The Brush Arc men pulled off a thrilling 53-52 victory over the Shaker Heights Raiders last night at Welser Gym, thanks to a clutch game-winning shot by senior Damari Dammons in the final seconds.
The game got off to a fast start, with Brush establishing an early lead, but Shaker responded strongly, especially with the 3-point shooting of John Horn and the aggressive drives to the basket from Reggie Appleby and Chris Cunningham. The Raiders closed the first quarter up 19-12, and by halftime, their lead had expanded to 32-19.

However, the second half told a different story. Brush, led by Dammons (17 points) and Dekhi Owens (13 points), mounted a comeback behind strong slashing drives to the basket. Prince Ryleigh-Johnson (10 points overall, including two huge buckets late) provided crucial scoring in the fourth quarter. Brush outscored Shaker 34-20 in the second half, earning the narrow win despite shooting struggles.

Though Brush shot just 27% from the field and struggled from three-point range (3 of 17, 17%) and the free-throw line (55%), they capitalized on Shaker's turnover issues. The Raiders committed 21 turnovers, while Brush only gave up 12. That discrepancy proved to be a critical factor in the outcome.

On the stat sheet, Shaker had some advantages, including shooting 32% from the field and hitting 35% of their three-pointers (6 of 21). They also had a slight edge at the free-throw line, converting 66% of their attempts. But despite these numbers, Brush found a way to pull off the win, improving to 7-4 on the season.

Jay Gilchrist also contributed for Brush with 8 points and solid play down low, while Ryleigh-Johnson grabbed 13 rebounds. For Shaker, Appleby led his team in rebounds with 8, but it wasn't enough to overcome the turnovers and the late-game execution from Brush.