cardzfan1234
Well-known member
Mentor won their opening round game at the Arby's Classic yesterday, 83-54 over Greeneville (TN). Mentor forced them into 21 turnovers, which created a lot more shot opportunities for the Cardinals. The big three (Rogers, Chicone, and Floriea) combined for 60 points, but Krizancic got a lot of players in the game. Once again, the local media and fans came away very impressed with Mentor's style of play. They are a fan favorite down there.
Next up is a game tomorrow (5:00) against one of the local teams, Dobyns-Bennett. They pulled off an upset (at least deemed an upset by the Bristol-area media) in their opening round game against a team from Georgia. DB is one of the few local schools that play in the Arby's pretty regularly. Mentor has played (and beaten) them once or twice over the years. They are 7-4 and have a lot more game experience than the Cardinals, who just played their 3rd regular season game yesterday.
Round 2 should be a win for Mentor. After that, things get much tougher with a potential semifinal against North Mecklenburg (NC), a team that won the Arby's Classic two years ago. They are led by Georgia Tech commit Tristan Maxwell (son of Vernon). If Mentor can make it to the final, you can bet there is a good team waiting on the other side of the bracket. The Cardinals have never won the Arby's Classic. I don't know that this is the year or not, but if they play well they can hang with anyone down there.