Freddies break open game in second half to top Liberty Union, 61-43
Fredericktown played host to Liberty Union on Jan. 27 in a nonconference matchup, and while the Lions controlled the first half, the Freddies came on even bigger in the second half to down Liberty Union, 61-43.
After being down 29-23 at halftime, Fredericktown amassed a 38-14 second-half advantage to win its eighth in a row and increase their season record to 10-7, 6-5 in KMAC. The loss sent Liberty Union home with a 9-11 mark, 6-4 in Mid-State Buckeye play.
The Lions took a 15-12 first-quarter lead despite three-pointers from Fredericktown’s Brady Lester and Trevor Bellman. In the second, Liberty Union had a 14-11 output to hold a six-point margin. The Freddies responded with two threes from Luke Bean.
In the second half, Teegan Ruhl and Kaid Carpenter took over with 29 combined points, as Fredericktown gained the momentum and the points to turn the game around. The third quarter was the turning point, as the Freddies reversed their six-point deficit-plus one by outscoring the Lions 19-6 to earn a 42-35 lead. Ruhl picked it up with eight points, and Carpenter netted seven.
In the decisive fourth, the Freddies built a 19-8 advantage to win the game going away. Again, most of the fireworks were put up by Ruhl (seven points) and Carpenter (also with seven).
The Freddies got scoring contributions from five players, and the pair of Ruhl and Carpenter put up 40 of the team’s 61 points. Ruhl finished with 22 and Carpenter had 18. Bellman hit for eight, Lester scored seven and Bean put in six for the Freddies.
Danville drops Madison-Christian for road win
The Danville Blue Devils put on a show defensively on Jan. 29, with the team improving to 7-11 with a 62-46 win over Madison-Christian.
Danville allowed only one point in the first quarter and was up 8-1 after one frame. The strong defense continued in the second quarter with the Blue Devils outscoring Madison-Christian 17-7 to make it a 25-8 lead at the half. Madison-Christian’s scoring woke up in the second half with 19 points each quarter, but Danville’s offense showed up as well, scoring 18 and 19 points respectively, cruising to a 16-point victory in the nonconference matchup.
Danville was led by Darren Mickley, who scored a game-high 26 points with seven 3-pointers. His scoring was evenly distributed throughout the game, with his biggest quarter coming in the second at 12 points. Wyatt Weckesser and Levi Lyons each did well shooting the ball with eight points apiece, with both players turning it on in the second half with six points each.
Madison-Christian dropped to 7-6 on the season. The game did not affect the conference standing for the Eagles, who are 4-3 and sitting at second in the Mid-Ohio-Christian Conference.
Mount Gilead comes from behind to beat Pirates
On Jan. 28, Mount Gilead hosted the Cardington-Lincoln Pirates, and after a tight matchup throughout, the Indians came out on top, 59-52, to improve to 7-10.
The Indians are now 5-6 in the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference with the win, good for fifth place.
It was an excellent night for Elijah Chafin, who put up a game-high 20 points to lead the Indians to a come-from-behind victory. The Pirates went up 14-7 early thanks to five points by AJ Brehm, who ended with a team-high 16 points.
The Pirates continued a strong first half by outscoring the Indians 18-15, taking a 32-22 lead into halftime. Brehm added a 3-pointer, and Gavin Crockett scored five points to lead the charge. Paul Butterman led the way with four points in the half for the Indians.
While the Pirates enjoyed a 10-point lead heading into the second half, the third quarter was all Indians, who held the Pirates to only five points while putting up 16 of their own. Chafin had five points, and Matthew Bland added six points in the quarter. The momentum for the Indians continued into the fourth quarter, where they outscored 21-15 thanks to eight points by Chafin and eight points for Bland.
Chafin continues to play top-notch basketball, as he is currently second in the league in scoring at 17.5 points per game. Bland finished with 17 points in the win. Butterman added eight points and Carter Kennon scored five points for the Indians.
For the Pirates, Brehm’s 16 points led the way, but he was the only player in double figures. Nate Hickman added nine points, and Crockett scored eight.
The Indians improved to 5-2 on the road with the win. Cardington-Lincoln dropped to 3-14 with its fifth straight loss. Ir is 1-10 in conference play.
Madison Comprehensive squeaks by with 57-55 win over Mount Vernon
The Mount Vernon boys basketball team traveled to Mansfield for a non-conference matchup against Madison Comprehensive on Jan. 28, and the Rams were able to fend off the Yellowjackets for a two-point victory.
It was a tough loss for Mount Vernon, who has seen their record fall under .500 with the third-straight loss. The Yellowjackets are 9-10 and 5-5 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, good for fourth place. Madison Comprehensive improved to 11-6 and are 4-5 in the conference, putting the Rams in sixth place.
Madison led the charge early with a three point lead after one frame and that continued into the second quarter, with the Rams going up 24-19 at halftime. Mount Vernon battled in the third quarter, outscoring Madison 18-16 and then 18-17 in the fourth quarter, but Jayden Jeffries of Madison proved to be too hard to handle with 26 points en route to the win. Jeffries did an excellent job getting to the line, with nine of his points coming from the charity stripe. Levi Zehner also got into double figures for Madison with 14 points.
Mount Vernon was led by Nolan Belcher with 18 points, including a pair of threes. Trevor Buttke added 13 points and hit three shots from 3-point land. Ben Bridges had 10 points including a pair of threes.
Marion Harding dominates boards, nets in victory over Highland
The Highland boys basketball team had its hands full on the road Jan. 28, getting down big early and never getting back into the game. The 57-40 loss dropped the Fighting Scots to 7-9, despite a valiant late-game scoring effort by Brock Church.
Marion Harding out-rebounded the Fighting Scots 41-32 in the win. There was a clear advantage in shooting, with Marion Harding making 49% from the floor to only 24% for Highland.
Highland struggled to find the basket out of the gate and fell in a hole too deep to dig out of. It was an 11-1 game after one quarter, with Marion Harding led by Marquis Long and Riley Keeran, who put up four points apiece. Marion Harding kept piling it on with 15 points in the second quarter while holding Highland to only five, and it was suddenly a 26-6 game at halftime.
Highland and Marion Harding both scored 10 points in the third quarter and then both offenses stepped it up a notch in the final quarter with Highland outscoring Marion Harding 24-21. The deficit was far too large to come back from, however, and Marion Harding came away with a convincing home victory.
Marion Harding was led by Wes Stokes, who put up 16 points in the win. Long added 12 points and was the only other player in double digits.
Church was the scoring leader for the game with 21 points for Highland, including 16 points in the fourth quarter as the team tried to claw its way back.
Highland is 4-4 in the Mid-Ohio-Red Conference, good for fourth place. Marion Harding is third in the conference with a 7-2 record and is 9-7 overall.
