After a couple of tough losses to Cleveland Heights and Greater Cleveland Conference champion Brunswick this week, a win at home on Feb. 14 against last year’s Division IV state runner-up Glenville was pretty much imperative for Mentor. The Tarblooders are dangerous this year, too, with a win ove r Brunswick and close loss to St. Edward on their resume. It took some late-game execution, but the Cardinals were able to hold on and prevail, 76-71. Mentor, who came in ranked No. 6 in the Max Preps RPI ratings of the Division I Northeast District, improved to 14-6. Glenville was ranked No. 4 in the Division IV Northeast District, and finished its regular season with a record of 13-9. Down the stretch in the fourth quarter, it was anybody’s ballgame. @CardinalCage Coach Bob Krizancic discusses Mentor’s 76-71 win over Glenville pic.twitter.com/wmu5KEZW3z — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) February 15, 2026 Glenville senior Theodore Castro converted a layup with 43 seconds left to bring the Tarblooders within 73-71. Mentor tried to bring the ball up court under heavy pressure, and called time out with 37 seconds left. When play resumed, the Cardinals inbounded the ball from the sideline, and in three passes, the last one from sophomore Tommy Pavicic to senior Tony Katava, resulted in a bucket off the glass and a 75-71 Mentor lead. The Tarblooders missed a chance at the other end, and Mentor junior Bernard Gnjatic came down with the rebound with 18 seconds left. Sophomore Jack Kennedy split a pair of free throws, and Glenville missed a 3-point try to account for the final margin. “In our walkthroughs, in the last twenty minutes we go over end-of-game stuff almost every practice,” Pavicic said. “We set a minute left on the clock, (and work through) what it’s like in crazy games, up by a free throw.” That preparation paid off for the Cardinals in a game that was close most of the way, and in which Glenville overcame a 53-43 deficit in the third quarter to tie the game at 67-67 in the fourth. Sophomore Jack Kennedy, after being held to two points in a 99-85 loss to Brunswick on Feb. 13, bounced back with a game-high 21 against Glenville. @CardinalCage sophomore Tommy Pavicic (11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) reviews Mentor’s 76-71 win over Glenville pic.twitter.com/sl6a5jBqxh — Jay Kron (@TownCenter2) February 15, 2026 “We lost those last two, pretty bad losses,” Kennedy said. “It was all about getting back into that winning mindset. With the tournament, and our last two (regular-season) games coming up, I feel like we needed this one, for sure.” Katava struggled finishing at the rim in this one, but came through with four big buckets and three free throws in the second half to finish with 14 points. Pavicic and Gnjatic each added 11 points. A 13-3 run by a big, fast, and strong Glenville team spanning the first and second quarters gave the Tarblooders a 23-18 lead. Mentor caught and passed Glenville on a short, bank shot by 6-foot-4 sophomore Connor Witte, who followed up with a steal of the inbounds pass and quick score to put the Cardinals up, 30-29. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the frame, with Gnajtic’s third 3 of the half and a bucket by Glenville sophomore Davon Moore making it 42-38 Cardinals at halftime. The Mentor press was effective at times, with steals in the backcourt leading to easy baskets, but there were other moments when Glenville beat the press with long passes, leading to easy buckets for the visitors. Mentor stretched its lead to 53-43 in the third quarter, but Glenville climbed to within 63-61 at the end of the frame, helped by a pair of 3s by senior Arvell Nelson and another from Castro. The fourth quarter was fraught with tension, as the Cardinals couldn’t shake the Tarblooders until Katava’s late bucket after the chain of passes created some breathing room. “Much-needed,” Mentor coach Bob Krizancic said of the win. “One of the toughest weeks after losses at Cleveland Heights and Brunswick. Glenville at home, and two weeks ago they beat Brunswick by 18, and were up by 10 on Ed’s. They’re a really good team. I think they have a great shot of winning it all in Division IV. “It was nice (for us) to play in a close game, where every possession counted. We told them this would be a huge game for RPI, to put on the fifth spot where we could choose (our bracket spot).” Junior Gio Ramos scored 17 points to lead Glenville, and Castro (16), Nelson (12), and sophomore Jayden Jordan (11) joined him in double figures. “We have to learn how to finish,” Glenville coach Bryon Ottrix said. “We’ve been in a few of these this season. They made some plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities, and just didn’t capitalize.” Mentor is off until Feb. 20, when it will host Medina. The Cardinals finish the regular season at Lakewood on Feb. 23. Divisions I and II will not finalize seeding and choose their bracket spots until Feb. 22. Divisions III through VII will make their choices in other of seeding, which is determined by Max Preps RPI on Feb. 15. “We’ve been working a ton on skills,” Krizancic said. “Against pressure, getting double-teamed, knowing where and when to pass the ball, and also in attacking. “(Medina) is big, 6-foot-10, 6-foot-5, 6-foot-5, and we don’t want to play in a halfcourt game. I think everybody in the world knows that we want to get up and down, and I think we need to get the score into the mid-70s to mid-80s.” THE SCORE Mentor 76, Glenville 71 ...read more read less