Can you blame them for smiling? Olmsted Falls players have one goal this year, to make it to the state final four, and they are on their way, as they downed Holy Name 56- 50 to win the title. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Bulldogs heading to the Sweet 16
By Matt Pawlikowski
Sports
Published March 14, 2007

The net’s been cut, now comes the good stuff. A trip to the Sweet 16, as Olmsted Falls downed Holy Name 56-50 in a hard-fought, tough district matchup.

But just how good is Olmsted Falls this year? And do they have the caliber to advance to the Final Four?

Well, they say that to be the best you have to not only beat the best, but also overcome adversity, which is what the Bulldogs (21-2) did in front of a capacity filled gym in Westlake.

Dave Pellertie cuts down part of the net after the championship, which was Falls first since 1994. (West Life photos by Larry Bennet)

Holy Name may have been seeded second in the Westlake District bracket, but the Green Wave (18-5) also played one of the toughest schedules of any team entering the sectional/district play, and also knocked off Rocky River, the defending district champions on Wednesday night.

“That’s a great team,” Tyler Sparks said of Holy Name. “I don’t think you get a feel for how good they are until you’re out there playing against them. But we are set, we want to play in the Final Four.”

Sparks led all scorers with 25 points in the game.

The Bulldogs will get their first shot at the Final Four when they square off on 7 p.m., Wednesday against 16-6 Kenmore, who knocked off SVSM in double overtime 54-One key to the Bulldogs’ win was again their defensive pressure. On the night, the Dawgs forced 25 turnovers. But still, it was pretty much nip- and tuck throughout, but again the difference, just like in the football playoffs against Maple Heights, was Tyler Sparks.

Sparks took control of the game in the final quarter, scoring 11 points, and his three point shot with 2:32 left in the game seemed to take some surf out of the Wave. Then, with just seconds remaining in the game, he hit both his free throws, enabling the Bulldogs to head to the Sweet 16.

Throughout the contest, there were a number of lead changes, eight to be exact, and the Green Wave even had the Bulldog crowd wondering, when with just minutes left in the game, they cut the score to 52-50. This came just minutes after they took a 46-45 lead with 3:43 left in the game.

That’s when Sparks hit his three point shot, along with a two pointer to give the Bulldogs a sudden four point lead.

You knew it was going to be a barnburner from the get-go, as Falls found itself down after a quarter, 14-11. But after taking a lead at half, again in the third quarter Holy Name refused to go away.

“No one gave us a chance,” said Holy Name coach Mark Krakowiak. “Olmsted Falls is one of the best teams we’ve seen all year, and I’m proud of our effort.”

Also having a good game for the Bulldogs was Pat Pellerite, who had 16 points, and Jim Brabanec, who added six. Dave Pellerite led the Dawgs with six rebounds.