Just an hour before the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the court to take on the Orlando Magic, another Northeast Ohio basketball team left for their historic Division II state semifinal match.
On Sunday, the North Royalton Bears were sent off by local police and community supporters ahead of their game against the Massillon Perry Panthers.
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“I’ve never met a more competitive group,” said North Royalton’s Assistant Coach Adam Prevost. “They push each other every day in practice.”
Their hard work paid off, resulting in the historic opportunity to be in the Final Four.
“We’ve made it to regionals, but would lose in that first game in regionals,” Prevost told me. “So, this is truly once in a lifetime, once ... in the history of the school.”
Their community turned out Sunday at noon to wish the team good luck. Before that, I spoke to some of the players leading up to the big game. First was Brian Houshour, the team’s point guard.
“I get everybody hyped for the game,” Houshour said. But he also said that a similar “hype speech” would not be needed.
Houshour believes the team is more than prepared, citing their summer camp where he said they played 40 games in 40 hours.
“The preparation is easy ‘cause everybody wants to be there, so it’s not even like it’s a job,” Houshour said. “Everybody’s ready to go and wants to be there.”
Houshour’s teammate, shooting guard Dylan Lakatos, agreed.
“Getting a new coach this year, ... some people could have had doubts on the season, but we didn't from the first time we started with open gyms in the summer,” Lakatos said. “We just put all of our hard work and heart into it, and it's really showing off and then obviously we're in the Final Four that comes once in a lifetime for a lot of people.”
The Bears clinched their spot in the semifinals after a 38-35 victory against the New Albany Eagles on March 8.
Ronnie Arpajian, the team's small forward and power forward, described the win as a “dream come true.”
“Honestly, it was just shock because coming into the season, people, everyone thought we were gonna go 500, and we haven't lost since Dec. 6. We're 25 and 1,” Arpajian said. “I've never been a part of the team that has gone to a state finals, state championship.”
Houshour credited his teammates for their leadership and dedication.
“We’re very young and usually you don't find a team this young. Like, we have four seniors on the team and not one of us is 18,” he said. “It just shows the dedication we have and what we can bring to this tournament.”
I asked Prevost how he would describe his players in one word.
“Determined,” he said. “Determined would be the word that I would use.”
The word Lakatos chose was family.
“We really are connected on and off the court,” Lakatos said. “I think we have the best connection and all the teams in Ohio, and I think that's what separates us from everyone else.”
Arpajian had a similar answer.
“If I could describe my teammates with one word, I would say just together,” he said. “We’re all together. We all, no matter what we’re doing, if we’re in the game, not in the game, we’re all cheering for each other, picking each other up. It’s just awesome.”
Tip-off is at 3 p.m. Sunday night at Canton Memorial Fieldhouse. Going into the big night, each player expressed gratitude for the support of their families and community.
“The parents really get us, really get us going,” Houshour said. “They kind of fuel our team while in the game.”
“My dad’s been my coach my whole life, so he got me into basketball and the sport means the world to me,” Lakatos said. “I’ve played it my whole life. It’s my passion and all the hard work I’ve put into it is really showing this year for me.”
“I just want to thank my team, thank my coaches, thank the teammates, thank my parents, thank them for everything, everything they've done,” Arpajian said. “They made this year— it’s my senior season, they made a special year for me.”
After thanking the support of his family, Prevost went on to thank the city and the school district.
“I just want to thank the, the city and the, the people within our school district who have embraced, who we are and the toughness that we have and the kids that, that we have,” he said.
Prevost said that their goal now is going to be to build on this opportunity and make this rare opportunity more common in the years to come.
“We wanna build on this and start making this a yearly occurrence, but there's nothing like your first time and we're excited for, we're excited for obviously for ourselves, the kids, but it it's also such a huge deal for our community, for the students in our school, and everybody that calls North Royalton home.”
