Many teams would crumble under the pressure of trailing a defending state semifinalist 14-1 in the first four minutes.
March 7, Amherst was not one of them in the Division II Northeast 3 District final.
As the 15th seeded Comets chipped their way back into the game against No. 4 seed North Royalton, they clawed back to gain a fourth-quarter lead.
Although Amherst forced itself back into the game, North Royalton’s championship DNA emerged in the final minutes.
With an 8-0 run, the Bears retook the lead near the halfway point of the fourth quarter, paving the way for a 56-49 Comets’ loss.
“Coach (Mike) Darmos says that you can’t win a game in the first quarter, but sometimes you can lose it,” Amherst coach Pat Bray said. “Don’t get me wrong, we came back, we fought and took the lead. (Opportunity) was there, but sometimes you exert a lot of energy when you have to fight back like that.”
Amherst finished the season 14-10. North Royalton won its second straight district championship after its regional championship season in 2025.
The 20-5 Bears advanced to a D-II Region 5 semifinal, where they will play at Kent State on March 11.
Bray knew it would be a physical challenge, and North Royalton showed it on the first play with a hard hit.
“On the first play, (North Royalton) tackled us. That is what they do,” he said. “That was what we talked about when it was 14-1. I called a timeout and said that we have to get to that (level of physicality). Next thing you know, we start fighting, came back and made it a ball game.”
North Royalton made shots early with players such as Sean Bunsey (two points), Antonio Escano (14) and especially Omar Suleiman.
With 18 points, Suleiman was a consistent scorer. Nolan Klingbeil dominated the paint with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
After Klingbeil grabbed six rebounds in the first quarter, Bray inserted 6-foot-7 Gavin Beckler off the bench.
Despite being slightly shorter than Klingbeil, Beckler played heavy minutes, scoring 10 points with seven rebounds.
“He changes the game for us and he changed the game tonight, because we were able to bang with (Klingbeil) and be able to guard him,” Bray said. “At times, it was basically a four-on-four.”
Amherst trailed 18-8 to start the second quarter. It cut the deficit to 30-23 at halftime.
In fact, the Comets took the lead in the third quarter, but Klingbeil made a pair of free throws for North Royalton to lead, 41-40.
Amherst All-Ohio guard Jack Coleman impressed in the second half, with nine of his 12 points coming in the second half. He was a sparkplug with Andrew Balicki following with seven points in the third quarter.
Along with Mason Lymer, Balicki and Lymer each scored nine points.
THE SCORE (MARCH 7)
North Royalton 56, Amherst 49