DANVILLE – If nothing else, the Highland boys basketball team’s win at Danville on Tuesday, Jan. 13, was almost the perfect game for a coach.
There was the hot start that ultimately saw the lead balloon to 24 points in the third quarter, showing how good the Fighting Scots can be. Then there was the sluggish finish that allowed host Danville to chip away to finish 46-37 in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play.
Highland had 13 steals for the game — including 12 in the first half alone — as it built a 30-9 lead after a 14-2 first quarter.
“We came out and our energy was unbelievable,” Highland coach Christian Toombs said. “Our quickness, moving our feet and pressuring with our hands, that was unbelievable. I think we got a little tired in the second half. But you’ve gotta give Danville credit, because they made us have to foul them because we weren’t moving our feet.
“You get a little tired and you’re not talking on defense — all the things we did great in the first half kinda started going back and forgetting how to do it in the second half.”
Landon Remmert had three steals in the first half, all leading to baskets on the other end.
“At the beginning of the year, Coach Toombs said, ‘Hey, we’re going to be a defensive team. We’re not going to outscore people, we gotta stop people,’” Remmert said. “I think we came out and had an attitude about us and we were just ready to play defense.”
The win was the fourth in the last six games for the Scots (4-7, 2-4), proving a prophecy that Remmert said at the beginning of the stretch.
“I thought (that first win) was going to jump-start us and it really did,” he said. “We’ve still got a ways to go, but we’re headed in the right direction. We’re not the same team we were last year. We had to get that first win under our belt, and I think that’s just going to shoot us forward still.”
Remmert was held scoreless but finished with four rebounds to go with his three steals. Jordan Bellamy scored 13 points and added four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists to lead the Scots.
Rider Minnick had 10 points, eight boards and two helpers; and Gavin Hankins had eight points, 11 rebounds and a pair of thefts to back Bellamy.
Brock Church was also solid with seven points, six boards and two steals; and Garrett Fitzpatrick had six rebounds and two steals to go with four points for Highland.
Max Payne and Wyatt Weckesser led the Blue Devils (1-10, 0-6) with eight points apiece, and Walker Weckesser added seven points.
Levi Lyons led Danville with six rebounds and a pair of steals, Wyatt Weckesser and Aaron Mezie had five rebounds each, and Walker Weckesser had three steals and a block.
While Danville showed a stronger effort in the second half — playing Highland even in the third quarter before going 16-4 in the fourth to pull within single digits — it was the first half that epitomized the season for Danville coach Matt Moore.
“We had careless turnovers and (we weren’t) taking care of the basketball,” Moore said. “The second half, I thought we did a much better job of taking care of the basketball.”
Danville had 18 turnovers at halftime and 20 for the game.
“We were more aggressive in the second half and we took some shots at the rim,” Moore said. “We can play a lot of guys. If we can keep playing with that energy that we did in the fourth, we can be a great basketball team. But we need everybody to play hard right from the tip. That’s what I keep harping on … we need to play hard right from the tip.”
