Utica 56, Centerburg 50
Trenton Collins was an unstoppable force in the second half for Utica (6-2, 1-1) on Jan. 3. He led the Redskins to a 56-50 win in a back-and-forth battle for their fourth victory in the last five games.
Utica was up 4-0 and threatening a six-point run with approximately 6:30 on the clock in the first. But, Jack Lawrence was able to come away with a big steal for the Trojans. Utica was set to score again, when Brody McDaniel went coast to coast after a steal, but Lawrence came up big on defense again with a block to stop the run. Centerburg was down 10-4, but Carter Morgenstern made it a three-point game on a corner trey. Utica had a 10-9 advantage after one.
Centerburg's Grayson Reynolds and Isaiah Sule both came away with steals in the second quarter as they held a one-point lead. Zack Heckman and Roman Gamble each had four points for Utica. Reynolds had seven points for Centerburg; it was a 22-20 Trojan lead at halftime.
Sule gained the lead for Centerburg in the third quarter at 24-24; he had a corner three at the 5:15 mark. Utica's Gamble followed up with a three of his own, tying the game at 29-29. Sule then broke the 29-29 tie with a three from the opposite corner. Collins made it a 40-35 lead for Utica on a fast break lay-up stemming from a steal. It was a 42-35 game when Gamble stole a pass and took it to the basket with less than 30 seconds on the clock.
Utica had a 42-39 lead going into the fourth quarter and a 46-43 lead with 6:30 on the clock. Reynolds came away with a steal to stop Utica from adding on. As the score was 51-45 Utica, Collins made it an eight-point game on a fast break. Reynolds hit a three as the clock ticked down to make it a 55-50 game, and Utica was able to hold on for a six-point win.
Collins led all scorers with 23 points; 21 came in the second half for Utica. He had 13 in the third quarter and another eight down the stretch. Heckman and Gamble each put up 13 points.
Reynolds scored 14 points for Centerburg, including a three, as well as four boards, three assists, and two steals. Martin scored nine points and tallied five rebounds, a steal, and an assist. Lawrence had eight points, 10 boards, a steal, and a block.
New Philadelphia 62, Mount Vernon 56
Hudson Rohler and Ben Bridges were a duo to be reckoned with for the Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets (4-6, 2-5). But, it wasn't enough to topple New Philadelphia (5-2, 5-1) in a 62-56 loss on Jan. 3.
New Philadelphia jumped out to a 19-10 lead after one and took a 35-24 lead at the half. The Yellow Jackets fought back, outscoring New Philadelphia 15-14 in the third to make it a 10-point game going into the final quarter. Mount Vernon had a 17-13 fourth-quarter advantage but fell just short in a six-point loss.
Rohler and Bridges each had 18 points for the Yellow Jackets. Trevor Buttke added eight points.
Nick Coon, Mount Vernon basketball coach, said starting the game off with a big deficit didn't help the team's cause, but he acknowledged their perseverance in the second half.
"Unfortunately, we dug ourselves too much of a hole in the first half," Coon said. "We continue to struggle defending at a high enough level to beat quality basketball teams. Credit to our players for their response after halftime. However, we have to play a more complete game to earn a win against the teams on our schedule."
East Knox 60, Ridgedale 53 OT
Carter Wesney played solid basketball down the stretch. He turned defense into offense for East Knox (2-6, 0-4) in an overtime battle with Ridgedale (2-8, 0-3), leading the Bulldogs to a 60-53 victory.
East Knox surged to a 6-0 lead, highlighted by a great steal by Jax Lester and a fast-break finish by Corbin Poff. Poff later hit a three to give the Bulldogs a 12-2 lead. Ridgedale would battle and decrease the lead to 17-10 by the end of the quarter.
The Bulldogs went up 22-12 in the second quarter on another fast-break lay-up by Poff, then 25-12 on a wide-open three for Wesney. Ridgedale once again surged back into action and made it a 31-24 game by the end of the half.
EK's Bryer Korosec came up with a timely block in the third quarter at 39-31. Each team scored nine points in the quarter, and it was a 40-33 game going into the fourth.
East Knox was up 45-40. Ethan Rine blocked a shot near the basket as Ridgedale tried to make it a two-point game. Then, with East Knox holding a 45-44 lead, Rine had another steal to secure a lead. Ridgedale ended up outscoring East Knox 14-8 in the quarter, sending the game to overtime.
Wesney made it a 57-51 game in overtime on a steal, leading to a bucket. Dustin Springer was cool under pressure at the line in the extra frame and hit all four of his free throws. Rine scored five points in the quarter to lead all scorers.
Dustin Springer led the scoring with 14 points and four assists. Derrick Field had nine points and 10 boards. Rine narrowly missed a double-double with eight points and 12 rebounds.
"We played very well for three quarters," Ryan Powell, East Knox basketball coach, said. "We had a rough fourth quarter but were able to regroup and take control in overtime. As a team, we are starting to establish and accept our roles as individuals to become more successful."
Utica 64, Licking Valley 50
Trenton Collins and Roman Gamble put on a clinic against Licking Valley (4-5, 1-1) with a combined 52 points, leading the Utica Redskins (7-2, 1-1) to a 64-50 win on Jan. 4.
Gamble got the scoring started with a three at the top of the key. At 5-5, Collins made a nasty spin move to the hoop on a fast break lay-up to take a two-point lead. Utica led 12-10 after one quarter and Collins hit for nine.
Utica had a 14-11 lead in the second quarter; Gavin Chinn kept it that way on a big-time block near the hoop. With Utica up one, Collins made it a 19-16 fast break lay-up stemming from a steal. Licking Valley outscored Utica 15-10 in the quarter to hold a 25-22 lead. Collins put up 14 points in the first half for Utica.
The Redskins were up 37-33 in the third when Gamble gave them a seven-point lead on a three, despite a hand in his face. Utica went off for 20 points in the quarter and held the Licking Valley squad to eight.
Gamble struck again from deep in the fourth quarter to make it a 45-33 game in favor of Utica. His sharp shooting from downtown continued with another three to make it a 50-37 game. Collins got in on the action with a corner three to put the score at 53-39. Utica had another big quarter with 22 points; Licking Valley put up 17. Gamble put nine points in the book.
Collins ended with a game-high 27 points and Gamble drained five threes in his 25-point effort. Zach Heckman added eight points for Utica.
"It was a great atmosphere," Brian Radabaugh, Utica boys basketball coach, said. "Roman Gamble caught fire in the second half, making four of his five threes, and Trent Collins was solid all game. The third-quarter defense was key to the second-half surge."
