Mount Vernon wins a pair on the road over West Holmes, Olentangy Berlin
Mount Vernon won two games on back-to-back nights on the road to run its record to 8-7, 4-2 Ohio Cardinal Conference.
On Jan. 14, the Yellow Jackets topped West Holmes, 56-54, and the next evening, the Jackets got the better of Olentangy Berlin, 60-43.
The Jackets played a see-saw battle against West Holmes (4-6, 1-4 in OCC), and it was a tight game that went down to the wire.
The Knights and Jackets played to a 12-12 first quarter, and neither team could pull away, with the first half ending with a 26-24 West Homes advantage.
The Jackets took the lead at the end of the third, with a 21-17 quarter to lead 45-43 after three. The teams played to an 11-11 fourth, and Mount Vernon came away with the 2-point victory.
The Yellow Jackets’ scoring leaders were Nolan Belcher with 24 points and Caden Rowland with 11. Trevor Buttke added nine.
On Jan. 15, Olentangy Berlin put up a fight but fell to 3-9 and 0-4 in conference as the Jackets put a 60-43 hurt on the Bears at O-B.
The Bears battled to a 16-16 first-quarter tie, and then two ice-cold teams couldn’t wait to get out of the second, as O-B was held to a single bucket and the Jackets scored six to take a 22-18 lead at the half.
As cold as they were in the second, that how hot the Yellow Jackets were in the third as they put up 25 points and limited the Bears to 14, to assume a 47-32 lead entering thr fourth.
The Jackets took care of business in the final stanza at 13-11, to win the game by 17.
Mount Vernon was led by Beau Bridges with 16, Rowland scored 15, and Belcher also hit 15.
Danville’s consistent play takes down Pirates, 54-43
The Danville Blue Devils were consistent throughout and withstood a second-quarter scoring onslaught to defeat host Cardington-Lincoln, 54-43, on Jan. 14.
Danville scored 13 points in each of the first three quarters and 15 in the fourth, to improve to 4-9 and 2-7 in KMAC play, while Cardington-Lincoln had rough first and third quarters and a torrid second to fall to 3-11, 1-8 KMAC.
The Blue Devils earned a six-point lead in the first at 13-7 on balanced scoring from five players, while Andrew Brehm scored four points and Journey Williamson sank a three for the Pirates. C-L dominated the second quarter, 19-13, to gain a tie at halftime, 26-26. Brehm sank two threes and Connor McIe netted two threes and a deuce for Cardington. Max Payne and Wyatt Weckesser each hit two from the field in the second for Danville.
The third was similar to the first, with a 13-7 Danville advantage. Danville got 13 points from four scorers in the third, and C-L could muster only seven points among three players.
Weckesser put on a show in the fourth for Danville, with two field goals and 4-for-9 at the line for eight points. Four Pirates combined for 10 points in the final frame.
On the stat sheet, Weckesser led Danville with 20 points (8-for-13 at the line) and Payne scored 11. C-L was paced by Brehm’s 15 points, supported by Williamson’s 11 and McIe’s 10.
Highland beats Clear Fork with torrid second half, 61-53
It took a while for both teams to get going (and scoring), but when they did warm up, they both got hot. On Jan. 14, Highland beat Clear Fork, 61-53, with Highland putting up 42 to Clear Fork’s 37 in the second half.
Highland took an 8-6 lead after one, with Brock Church hitting a three for the Scots. A tight second (11-10 in favor of the Scots) saw Rider Minnick lead with five points for Highland.
The board was lit up in the third by Highland, 22-14, with Jordan Bellamy taking charge with eight points – two threes and a deuce – and Church and Gavin Debord hitting for five each. The fourth was a fast and furious score fest, with the Colts outscoring the Scots, 23-20, but they could not dent the Scots’ lead. Bellamy hit for eight, among five Scot scorers.
The win put Highland at 4-8 for the season, 1-4 in Mid-Ohio, and Clear Fork fell to 2-13 and 1-7 in Mid-Ohio.
Big fourth helps Freddies even record with win over KIPP, 53-39
Fredericktown moved to 7-7 on the season (and 4-5 in KMAC) with a 53-39 win over KIPP Columbus (2-7) Jan. 14. The Freddies took a 13-9 first-quarter lead from four Freddies scorers in the first, led by Kaid Carpenter with four points.
The Jaguars fought back in the second with a 17-12 run to take the lead at the half, 26-25. The 12-point Freddies’ second, was divided among three scorers.
Fredericktown got only nine in the third from two scorers –Teegan Ruhl with five and Brady Lester with four – but took back the lead, 35-34. In the fourth, the Freddies picked it up with 19 points to only six for the Jags, as Lester hit for seven and Carpenter netted six.
The Freddies were led on the scoreboard by Carpenter with 15 points, Ruhl with 14 and Lester with 12.
