Highland’s Kadyn Reichenbach works inside for a short-range shot against Buckeye Valley on Tuesday.
Rob Hamilton | Morrow County Sentinel
Buckeye Valley was able to make a couple late runs to hold off the Highland boys on Tuesday night by a 61-49 margin.
The game was evenly played until the final three minutes of the third period, when the visiting Barons scored nine straight points to turn a 34-33 advantage into a 10-point lead. After a basket and a later free throw by Aron West brought Highland within one, Marcus Hemphill drained a three-pointer for BV. Le’Den Jones then added two free throws and a basket and Cameron Richardson also scored from the field to make it a 43-33 game.
“The end of the third quarter, that last three minutes, we went in a really cold spell and I think that was probably the difference,” said Highland coach Ryan Stover. “I can’t fault our guys because I think tonight was the most physical we’ve played. Buckeye Valley is a pretty good team. They’ve got size, they’ve got shooters. We played with them and we continue to get better every day.”
Highland would open the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Toby Rogers and a bucket by Owen Winkelfoos to get within five points at 43-38. Unfortunately for the Scots, their opponents would clinch the win with an 11-2 run that gave them a 14-point lead with under three minutes left in regulation.
While he would have wished for a different ending, Stover was pleased with how his players competed against their opponents in a game that was back-and-forth until those final minutes of the third.
“I think our guys grew up a lot tonight,” he said. “We were able to withstand most of their pressure. We had some silly turnovers, but we were able to withstand it. We moved the basketball, we got open guys and I thought tonight we had more guys step up and knock down shots than we normally do on a given night.”
The Scots got off to a good start in the opening period of play. Trailing 4-3 after three minutes had elapsed, the team went on an 8-0 run sparked by six Rogers’ points to take an 11-4 lead.
The Barons would get within a 15-12 margin by the end of the quarter, though, and then got a Dane Fisher three to tie the game early in the second period. Kadyn Reichenbach scored off an offensive rebound to give the Scots the lead again, but eight straight Buckeye Valley points put them up 23-17 at the midway point.
Highland would battle back, getting at least one point by five different players in going on an 8-2 run that tied things up at 25 late in the period.
While the Barons would take a one-point lead into the half after splitting a pair of free throws and then got another shot from the charity stripe to hold a 27-25 advantage early in the second, the Scots would get a three-pointer by Ranger Steck to lead 28-27.
Buckeye Valley would try to pull away again, taking a 34-30 advantage midway through the quarter, but West’s three points kept Highland on their heels until the Barons’ quarter-ending run gave them some breathing room.
Rogers led the Scots with 13 points, while Reichenbach finished with 10. After the game, Stover praised his team’s willingness to fight and said he thinks his team is close to putting the pieces together for a full four quarters.
“We knew going into the season, we had some inexperience,” he said. “We didn’t have as many guy that had enough varsity experience, so everything is a learning lesson for us. We’re growing through it and we’re going to have growing pains, but the way we keep fighting, we’re going to surprise somebody some day and it’s going to click for us and we’ll be alright.”
Rob Hamilton can be reached at 419-946-3010, ext. 1807. Connect with him on Twitter at @SportsMCS
