Cardington-Lincoln 57, Ridgedale 34
In what could be dubbed "the AJ game," Cardington-Lincoln (2-0, 0-0) capitalized off a combined 31 points by AJ Hall and AJ Brehm to barrel their way to a 57-34 victory over Ridgedale on Nov. 29.
The game was a tight one in the first quarter, with both teams firing offensively and Cardington-Lincoln taking a 20-17 lead. Hall was hot from the beginning with seven opening-quarter points, including a 3-pointer. In the second quarter, the defenses woke up, but the Pirates were able to widen the lead to a 30-21 halftime advantage thanks to six points by Brehm,
The Pirates jumped out to a 46-31 lead after three quarters with Journey Williamson providing some firepower from deep with a pair of threes and Brehm adding five more points. Cardington-Lincoln finished out strong, outscoring Ridgedale 11-3 in the final quarter, with Hall scoring six points and Kalin Briggs scoring five, including one from downtown.
Hall was the leading scorer with 16 points, and Brehm had 15 points. Williamson and Briggs each scored seven points in the win.
Cardington-Lincoln basketball coach Jason Rice was happy with his team's performance.
"We played very well as a team, and I was very proud of the boys with their effort and team rebounding," Rice said. "We stuck to the game plan on both sides of the ball and beat a good Ridgedale team."
Next up was a conference matchup with Fredericktown (0-2, 0-0) on the road Dec.2. Results were unavailable at press time..
Centerburg 51, Northmor 49
A tight matchup between two KMAC rivals Nov. 29 brought cheers from the crowd, with Centerburg (1-1, 0-0) edging out Northmor 51-49 (0-2, 0-1) in front of a home audience.
It was a see-saw battle throughout the entire game with Northmor taking an 11-10 lead after one quarter. Jaxson Wenger scored five points, including a three, to lead the way for Northmor in the first. Northmor widened the lead going into halftime to 28-20, thanks to a big seven-point quarter by Caleb Schnuerer.
Centerburg came out determined in the second half with a 20-point third-quarter showing, highlighted by six points from Trevin Harris, to take a 40-38 lead going into the final frame. The Trojans and Northmor each scored 11 points in the fourth, with Colton Martin scoring eight points to propel the Trojans to a two-point win.
Many of the game’s categories were fairly even, with Centerburg holding slight advantages in rebounding (41-39) and assists (14-11); however, Centerburg had a major advantage in the shooting efficiency department. The Trojans shot 43% from the field compared to 30% for Northmor. The Trojans also shot 33% from beyond the arc compared to 17% for the Golden Knights.
For Centerburg, Martin led the way with 15 points. Harris also got into double figures with a 12-point showing. Isaiah Sule drained three from deep for nine points on the night.
Northmor was led by Wenger, who scored 12 points, including one from 3-point land. Maxton Lower put 10 on the board, while Hunter Fulk scored nine points for the Knights.
Centerburg takes on Danville (0-0, 0-0) at home Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Next for the Golden Knights is a home conference matchup with Mount Gilead (1-0, 0-0) Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Highland 39, Fredericktown 36
The Highland Fighting Scots (2-0, 0-0) and Fredericktown Freddies (0-2, 0-0) went head-to-head Nov. 29 in a nonconference matchup, and the home crowd was not disappointed, as Brock Church provided heroics with a buzzer-beating three to take a 39-36 win for the Scots.
The game see-sawed to an 8-8 tie after one quarter and remained close in the second, with Fredericktown ending the first half with a one-point lead at 22-21. Kaid Carpenter led the Freddies with eight first-half points. The Freddies edged out Highland in the third quarter 8-7, but Highland finished out strong, outscoring the Fredericktown squad 11-6. The final minutes of the game were intense, with Gavin Toombs draining a timely three with 1:13 on the clock to take a 36-35 lead. Fredericktown tied things up with a free throw, but Church sealed the victory with a game-winning three to break the 36-36 tie.
“The Fighting Scots received offensive and defensive contributions from all 11 players who saw action in the contest,” said Highland coach Mike Delaney. “Without all of the players pulling on the rope, Highland would not have been in a position to win the contest at the end of regulation. All of the players played with great effort, pride and determination.”
Toombs was the top scorer for Highland with 14 points, and Brock Church had 10 points, including the game-winner from downtown. Church had a pair of threes, and Toombs hit three from beyond the arc. Zach Church had eight points in the win, including a trey.
The Freddies were led by Kaid Carpenter’s 12 points, which included a pair of threes. Brady Lester had six points in the game for Fredericktown.
Highland had a slight rebounding advantage in the game, 29-26, and led in assists at 10-7. Both teams were fairly even shooting the ball, with Highland at 36% and 32% from three, and Fredericktown at 35% and 33% from three. Free throw shooting was a factor, as the Fighting Scots hit 75% and Fredericktown had only 27% efficiency from the line.
Highland started MOAC action Dec. 2 against Ontario on the road, and Fredericktown took on Cardington-Lincoln (2-0, 0-0) Dec. 2 at home. Results were unavailable at press time.
Mount Gilead 70, Loudonville 55
Mount Gilead (1-0, 0-0) and Loudonville (0-1, 0-0) squared off for their first games of the season, and while the Indians trailed by two at halftime, the Mount Gilead squad woke up in the second half to cruise to a 70-55 win Nov. 29.
Mount Gilead trailed 18-15 after one quarter and 31-29 at halftime, with Matthew Bland and Rowan Fitzpatrick providing the majority of the scoring. In the half, Fitzpatrick drained three from downtown and had 11 points. Bland scored seven points in the first half.
The third quarter was all Mount Gilead, outscoring Loudonville 22-8. Bland lit up the scoreboard with 12 points in the quarter. Mount Gilead outscored Loudonville 18-16 in the fourth quarter to take the win.
Bland finished the night with 23 points to lead all scorers, and he rainbowed in a pair from beyond the arc for the Indians. Aaron Gannon scored 20 points, including five three pointers, for Mount Gilead, and Fitzpatrick put up 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers.
Next up for Mount Gilead is a home conference matchup with Northmor (0-2, 0-0) Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Mount Vernon 55, Johnstown-Monroe 53
The Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets (1-0, 0-0) took on Johnstown-Monroe on Nov. 30 in what was a back-and-forth battle that saw the Yellow Jackets squeak by at the buzzer for a 55-53 win thanks to huge scoring output by Hudson Rohler and a last-second shot by Caden Rowland.
Mount Vernon had a 17-10 lead out of the gate, but the Johnnies outscored the Yellow Jackets 9-5 in the second quarter to make it a 22-19 game at halftime. Mount Vernon outscored Johnstown 16-14 in the third, and while the Johnnies made a push in the fourth, outscoring Mount Vernon 20-17, the Yellow Jackets were able to secure the 2-point win on a buzzer-beater by Rowland..
Rohler scored 26 points for the Jackets to lead all scorers, and included four makes from 3-point range. Rowland scored 11 points, and Cooper Carpenter added eight points for Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon basketball coach Nick Coon said his players were focused and called it a team victory.
"We had an exciting win at Johnstown against a tough opponent," Coon said. "We built up a 12-point lead in the third quarter, but credit to Johnstown, as they made some plays and hit shots to tighten the game and regain the momentum. Our players stayed together, stayed the course of the game and made enough plays to earn a road win. Caden Rowland stepped up and hit the buzzer-beating shot at the end, but there were numerous plays from all of our players throughout the game that contributed to the outcome. We know we have to continue to get better each day as coaches and players."
Next for Mount Vernon was Ashland (0-2, 0-0) Dec. 2. Results were unavailable at press time.
