Indians hold on to defeat rival Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Nobody expected anything different than what occurred at Hillsboro High School Friday night when Highland County rivals Hillsboro and McClain stepped onto the court in the first of their two rivalry games this season.
At one point in the game, the Indians led by 12 points, but just like many times in the past between the Tigers and Tribe, no lead was safe. Both teams led during the South Central Ohio League showdown, and even though the overall records aren’t where either team wants them at this point of the season, they both left it all on the court.
In what came down to the the final seconds of the game, Hillsboro’s Marshall Ward sank a jumper with around 35 seconds left on the clock. Ward finished with 11 points for the Indians, with the go-ahead, game-winning jumper being his lone two points of the fourth quarter.
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From there, the Tigers had their chances in the final moments of regulation, including one last prayer on an inbounds pass with 0.3 seconds remaining. The attempt to tie the game with under a second left was off, and the Indians players and students celebrated on the court for a 54-52 win over their rival.
The intense but cleanly played game between the Indians and Tigers was tied at 42 after three quarters. Ward pushed the Indians ahead at the start of the fourth frame with a layup at the 7:22 mark, but the Tigers answered on the ensuing possession with two points by Landree Gray, tying the score at 44 with 6:55 left in regulation.
Around one minute later, Hillsboro’s Matthew Ryan put the Indians back ahead by two points, and that turned into a 6-0 run for HHS with Ward sinking a jumper. Josh Keets, who totaled 12 points for the night, followed with a layup for a 50-44 advantage with 4:11 left in the fourth.
The Tigers answered with a bucket from Jacob Starkey for a 50-46 score, only to see the Tribe respond with points from Ethan Watson for a six-point lead with 3:35 still remaining in the game. Watson led the Indians with 16 points, making two 3-pointers in the game.
MHS wasn’t finished as they scored the next six points from the 3:27 mark to the 1:14 mark of the fourth with a layup by Starkey, a jumper from Dalton Mischal and a turnaround layup by Starkey near the hoop, tying the score at 52. Starkey finished with 24 points, making 12 two-point baskets.
The Indians regained possession of the ball and found Ward, who sank what ended up being the game-winning jumper, breaking the tie for a 54-52 score. Ward missed Hillsboro’s game on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury but was able to suit up against the Tigers on Friday night.
“[Ward] had some huge shots, got to the basket and finished,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “He’s excited. He was so fired up. He had an MRI today, and I don’t know what his status is going to be moving forward, but he said, ‘I will not miss the Greenfield game.’ I’m proud of him.”
For the most part, the scoreboard was close for all four quarters between the Indians and Tigers, with HHS leading 16-13 after the first quarter, though the score was tied just once at 13-13 in the opening frame with 11 seconds left on the clock when Starkey dunked the basketball through the hoop, bringing the crowd to their feet. The momentum quickly turned to Hillsboro’s side when Watson sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the three-point lead after the opening eight minutes. The trey by Watson was his second of the first quarter.
MHS outscored the Indians, 13-12 in the second quarter, even though at one point in the frame the Indians had a quick run of scoring that included three straight 3-pointers for the Tribe, beginning with a 3-pointer by Ty Haithcock at the 5:58 mark, followed by a 3-pointer by Payton Bell (5:27) and a second trey from Haithcock with 4:43 left in the second frame for a 25-15 lead.
HHS took their largest lead with 3:25 left in the second — an 12-point advantage — when Kelton Anderson connected from the free-throw line for a 28-16 score.
“We wanted to use our quickness with our guards,” Miles said. “We caused some great turnovers with our press. Our press got us back in.
“Every time you play between these two schools, you can throw out the records, and tonight was another indication of that.”
By the time the first half ended, the Tigers whittled the lead down to two points, ending the first half with points by Mischal, Jay Beatty and a 3-pointer from Mat Barton at the 1:03 mark for a 28-26 score at the half.
McClain outscored the Indians, 16-14 in the third with scoring from Owen O’Connor, Starkey, Barton and Mischal, with Mischal sinking a 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark of the quarter for a 33-30 McClain lead.
“[Starkey] does a good job when people pack it in to find open shooters,” McClain head coach Jesse Mitchell said. “I thought he competed. I told the kids, I can stomach this loss more than I can some of these other ones where we didn’t compete.
“We’ve been having trouble keeping our composure. We made some changes today, and Dalton Mischal did a good job handling the ball.”
The score was tied three times in the third, but a play by Hillsboro’s Mason Swayne with 39 seconds left in the quarter helped change the momentum of the league game. Swayne stole the ball around half-court and took it to the hoop on a fast break while being fouled. He then converted the three-point play with the free throw make for a one-point Indians deficit at 42-41.
The Indians ended the third on a 6-0 run with Keets scoring two points before Swayne’s three-point play and Ward sinking a free throw with 8.0 left in the quarter, tying the score at 42.
For the game, the Tigers were 3-of-9 from the free-throw line, while HHS went 7-of-9. HHS totaled five 3-pointers and 16 two-point field goals, and the Tigers finished with 20 two-point field goals and three 3-pointers.
In JV play, the Indians defeated the Tigers, 40-33. Garrison Banks led the Indians with 24 points. McClain was led by Kobe Penwell and Ethan Cockerill with nine points each.
In the freshman game, Hillsboro defeated the Tigers, 45-44. The Indians were led by Caleb Crawford with 19 points and Hayden Haines with 13. McClain’s leading scorers in the freshman game were Dillon Godfrey and Preston Anderson with 12 points each.
The Indians play again on Tuesday, Jan. 17 when they host Adena. McClain will also take the court on Tuesday, traveling to Huntington.
At one point in the game, the Indians led by 12 points, but just like many times in the past between the Tigers and Tribe, no lead was safe. Both teams led during the South Central Ohio League showdown, and even though the overall records aren’t where either team wants them at this point of the season, they both left it all on the court.
In what came down to the the final seconds of the game, Hillsboro’s Marshall Ward sank a jumper with around 35 seconds left on the clock. Ward finished with 11 points for the Indians, with the go-ahead, game-winning jumper being his lone two points of the fourth quarter.
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From there, the Tigers had their chances in the final moments of regulation, including one last prayer on an inbounds pass with 0.3 seconds remaining. The attempt to tie the game with under a second left was off, and the Indians players and students celebrated on the court for a 54-52 win over their rival.
The intense but cleanly played game between the Indians and Tigers was tied at 42 after three quarters. Ward pushed the Indians ahead at the start of the fourth frame with a layup at the 7:22 mark, but the Tigers answered on the ensuing possession with two points by Landree Gray, tying the score at 44 with 6:55 left in regulation.
Around one minute later, Hillsboro’s Matthew Ryan put the Indians back ahead by two points, and that turned into a 6-0 run for HHS with Ward sinking a jumper. Josh Keets, who totaled 12 points for the night, followed with a layup for a 50-44 advantage with 4:11 left in the fourth.
The Tigers answered with a bucket from Jacob Starkey for a 50-46 score, only to see the Tribe respond with points from Ethan Watson for a six-point lead with 3:35 still remaining in the game. Watson led the Indians with 16 points, making two 3-pointers in the game.
MHS wasn’t finished as they scored the next six points from the 3:27 mark to the 1:14 mark of the fourth with a layup by Starkey, a jumper from Dalton Mischal and a turnaround layup by Starkey near the hoop, tying the score at 52. Starkey finished with 24 points, making 12 two-point baskets.
The Indians regained possession of the ball and found Ward, who sank what ended up being the game-winning jumper, breaking the tie for a 54-52 score. Ward missed Hillsboro’s game on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury but was able to suit up against the Tigers on Friday night.
“[Ward] had some huge shots, got to the basket and finished,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “He’s excited. He was so fired up. He had an MRI today, and I don’t know what his status is going to be moving forward, but he said, ‘I will not miss the Greenfield game.’ I’m proud of him.”
For the most part, the scoreboard was close for all four quarters between the Indians and Tigers, with HHS leading 16-13 after the first quarter, though the score was tied just once at 13-13 in the opening frame with 11 seconds left on the clock when Starkey dunked the basketball through the hoop, bringing the crowd to their feet. The momentum quickly turned to Hillsboro’s side when Watson sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the three-point lead after the opening eight minutes. The trey by Watson was his second of the first quarter.
MHS outscored the Indians, 13-12 in the second quarter, even though at one point in the frame the Indians had a quick run of scoring that included three straight 3-pointers for the Tribe, beginning with a 3-pointer by Ty Haithcock at the 5:58 mark, followed by a 3-pointer by Payton Bell (5:27) and a second trey from Haithcock with 4:43 left in the second frame for a 25-15 lead.
HHS took their largest lead with 3:25 left in the second — an 12-point advantage — when Kelton Anderson connected from the free-throw line for a 28-16 score.
“We wanted to use our quickness with our guards,” Miles said. “We caused some great turnovers with our press. Our press got us back in.
“Every time you play between these two schools, you can throw out the records, and tonight was another indication of that.”
By the time the first half ended, the Tigers whittled the lead down to two points, ending the first half with points by Mischal, Jay Beatty and a 3-pointer from Mat Barton at the 1:03 mark for a 28-26 score at the half.
McClain outscored the Indians, 16-14 in the third with scoring from Owen O’Connor, Starkey, Barton and Mischal, with Mischal sinking a 3-pointer at the 5:28 mark of the quarter for a 33-30 McClain lead.
“[Starkey] does a good job when people pack it in to find open shooters,” McClain head coach Jesse Mitchell said. “I thought he competed. I told the kids, I can stomach this loss more than I can some of these other ones where we didn’t compete.
“We’ve been having trouble keeping our composure. We made some changes today, and Dalton Mischal did a good job handling the ball.”
The score was tied three times in the third, but a play by Hillsboro’s Mason Swayne with 39 seconds left in the quarter helped change the momentum of the league game. Swayne stole the ball around half-court and took it to the hoop on a fast break while being fouled. He then converted the three-point play with the free throw make for a one-point Indians deficit at 42-41.
The Indians ended the third on a 6-0 run with Keets scoring two points before Swayne’s three-point play and Ward sinking a free throw with 8.0 left in the quarter, tying the score at 42.
For the game, the Tigers were 3-of-9 from the free-throw line, while HHS went 7-of-9. HHS totaled five 3-pointers and 16 two-point field goals, and the Tigers finished with 20 two-point field goals and three 3-pointers.
In JV play, the Indians defeated the Tigers, 40-33. Garrison Banks led the Indians with 24 points. McClain was led by Kobe Penwell and Ethan Cockerill with nine points each.
In the freshman game, Hillsboro defeated the Tigers, 45-44. The Indians were led by Caleb Crawford with 19 points and Hayden Haines with 13. McClain’s leading scorers in the freshman game were Dillon Godfrey and Preston Anderson with 12 points each.
The Indians play again on Tuesday, Jan. 17 when they host Adena. McClain will also take the court on Tuesday, traveling to Huntington.