Indians use defense to stop Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — Everything the McClain Tigers shot to the basket in the first half wouldn't go in. The opposite happened for the visiting Hillsboro Indians, and the first-half lead was more than enough for the Tribe to gain their fourth win of the season, defeating the Tigers 44-28 Friday night.
The South Central Ohio League matchup just never had any rhythm for the Tigers (0-2, 1-3) as they missed multiple shots under or near the hoop, and the Indians sank baskets from all over the court for their 11th straight win over their Highland County rival.
This is the Tigers' third straight loss this season and the Indians' third straight win thus far, as they stand at 4-1 overall, 1-0 in the league.
"Any time we can win here, it is a huge win," Hillsboro head coach Brett Prince said. "This is a tough place to play, and our kids played hard and got the job done.
"We built a nice early lead in the first half, but we knew McClain would came back and play their tails off in the second half … and they did. That's what McClain does. Our lead made them press more, which gave us some open looks."
The Indians were led by senior Jarrod Hart with a game-high 19 points, including 15 points in the first half with three 3-pointers.
"We know what we are getting with Jarrod," Prince said. "He played well and couldn't miss in the first half. He's our leader, and he also played tremendous defense.
"I can't describe the groove he was in in the first half, but it was big for us."
Hillsboro's first quarter was nearly flawless through Hart as he scored all 10 points in the first eight minutes for the Indians, while the Tigers had four points, as the Tigers were the first to score in the game with a bucket by Thomas Schrader.
From there, it was all Hart as he attacked the Tigers, first with a layup, then a jumper, and that fourth point put the Indians ahead for the remainder of the game.
Hart scored his seventh consecutive point with a 3-pointer with 3:05 left on the clock. Schrader broke the scoring streak with 6.0 left in the quarter, but his basket was answered by guess who … Hart, who sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"(Jarrod) Hart is a great player, not good, but great," McClain head coach Brent Eaton said. "He's a leader for his team on the court, and that showed."
HHS added 17 points in the second half, including a run of 12-0 (including the 3-pointer by Hart to end the first) for a lead of 19-4. After MHS broke their scoring drought with a basket by Ryan Faulconer, the Indians ended the final 1:13 of the frame with a 3-pointer from Hart, a layup by Jordan Captain and a 3-pointer from Trey Moberly. Moberly totaled eight points, and Captain finished with three.
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Also scoring in the second for the Indians was Zach Young, as he scored five points in the aforementioned 12-0 run. Young totaled seven points.
In the final two quarters, the Tigers outscored HHS, 20-17.
"I have no answer," Eaton said. "Everyone keeps saying we are playing hard, and that's fine, but I want execution on both sides of the court. I want the kids to do what I ask.
"In the second half, they did, but in the first half, offensively, we didn't take our shots."
Leading the Tigers in scoring was Faulconer with 12 points, followed by Schrader with nine. Trevor Gossett made a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and scoring two points each were Devin Trefz and Jeremiah Savage.
Also scoring points for HHS were Lattrell Haithcock with three and Reese Leibreich and Alex Branscome with two points each.
Prince spoke about the HHS defense.
"From the beginning of the season, our focus has been playing well defensively," he said. "We can get better, but right now we are working hard, and that makes this a fun team to coach."
In JV play, HHS won in overtime, 39-38 as Alex Vanzant sank the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds on the clock. Vanzant led HHS JV with 24 points. Leading MHS was Mikel Pritchard with 14 points.
In the freshman game, MHS won 38-26. Leading the Tigers was Randall Mischal with 20 points, while HHS was led by Dakota Brown with 16.
The Tigers will play again on Dec. 21 as they travel to face East Clinton. The rematch with the Indians will be on Jan. 22 at HHS.
HHS will play next on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Washington.
The South Central Ohio League matchup just never had any rhythm for the Tigers (0-2, 1-3) as they missed multiple shots under or near the hoop, and the Indians sank baskets from all over the court for their 11th straight win over their Highland County rival.
This is the Tigers' third straight loss this season and the Indians' third straight win thus far, as they stand at 4-1 overall, 1-0 in the league.
"Any time we can win here, it is a huge win," Hillsboro head coach Brett Prince said. "This is a tough place to play, and our kids played hard and got the job done.
"We built a nice early lead in the first half, but we knew McClain would came back and play their tails off in the second half … and they did. That's what McClain does. Our lead made them press more, which gave us some open looks."
The Indians were led by senior Jarrod Hart with a game-high 19 points, including 15 points in the first half with three 3-pointers.
"We know what we are getting with Jarrod," Prince said. "He played well and couldn't miss in the first half. He's our leader, and he also played tremendous defense.
"I can't describe the groove he was in in the first half, but it was big for us."
Hillsboro's first quarter was nearly flawless through Hart as he scored all 10 points in the first eight minutes for the Indians, while the Tigers had four points, as the Tigers were the first to score in the game with a bucket by Thomas Schrader.
From there, it was all Hart as he attacked the Tigers, first with a layup, then a jumper, and that fourth point put the Indians ahead for the remainder of the game.
Hart scored his seventh consecutive point with a 3-pointer with 3:05 left on the clock. Schrader broke the scoring streak with 6.0 left in the quarter, but his basket was answered by guess who … Hart, who sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
"(Jarrod) Hart is a great player, not good, but great," McClain head coach Brent Eaton said. "He's a leader for his team on the court, and that showed."
HHS added 17 points in the second half, including a run of 12-0 (including the 3-pointer by Hart to end the first) for a lead of 19-4. After MHS broke their scoring drought with a basket by Ryan Faulconer, the Indians ended the final 1:13 of the frame with a 3-pointer from Hart, a layup by Jordan Captain and a 3-pointer from Trey Moberly. Moberly totaled eight points, and Captain finished with three.
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Also scoring in the second for the Indians was Zach Young, as he scored five points in the aforementioned 12-0 run. Young totaled seven points.
In the final two quarters, the Tigers outscored HHS, 20-17.
"I have no answer," Eaton said. "Everyone keeps saying we are playing hard, and that's fine, but I want execution on both sides of the court. I want the kids to do what I ask.
"In the second half, they did, but in the first half, offensively, we didn't take our shots."
Leading the Tigers in scoring was Faulconer with 12 points, followed by Schrader with nine. Trevor Gossett made a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and scoring two points each were Devin Trefz and Jeremiah Savage.
Also scoring points for HHS were Lattrell Haithcock with three and Reese Leibreich and Alex Branscome with two points each.
Prince spoke about the HHS defense.
"From the beginning of the season, our focus has been playing well defensively," he said. "We can get better, but right now we are working hard, and that makes this a fun team to coach."
In JV play, HHS won in overtime, 39-38 as Alex Vanzant sank the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds on the clock. Vanzant led HHS JV with 24 points. Leading MHS was Mikel Pritchard with 14 points.
In the freshman game, MHS won 38-26. Leading the Tigers was Randall Mischal with 20 points, while HHS was led by Dakota Brown with 16.
The Tigers will play again on Dec. 21 as they travel to face East Clinton. The rematch with the Indians will be on Jan. 22 at HHS.
HHS will play next on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Washington.