It was the Colton Slaughter show in the final game of the regular season, with the senior guard putting up 35 points to lead the New Philadelphia Quakers past Liberty Union in a tight 54-51 win. The scoring surge is now just in time for the postseason, as Slaughter is playing some of his best basketball.
“Colton definitely had his shooting stroke going tonight,” said Coach Zach Ross. “It was good to see him have great success shooting the ball tonight.”
Slaughter was solid on both ends of the court, showing this early with a steal at the beginning of the first quarter. He made it a 10-6 game when he jumped in front of a pass for his second steal, and then drove to the basket for a layup where he was fouled for an and-one play. He made it a 16-9 lead on a three, and the Quakers were cruising with a 26-13 advantage at the end of one quarter. Slaughter rose to the occasion out of the gate, and had 21 first quarter points.
In the second quarter, Liberty Union turned the tables with a 17-4 advantage, making it a 30-30 tie heading into the second half. Slaughter had all four points for the Quakers, with 25 total at the half.
Liberty Union led 33-30 in the third quarter, but Owen Miller was able to get a good look from three to tie the game back up. The quarter continued to be a back-and-forth battle, and Miller nailed his second three to tie the game at 40-40. Slaughter drilled a three to tie the game again, 43-43, but after three quarters, it was a 45-43 lead for the Lions.
Tied at 45-45 in the fourth quarter, Miller was able to jump on a loose ball for a steal to change momentum. From there, New Philadelphia went on a 5-0 run, capped off by a three for Slaughter. Reid Wells also had a key steal with the Quakers up by five.
The Quakers had an 11-6 fourth quarter, and New Philadelphia did a great job hitting free throws to help secure the victory.
“We closed out the game well tonight, hit some big free throws down the stretch and handled adversity very well tonight,” Ross said. “That’s been a struggle at times this year, so it was good to see.”
Slaughter not only had his season high in points, but he also was very efficient at 12-for-20 and 6-for-12 from three. He went 5-for-5 from the foul line, as well. Slaughter also grabbed an offensive rebound in the win.
Miller had 10 points, three assists and two boards. Reid Wells had six points, two assists and a rebound. Owen Schoelles had eight boards, while Boston Crowell had two points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Quakers shot 43% and 39% from three, but it was the secondary stats that were what won the game as the Lions shot well at 51% and 50% from three. New Philadelphia led 23-18 in rebounds, 14-11 in assists, 9-4 in steals and had the game’s only block. They also shot 69% from the foul line, compared to 60% for Liberty Union.
“We begin our tournament run next Saturday at home against Claymont,” Ross said. “We are looking forward to playing hard together, and giving our guys the best chance to have a successful tournament run.”
