Big 2nd half lifts McClain over Indians
Lead Summary
By
Jim Jones-
GREENFIELD — The McClain Tigers and Hillsboro Indians wrapped up Frontier Athletic Conference play Friday night in Greenfield, and a full house was on hand to cheer their teams on.
It was an intense and physical game that was a defensive battle for the first two quarters, but the Tigers’ offense came alive in the second half and was the difference in the impressive 54-39 McClain victory.
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Sophomore Garrison Banks was huge offensively for the Tigers, scoring a game-high 21 points, which included four from behind the arc. Senior Dakota Irvin was also big for McClain, especially in the second period when he scored six straight points that helped the Tigers regain the lead at 20-19 in a back-and-forth opening half of play.
“Garrison Banks had a huge night offensively for us hitting some big shots, and he’s been a really good addition for us this season,” McClain head coach Jesse Mitchell said. “We kind of go with how he goes, and if he’s hitting shots, we’re going to roll.
“I thought Dakota Irvin also came in off the bench and did a great job on both ends of the floor, and physically he really battled all night.”
McClain led 8-6 early on after a couple of buckets by senior Landree Gray and one each from Banks and Ethan Cockerill, but Hillsboro ended the opening period with a nice 11-4 run and grab a 17-12 lead at the horn. Mason Swayne, Phillip Mycroft and Caleb Crawford scored four points each to pace the Indians’ offense in that opening frame.
The Tigers battled back in the second quarter and used some great pressure defense to hold Hillsboro to just four points while scoring 10 to take a slim 22-21 halftime advantage. The third and fourth periods were the difference in the game when McClain outscored Hillsboro 16-9 in each to cap off the ballgame.
Junior post player Devin Carter had a good half for the Tigers, scoring seven points after being held to just two in the first two periods. Justin Osborne also came in off the bench and gave McClain some big minutes while scoring five points, all coming in the second half.
The Indians played well and looked good early in the contest but seemed to lose their intensity to start the second half and never really were able to recover, especially down the stretch when the Tigers started to pull away.
“We’ve grown a lot especially mentally, and that’s the biggest thing with our kids right now,” Mitchell said. “I think over these last couple of weeks we’ve been playing a lot better.”
The Tigers shot very well from the foul line, making 8-of-11 for 73 percent, while the Indians only shot four free throws on the night, making three for 75 percent.
McClain will be back in action Saturday night when they travel to Paint Valley for a non-league encounter.
Individual scoring for McClain included: Garrison Banks 21, Devin Carter 9, Dakota Irvin 8, Justin Osborne 5, Landree Gray 4, Kobe Penwell 3 and Ethan Cockerill and Dakotah Duncan 2 each.
Caleb Crawford led Hillsboro with a team-high 11 points, followed by Ethan Watson and Phillip Mycroft who had 10 points each. Rounding out the scoring for the Indians were Mason Swayne 4, Ryan Scott 3 and Jakwon Clark 1.
It was an intense and physical game that was a defensive battle for the first two quarters, but the Tigers’ offense came alive in the second half and was the difference in the impressive 54-39 McClain victory.
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Sophomore Garrison Banks was huge offensively for the Tigers, scoring a game-high 21 points, which included four from behind the arc. Senior Dakota Irvin was also big for McClain, especially in the second period when he scored six straight points that helped the Tigers regain the lead at 20-19 in a back-and-forth opening half of play.
“Garrison Banks had a huge night offensively for us hitting some big shots, and he’s been a really good addition for us this season,” McClain head coach Jesse Mitchell said. “We kind of go with how he goes, and if he’s hitting shots, we’re going to roll.
“I thought Dakota Irvin also came in off the bench and did a great job on both ends of the floor, and physically he really battled all night.”
McClain led 8-6 early on after a couple of buckets by senior Landree Gray and one each from Banks and Ethan Cockerill, but Hillsboro ended the opening period with a nice 11-4 run and grab a 17-12 lead at the horn. Mason Swayne, Phillip Mycroft and Caleb Crawford scored four points each to pace the Indians’ offense in that opening frame.
The Tigers battled back in the second quarter and used some great pressure defense to hold Hillsboro to just four points while scoring 10 to take a slim 22-21 halftime advantage. The third and fourth periods were the difference in the game when McClain outscored Hillsboro 16-9 in each to cap off the ballgame.
Junior post player Devin Carter had a good half for the Tigers, scoring seven points after being held to just two in the first two periods. Justin Osborne also came in off the bench and gave McClain some big minutes while scoring five points, all coming in the second half.
The Indians played well and looked good early in the contest but seemed to lose their intensity to start the second half and never really were able to recover, especially down the stretch when the Tigers started to pull away.
“We’ve grown a lot especially mentally, and that’s the biggest thing with our kids right now,” Mitchell said. “I think over these last couple of weeks we’ve been playing a lot better.”
The Tigers shot very well from the foul line, making 8-of-11 for 73 percent, while the Indians only shot four free throws on the night, making three for 75 percent.
McClain will be back in action Saturday night when they travel to Paint Valley for a non-league encounter.
Individual scoring for McClain included: Garrison Banks 21, Devin Carter 9, Dakota Irvin 8, Justin Osborne 5, Landree Gray 4, Kobe Penwell 3 and Ethan Cockerill and Dakotah Duncan 2 each.
Caleb Crawford led Hillsboro with a team-high 11 points, followed by Ethan Watson and Phillip Mycroft who had 10 points each. Rounding out the scoring for the Indians were Mason Swayne 4, Ryan Scott 3 and Jakwon Clark 1.