McClain opens season with win over Astros

The McClain Tigers started off the new season with a bang, defeating non-conference foe East Clinton 64-36 in Greenfield Tuesday night in front of a huge opening game crowd by both schools.

It was also the first victory for new McClain head coach Jarrod Haines, who was the Lady Tigers’ coach for several seasons previously.

“I’m really proud of this team and these kids who have put a lot into it from top to bottom,” said Haines. “This was a game of ups and downs, and we struggled early to get started on the offensive end but our defensive pressure never stopped the whole game.”

“That’s what we’ve been harping on, getting after it defensively and making it tough for our opponents on the offensive end. But once our offense started clicking and knocking down some shots that was big for us.”

Zane Adams and Jordan Bell were the offensive catalysts in the game, scoring a game-high 21 and 20 points, respectively.

Bell was lights out from behind the arc, connecting on six 3-pointers, and Adams was an unstoppable force on the inside all night.

“Jordan (Bell) shot the ball really well and made some big shots for us, especially in the first half, and Zane (Adams), who is a huge matchup for everyone, made some nice shots for us too,” Haines said.

McClain led 11-8 after one period of play and continued to lead 30-25 at the end of the second quarter in a half that didn’t really seem as close as the score indicated. Bell finished the opening half making four 3-pointers and scoring 12 points, while Adams was close behind with 11 markers.

The Astros continued to hang around and make things interesting in the third frame, but the Tigers did manage to extend their lead to double digits, 44-34 after outscoring East Clinton, 14-9.

Coach Haines brought in a couple freshmen, Hudson Lovett and Brady Binegar, and they along with Brandon Greene and Julien Evans played havoc on the Astro ballhandlers in those middle quarters.

“Brandon Greene came into the game when Riley Cummins, our starting guard, got into some early foul trouble and really stepped up by defending their best player,” Haines said. “Then Hudson Lovett, who doesn’t look like a freshman, came in off the bench, along with another freshman, Brady Binegar, and both played extremely well.

“But then I thought a big factor in the game was the energy that Owen Sykes and Julien Evans brought … might have been the biggest difference in the game. Owen (Sykes) was unbelievable and all over the floor, especially in the first half, and Julien (Evans) was really key for us in the third quarter,and both of them were probably responsible for them getting wore down in the second half.”

The fourth period was McClain’s most productive of the night when they scored 20 points while holding the Astros to just a single basket.

Coach Haines also spoke about how important it was for him to bring fresh guys at them all night, and the play of Riley Cummins late in the game was huge.

“Another big factor in tonight’s game was our crowd and especially our student section,” Haines said. “We really need to see more of that every game because these kids are going to play gritty, and it might not always be pretty, but they are going to get after it every night.”

Individual scoring leaders for McClain: Zane Adams 21, Jordan Bell 20, Owen Sykes 6, Brady Binegar 4, Julien Evans 4, Hayden Angel 3, Riley Cummins 2, Brandon Greene 2, Connor Chandler 1 and Connor McCune 1.

The Tigers struggled from the foul line, making just 8-of-16 attempts for just 50 percent.

McClain’s next game is Saturday, Dec. 7 when they host Whiteoak, before opening up conference play with Washington at home on Friday, Dec. 13.

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