Archbishop Hoban defeats Cornerstone Christian 79-58 as both teams prepare for the postseason

AKRON, Ohio – Once the OHSAA basketball tournament brackets are released, teams use that next couple of weeks playing teams who can help them prepare for postseason play.

That was the case Friday night as Archbishop Hoban defeated Cornerstone Christian Academy 79-58 in a matchup between teams in different divisions who both have high seeds in their respective brackets.

For Hoban, the Knights got a look at a player who can score at will like Cornerstone Christian sophomore Quinn Kwasniak, who entered the game averaging 30 points per game this season. Hoban sent a multitude of players at the 6-foot-2 guard and held him to just 17 points, with six of those coming on a pair of 3-pointers late in the game with the result no longer in doubt.

That experience will help the Knights, who have the No. 4 seed in the Northeast 1 district in Division I, get past their first game and play a team like GlenOak with players like Ja’Corey Lipkins and Reese Zerger.

“If we can beat Massillon or Hudson whoever (we play in) that first game, whoever that next game is going to be like GlenOak and GlenOak has a lot of offensive players like this,” Hoban head coach TK Griffith said.

It gave the Knights the chance to learn how to play against a player who constantly moves and can get the ball off screens of handoffs.

“We really just wanted to help off the guy screening for him and hedge hard off of that guy,” Griffith said. “That was our gameplan.”

Senior guard Logan Vowles was one of the players tasked with defending Kwasniak, which turned out to be a tiring experience.

“It’s exhausting, there was one point where I needed to sub,” Vowles said. “He runs around a lot, he’s like Steph Curry.”

Another helpful reason for Hoban to play a team like Cornerstone Christian was that the Patriots run a fast-paced offense and like to press on defense to set up quick offensive opportunities. That will play well for the Knights should they advance to the regional final, where they could play a team like Mentor.

“Mentor is going to play a pace like this too,” Hoban head coach TK Griffith said. “We haven’t played teams like this that get up and down, who like to press and want to get a lot of shots off. I think we can play slow or fast. I think we can play to your personality. Who we are is just adjusting to the opponent a little bit.”

On the Cornerstone Christian side of the game, playing against a coach like Griffith who was willing to make defensive adjustments on Kwasniak and force other players to beat them will help the Patriots in the Division IV tournament, where they are the No. 3 seed in the Northeast 3 District.

“TK is the best for a reason. They are excellent, and it is so good for us,” Cornerstone Christian head coach Babe Kwasniak said. “This was a great game for us especially going into the tournament.”

As for the game itself, it came on senior night for Hoban’s nine seniors, of which eight played in the game. Five of them – William Scott, Brody Franjesh, I’Vante Barclay, Nate Korwin and Colin Coyne – got the start. Jayvian Crable missed the game due to injury

Cornerstone Christian kept the game close for the better part of the first quarter before Hoban went on a 10-2 run to end the quarter and then scored the first six points of the second quarter to open up a 27-12 lead that turned into a 44-21 advantage at the half.

“I thought this was one of the first nights we have passed up good shots to take great shots,” Griffith said. “That hasn’t always been us. Our offensive efficiency when it’s not on par, we aren’t as good as we can be. But our offensive efficiency was really good because guys were willing to make the extra pass.”

Senior Andrew Griffith led the Knights with 12 points on four 3-pointers, while seniors Vowles (10), Scott (nine), Coyne (seven), Korwin and Franjesh (six each) and Barclay (two) all got their names in the scorebook on their senior night. Lamar Sperling did not score but dished out several assists.

“It feels good, I am so proud of all my guys,” Vowles said. “There’s a lot of us seniors too so it is hard for us to all get on the floor and I am glad they all got a chance to succeed tonight.”

Junior Jonas Nichols had 11 for Hoban, while freshman Samuel Greer scored six points and juniors Joey Hardman Joshua Greer added five.

For Cornerstone Christian, DJ Nile led all scorers with 22 points, Carter Armstrong had 19 and Kwasniak added 17.

At the end of the game, both coaches felt their team was better prepared for the upcoming tournament. Cornerstone Christian has two games remaining in the regular season and will begin its playoff run on February 21st against the Youngstown Academy for Urban Scholars, while Hoban also has two games remaining before its tournament run begins on February 25th against either Massillon or Hudson.

Photo Gallery (photos by Jeff Harwell)