In a North Coast Conference doubleheader, Elyria Catholic and Lake Catholic won Dec. 20. With Panthers nation honoring former coach Bob Guinta, the Cougars and Panthers split the boys and girls games. “If there was a time that (Elyria Catholic) was going to come out and give it their best shot, it was going to be tonight,” Lake Catholic boys coach Matt Vespa said. As Lake Catholic ousted the Panthers, 65-59, in the final game, Elyria Catholic’s girls team led off with a 45-33 victory. Elyria Catholic took a 21-20 halftime lead with a last-second shot from Lexi Rodriguez. The Panthers utilized that momentum to outscore Lake Catholic, 14-2, in the third quarter. “I thought we had a great first half. We came out a little flat in the third quarter. It was a struggle for us to get things going,” Lake Catholic girls basketball coach Michael Pecjak said. Elyria Catholic’s answer was to switch to a zone defense, which forced eight Cougar turnovers in the third quarter. The Panthers committed one turnover in the third quarter and four in the final three quarters. “I think going into the zone messed (Lake Catholic) up a little bit, because we were in man (defense) for the entire first half,” Elyria Catholic senior Mya Rivera said. “We have been working on zone in practice and try to perfect it as much as we can.” Lake Catholic’s Carmella Sowers scored 13 in the first half. The Panthers held her scoreless in the second half. “I felt like (Sowers) had a nice first half with 13 (points),” Elyria Catholic coach Eric Rothgery said. “We felt like she was at the right space at the right time. So we threw a little zone. I think it contained her, too.” Elyria Catholic added onto the run with a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter. It led, 41-22. Rivera led Elyria Catholic with 14 points. Camara Ogletree scored 10. “We worked so hard every day in practice. We emphasized taking care of the ball and working together as a team. It came together really well tonight,” Rivera said. Ari Dimacchia had all of her seven points in the third quarter. She also grabbed eight rebounds, with a pair of steals. Elyria Catholic improved its record to 6-2 (3-0 in NCC), while Lake Catholic (6-1, 2-1 in NCC) lost its first game of the season. Lake Catholic’s boys team won its fourth consecutive game and improved to 4-1 (2-0 in NCC). Elyria Catholic’s boys team dropped to 2-7 (0-2 in NCC). With 10 seniors, many of whom battle-tested from its 12-1 Division IV regional semifinal football season, its close-game experience propelled Lake Catholic to separate itself in the fourth quarter. “We just had a battle with Benedictine that went into overtime. Getting reps in those games like that really make us practice those things,” Vespa said. “I thought different guys stepped up defensively and offensively.” Elyria Catholic’s young team cut the 31-23 halftime deficit to 41-37 to start the fourth quarter. Cougars guard Aidan Webb (24 points, five rebounds, three assists) and forward Cross Nimmo (17 points, nine rebounds) scored all their 24 fourth-quarter points. “(Nimmo and I) have been playing together since we were (6 years old),” Webb said. “We were out there. (Elyria Catholic) was playing man. It was pick-and-roll. Whichever one is open, we are going to get a bucket.” Even as the Panthers fired back to take a 54-53 lead, Lake Catholic answered with a 9-0 run. “I am glad that (Nimmo and Webb) are on our team for sure,” Vespa said. “Those are three-year varsity guys that played since their sophomore year. They’ve played together for a long time. You can tell they have a connection. It is nice to have someone from the outside and someone from the inside. I thought the complementary pieces around them really stepped up.” Elyria Catholic’s leading scorers were Matisse Williams, a sophomore who scored 17 points. Eleven of his points came in the fourth quarter. Freshman Zeke Lind scored 14. “I am so proud of what this team played,” Elyria Catholic coach Jason Smith said. “We had nine total turnovers in the game, two in the second half. We did a phenomenal job of taking care of the ball. We really couldn’t make any shots.” Prior to the boys game, Elyria Catholic held a dedication reception for the Coach Guinta Court. It honored the legacy of Guinta, who coached them for more than two decades. Over 22 seasons (1966-88), he won 329 games. With him, Elyria Catholic won a Class AA regional championship in 1973. He also coached the Panthers to seven district championships and a decade’s worth of conference titles. He was inducted to the OHSBCA Hall of Fame. Elyria Catholic paid tribute to his wife, Shirley Guinta, who recently passed away.