No. 1 St. Edward boys basketball stays rolling with 64-53 win over Cincinnati Walnut Hills (video, slideshow)

NORTH CANTON, Ohio -- With the No. 1 ranking in the Division I state poll, St. Edward boys basketball always seems to get an opponent's best effort.

That didn't change on Sunday, as St. Edward held off Cincinnati Walnut Hills for a 64-53 win at the Dunk 4 Diabetes Shootout in North Canton.

"With the 'E' on our chest, we know we have a target on our back every time," said St. Edward sophomore Derek Funderburk.

Walnut Hills came out strong from the start, as it built a 10-point lead in the first half. St. Edward (12-1) started in a similar fashion on Friday in a win over No. 21 Cleveland Heights.

"We played a well-coached team who played their tails off," said St. Edward coach Eric Flannery. "I don't think our kids really felt like they were in for a fight until late in the first quarter."

While part of that slow start was due to good defense from Walnut Hills, a lot of it had to do with the strong shooting from junior MaCio Teague, who had four 3-pointers and 16 points in the first half. St. Edward trailed, 29-25, at the half.

But St. Edward was able to make the adjustments it needed to. The Eagles outrebounded Walnut Hills 18-10 in the second half and held it to just five points in the third quarter.

"I think our guys weren't especially focused for some reason today," Flannery said. "I'm proud of the way we got it back."

No player personified that change more than Funderburk. He forgot his shoes and warmed up in what he was wearing to the game. But in the second half, the switch flipped, and he finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds.

"I knew from the get go that when I came back out there, I needed to perform," Funderburk said. "In the second half, I did what I needed to do."

The rest of the frontcourt picked it up, as well. After combining for just 11 points in the first half, Kipper Nichols and Marsalis Hamilton finished with 20 and 17 points, respectively. Teague led all scorers with 27 points.

A lot of the focus was working the ball inside against the smaller Walnut Hills team. It paid off, as St. Edward attempted 36 free throws and made 26 of them.

St. Edward will be back in action on Thursday when it hosts another one-loss team in No. 15 Gilmour. While the team hasn't lost since Dec. 27, it is a game that worries Flannery.

"That's the ultimate trap game, and that's why they are on our schedule," Flannery said. "They want to play us."

Contact high school sports reporter David Cassilo by email (dcassilo@cleveland.com) or Twitter (@dcassilo). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.