The New Philadelphia boys' basketball (5-4, 3-3) team went 2-1 last week to get above the .500 mark, but Coach Zach Ross said the team needs to keep working to reach the most of their potential.
"We are back over 500 but are not satisfied," Coach Ross said. "We are very close to putting it together and making a great second half of the season run. We need to continue to work hard on great habits daily, both offensively and defensively, so that we continue to improve everyday.”
New Philadelphia has had some tough losses where they led early and couldn’t hold onto leads. While John Glenn (10-9, 4-1) tried at a fourth quarter comeback, the Quakers were able to hold on for a 43-41 win on Jan. 2, led by strong all-around play by Colton Slaughter.
“Our losses have come late in games, so it was good to hold off a good John Glenn team and come out in the win column,” said Coach Zach Ross. “We have had leads late against very good teams including Lexington and Dover but haven’t been able to close the door. This seems to be a turning point for our program as we begin a very busy and tough January schedule.”
The game was tied 4-4 with 4:36 on the clock when Slaughter nailed a three from the top of the arc to go up by three. Owen Schoelles showed off his defense with a steal on the next John Glenn possession, when he tipped away a pass and saved it from going out of bounds. With 2:55 on the clock, Slaughter sank his second three making it a 10-4 lead for New Philadelphia. Carson Crandall got in on the three ball with a shot from deep to go up 16-7. They ended up leading 16-9 after one quarter, led by Slaughter with nine points and a steal. Boston Crowell and Owen Miller each had a bucket, as well.
Slaughter continued his excellent play for New Philadelphia, putting up six points including a three to help the Quakers outscored John Glenn 12-11. The three put the Quakers up 25-18. Quinn Miller hit a three as time was expiring to make it a 28-20 game at the half. Slaughter led all scorers with 14 points. Quinn and Owen Miller sank threes, and Reid Wells also had a key steal early in the quarter.
The Muskies outscored the Quakers 9-8 in the third quarter, with Wells scoring four points for New Philadelphia. C.J. Dolan had a three for John Glenn and Caleb Labrick scored four points.
The Muskies made things interesting in the fourth quarter. Trailing 36-29, Labrick led John Glenn to a comeback attempt where they outscored the Quakers 12-7. With the score 40-39, Vincent Migoni slapped away a pass and recovered for a steal with 2:30 on the clock. Schoelles also had a steal in the fourth quarter. New Philadelphia was able to thwart the comeback, and hold on for a two-point win to get above the .500 mark.
Slaughter scored a game high 22 points, and was the only Quaker in double figures. He was 6-for-12 shooting and 3-for-6 from three, while going 7-for-8 from the foul line. Slaughter also grabbed six boards and dished out a pair of assists, while recording a steal on defense.
Owen Miller scored seven points and grabbed a rebound. Reid Wells had four points, four boards and two assists. Boston Crowell put up four points and three rebounds
Quinn Miller scored three points and had three assists. Carson Crandall had three points, three boards and an assist. Schoelles found big ways to contribute other than scoring, with a steal and five rebounds, with three being offensive. Vincent Migoni added two rebounds for New Philadelphia.
New Philadelphia shot 36% and 33% from three, while making 75% of their free throws. They allowed 50% shooting, but only 22% from three. John Glenn made 50% of their free throws. New Philadelphia led in rebounding 29-15 and assists 8-5, but John Glenn had a 9-6 steals advantage and 1-0 in blocks.
On Jan. 5 the Quakers took a 44-41 loss to Mansfield Senior (8-2, 5-1), narrowly missing a huge win over a tough Tyger squad. They were once again led by Slaughter, who had 22 points.
New Philadelphia bounced back and got back above. 500 with a 55-47 win over Zanesville (2-5, 1-2, led by Crowell’s 19 point effort.
Zanesville had a 12-10 lead after one quarter, and took a 28-21 lead into the locker room at half. However, it was all Quakers after that with New Philadelphia having scoring advantages of 14-6 and 20-13 down the stretch to secure a comeback victory.
Crowell was the top scorer in the game with 19 points, and he was 7-for-8 from the foul line. He was especially effective in the fourth quarter with seven points, and he had 12 points in the second half. Crowell also had nine boards and assist, just missing a double-double.
Owen Miller scored 12 points including a fourth quarter three. He was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Miller also grabbed a rebound.
“We had a sluggish start in the first half, but came out with great intensity in second half," said Coach Ross. "Boston was outstanding and was dominant in the paint. Owen Miller hit some huge threes in the second half.
Wells had 10 points and Slaughter scored nine points. Slaughter had a three in the second quarter and then went 6-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Crandall had five points in the win for the Quakers.
