a fill-in game for both schools as Cleveland Heights was originally scheduled to face Shaw. Coach Kim Hansen said the Tigers took the game to keep active before district play on Saturday.

“I just felt like we were a little bit out of sync, but I thought the kids played very hard. … If we had more time to scout and prepare, maybe it would have been a different story,” Hansen said.

Cleveland Heights began district play Saturday with a 65-32 win against Painesville Riverside.

Wrestling

Cleveland Heights’ Marcel Dear suffered two pins in the Division I Sectional Tournament at North Royalton on Friday and Saturday night.

In Friday’s match, Rhodes’ Nick Tetreault pinned Dear at 1:53 in the quarterfinals of the 145-pound weight class. In a third-round consolation match, Termaine Hudson of Garfield Heights pinned him at 3:36.

Dear, a senior, finished the season with an individual match record of 15-13.

Dear was the only Tiger wrestler able to compete at the event. Senior Javon Jackson (140), who was seeded second, got injured in his warm up and couldn't wrestle. Senior George Chaney (130) didn't make weight.

Saturday night capped a tough year for the Tigers, but Tigers coach Willie Newton is hopeful for the future.

“I’m proud of every student-athlete that stuck around. We’ll have eight returning guys next year, so we look at this year as a rebuilding season,” Newton said.