The Tarblooders’ plan worked as Lindsay, who first field goal came with 5:39 in the third quarter. He finished with 11 points.

By BRYANT K. KIZER
High School Beat Reporter

The Glenville bus was already full when they arrived at John Adams for the boys’ and girls’ city championship; but when it left, it was as if someone might have to arrive back at Glenville in a car to make room for trophies.

The Glenville’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams each captured the city title, last Friday. With all of the championships they have won, they have never won on the same night.

The Lady Tarblooders, who are currently ranked eighth in the Call and Post’s Top 15, won their 13^th city title, and third consecutive, by beating East Tech 64-61 in the 36^th Senate Girls Basketball championship. For Tarblooders head coach, Renee Wright, it was her seventh title. Former East Tech and John F. Kennedy head coach, William Stovall, and former Glenville head coach, Gretchen Taylor, lead them with eight.

For Wright, who won her first two city titles with John Hay in the mid-90s, the last two championships were nail-biters as East Tech was trying to win their eighth title.  The game featured two of the best scorers by underclassmen that the Senate has seen in years. The Lady Tarblooders (15-2) have Northeast Ohio’s second leading scorer, sophomore Latrice Legion. She is averaging about 24 points a game.  The Golden Scarabs’ fabulous freshman, Shantell Bostic, leads, averaging better than 25 points per game. 

Both ladies brought their “A” game.

Legion led the Tarblooders with 28 points. She scored the last seven points, helping them to the title. Bostic led everyone with a Senate championship-high of 33 points.

With the game tied at 31 at the half, the Tarblooders (16-2) opened up a gap in the third. They had a double-digit lead and led after three, 47-36. However, in the fourth, the Scarabs, who lost to Glenville 59-38 on Jan. 29, started to make their move.  With Bostic’s quickness and ball-handling skills, she was able to get to the basket and score. Two consecutive turnovers by the Tarblooders enabled the Scarabs to take the lead at 61-59, as Bostic completed a three-point play. But Legion started to take the ball on top of the key and then penetrated past the defense for two consecutive three-point plays.

With the youth of both teams, this might not be the last time that they meet in the Senate playoffs.

For head coach, Michael Holt, the pressure was on to make it a sweep. The Tarblooders had him sweating in their 53-50 victory over John F. Kennedy. It was the fourth time that the Glenville teams have swept both games, their first time since 1992. East Tech (‘98 and ‘99) has two and Collinwood (‘96) has one. 

The last time these two schools met, the Eagles won the game in a last second, three-pointer by William Marrow II, as the Eagles won 59-57 at South in 2008. This time, their last second three-pointer to tie the game, bounced off the rim.

“We have worked hard to get back into the mix,” said Holt, who won their 16^th Senate title, one shy of East Tech’s 17.

The Tarblooders (16-2 and ranked No. 4 in the Call and Post’s Top 15 poll), who led most of the game, were led by senior guard Craig Eubanks with 20 points and junior Harry Sykes chipped in 12 points.

For the Eagles (12-9), they had to find a way to break the Tarblooders 2-2-1 full court trap. The trap was to get the ball out of the deadly hands of leading scorer Donte’ Lindsay. Lindsay torched them for 28 points last time they saw him.

The Tarblooders’ plan worked as Lindsay, who first field goal came with 5:39 in the third quarter. He finished with 11 points. Senior Ra’mond Bell led the Eagles with 16 points. Senior Ronnie Briggs added 13 points.

Senate All-Stars (Girls):

Collinwood – Jameica Mines

East Tech – Shantell Bostic, Morgan Daniel and Shaunita Howell

Glenville  - Tiyana House, Latrice Legion and Ariez Sims

James Rhodes – Milayla Clow and Tasha Duncan

John Adams – Lajanae Morman and Shaune Peen

John Hay – Aryana Jackson, Dyna Kurns and Janira May

John F. Kennedy – Daijha Truett and Nnena Adigwe

Lincoln–West – Christie Bozeman and Alexis Chavers

MLK – N’dia Ford, Preshus Mason and Vonetta Sanford

Max S. Hayes – Sharonda Harshaw

Whitney Young – Alicia Sapp

MVP – Keisha Henderson – Glenville

Honorary MVP – Jessica Alexander – JFK

Coach of the Year – Renee Wright – Glenville

Senate All –Stars (Boys)

Collinwood – Darian Hall and Maurice Scott

East Tech – Diashon Bryant, Johnell Free and Richard Wilson

Glenville – Craig Eubanks, Harry Sykes and Glen Williams

James F. Rhodes – James Douglas and Edward Golson

John Adams – Archie Patrick andDevonRobinson

John Hay – Emeka Ihema, Josh Lumbus and Maurice O’ Field

JFK – Ra’mondBell, Donte’ Lindsey and ChristenWilson

John Marshall – Ronald Collins

Lincoln-West – Mark Stalla

MLK – Anthony Carmon and Anthony Jones

Max S. Hayes – Alonzo Crosby and Mandell Ransaw

Whitney Young – Quinton Tucker

MVP – Kyauta Taylor – East Tech

Coach-of-the-Year – Ivan Lee – Max S. Hayes