Strong start leads to McClain win over Whiteoak
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
MOWRYSTOWN – McClain senior Bryson Badgley scored the Tigers’ first 12 points, and from there it was smooth sailing for the Tigers on the road against the Whiteoak Wildcats, eventually winning the non-conference matchup by a 57-21 score.
As strong as the offense was for the Tigers, what stood out even more was the defensive pressure applied by the Tigers, holding the Wildcats to 21 points, including limiting the home team to eight points in the first half.
“Our effort on the defensive end was really something special,” McClain head coach Joe B. Stewart said. “We saw these guys in the summer, and they really put a smacking on us in the in Highland County Shootout. Our kids had a pretty good memory of who these shooters could be.
“When our defense plays like that, that's probably a basketball game we’re going to win.”
In the opening quarter, the Tigers saw an onslaught of scoring by Badgley, as the senior took over the game and set the tone from the very start. Badgley – who led the Tigers with 20 points — scored first on a fast-break basket, then around a minute later he knocked down a 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead.
WHS answered with a basket by Landon Barnett, only to see Badgley sink a second trey, followed by a jumper as he went around a defender to take the shot for two points for a 10-2 advantage with 4:39 left in the first frame.
Kendyll Toney of McClain and Bryce Bailey of Whiteoak each took a charge for their respective teams, but the scoring went on a small standstill until the 1:25 mark as Logan Bieler scored two points for the Wildcats.
McClain ended the first with a basket by Wesley Potts with the assist by Preston Saunders for the 14-5 lead to complete the first-quarter scoring.
The Tigers broke the game away quickly in the second frame, ultimately outscoring the Wildcats, 17-3 in the frame for a halftime lead of 31-8.
McClain scored the first five points of the frame with a free throw from Toney, followed by a put-back basket from Seth Wise, who ended the game with 13 points. Saunders added a basket in the paint for a 19-5 MHS lead with 7:09 left in the second quarter.
WHS broke up the MHS scoring with a 3-pointer by Barnett at the 6:49 points for the only Whiteoak points of the quarter. For the remainder of the second quarter, all the scoring came from the visitors, as McClain went on a 12-0 run in the final five minutes of action, building a 23-point advantage for a 31-8 score after two frames.
McClain’s 12-point run began with a layup by Wise and two points from Braden Wright, who was also on point defensively Tuesday as he was tasked with guarding the Wildcats’ leading scorer Bradley Ashbaugh.
After Wright’s two points, Wise scored two points on a fast break at the 3:47 mark of the second for a 25-8 lead. Following a timeout by WHS, the Tigers continued their scoring run, mixed in with more tough defense, with baskets by Evann Mischal and Wise for the 23-point halftime advantage.
MHS outscored the Wildcats 15-9 in the third, building their lead to 29 points and as much as 30 points in the quarter. Toney was first to add to the Tigers’ lead with a two-point basket, but Whiteoak continued to battle with a put-back basket from Bailey, and a layup by Ashbaugh with 4:21 on the clock for a 34-12 score.
MHS came back with eight consecutive points as Badgley scored two points, followed by a free throw by Toney, then Badgley was back at it with a layup and a 3-pointer with 1:57 left in the third for a 42-12 lead.
WHS sank two free throws off attempts by Ashbaugh, but MHS equaled those points with a bucket by Wise, as the assist was from Badgley. Ashbaugh sank a 3-pointer for the home team with 34 seconds on the clock, and the final points at the buzzer came off a steal and layup from Saunders, putting the Tigers ahead by 29 points.
“We got it going, especially in the second half,” Stewart said. “I thought Preston Saunders’ energy off the bench in the second half got us a couple easy ones there, where he got out in front of people, and then he made few nice passes as well.
“This is just one that all things fell together for us. Our guys are real thankful to have an opportunity to play today, and as a coach real thankful, that they've got the right game defensively. But offensively, we also shared the ball. Good shots became great shots with one more pass.”
McClain scored 11 points in the fourth quarter with Wright scoring four points and Wise with a 3-pointer, while Saunders and Potts each scored two points. WHS had two points scored by Robbie Raines and two made free throws by Bailey in the fourth.
Whiteoak was led in scoring by Ashbaugh with eight points, followed by Barnett with five points. The rest of the WHS scoring came from Bailey with four points and two points each from Bieler and Raines.
More McClain final scoring included Saunders and Wright with six points each, while Mischal, Toney and Potts each scored four points.
The win by McClain moves their overall record to 10-2, while their Frontier Athletic Conference record is 6-1. Whiteoak falls to 6-8 on the season, with a Southern Hills Athletic record of 2-5.
Next for the FAC first-place Tigers is a FAC game on Friday, Jan. 28 against the Miami Trace Panthers at MTHS. Whiteoak is next scheduled to face Manchester at home on Friday, Jan. 28.
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As strong as the offense was for the Tigers, what stood out even more was the defensive pressure applied by the Tigers, holding the Wildcats to 21 points, including limiting the home team to eight points in the first half.
“Our effort on the defensive end was really something special,” McClain head coach Joe B. Stewart said. “We saw these guys in the summer, and they really put a smacking on us in the in Highland County Shootout. Our kids had a pretty good memory of who these shooters could be.
“When our defense plays like that, that's probably a basketball game we’re going to win.”
In the opening quarter, the Tigers saw an onslaught of scoring by Badgley, as the senior took over the game and set the tone from the very start. Badgley – who led the Tigers with 20 points — scored first on a fast-break basket, then around a minute later he knocked down a 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead.
WHS answered with a basket by Landon Barnett, only to see Badgley sink a second trey, followed by a jumper as he went around a defender to take the shot for two points for a 10-2 advantage with 4:39 left in the first frame.
Kendyll Toney of McClain and Bryce Bailey of Whiteoak each took a charge for their respective teams, but the scoring went on a small standstill until the 1:25 mark as Logan Bieler scored two points for the Wildcats.
McClain ended the first with a basket by Wesley Potts with the assist by Preston Saunders for the 14-5 lead to complete the first-quarter scoring.
The Tigers broke the game away quickly in the second frame, ultimately outscoring the Wildcats, 17-3 in the frame for a halftime lead of 31-8.
McClain scored the first five points of the frame with a free throw from Toney, followed by a put-back basket from Seth Wise, who ended the game with 13 points. Saunders added a basket in the paint for a 19-5 MHS lead with 7:09 left in the second quarter.
WHS broke up the MHS scoring with a 3-pointer by Barnett at the 6:49 points for the only Whiteoak points of the quarter. For the remainder of the second quarter, all the scoring came from the visitors, as McClain went on a 12-0 run in the final five minutes of action, building a 23-point advantage for a 31-8 score after two frames.
McClain’s 12-point run began with a layup by Wise and two points from Braden Wright, who was also on point defensively Tuesday as he was tasked with guarding the Wildcats’ leading scorer Bradley Ashbaugh.
After Wright’s two points, Wise scored two points on a fast break at the 3:47 mark of the second for a 25-8 lead. Following a timeout by WHS, the Tigers continued their scoring run, mixed in with more tough defense, with baskets by Evann Mischal and Wise for the 23-point halftime advantage.
MHS outscored the Wildcats 15-9 in the third, building their lead to 29 points and as much as 30 points in the quarter. Toney was first to add to the Tigers’ lead with a two-point basket, but Whiteoak continued to battle with a put-back basket from Bailey, and a layup by Ashbaugh with 4:21 on the clock for a 34-12 score.
MHS came back with eight consecutive points as Badgley scored two points, followed by a free throw by Toney, then Badgley was back at it with a layup and a 3-pointer with 1:57 left in the third for a 42-12 lead.
WHS sank two free throws off attempts by Ashbaugh, but MHS equaled those points with a bucket by Wise, as the assist was from Badgley. Ashbaugh sank a 3-pointer for the home team with 34 seconds on the clock, and the final points at the buzzer came off a steal and layup from Saunders, putting the Tigers ahead by 29 points.
“We got it going, especially in the second half,” Stewart said. “I thought Preston Saunders’ energy off the bench in the second half got us a couple easy ones there, where he got out in front of people, and then he made few nice passes as well.
“This is just one that all things fell together for us. Our guys are real thankful to have an opportunity to play today, and as a coach real thankful, that they've got the right game defensively. But offensively, we also shared the ball. Good shots became great shots with one more pass.”
McClain scored 11 points in the fourth quarter with Wright scoring four points and Wise with a 3-pointer, while Saunders and Potts each scored two points. WHS had two points scored by Robbie Raines and two made free throws by Bailey in the fourth.
Whiteoak was led in scoring by Ashbaugh with eight points, followed by Barnett with five points. The rest of the WHS scoring came from Bailey with four points and two points each from Bieler and Raines.
More McClain final scoring included Saunders and Wright with six points each, while Mischal, Toney and Potts each scored four points.
The win by McClain moves their overall record to 10-2, while their Frontier Athletic Conference record is 6-1. Whiteoak falls to 6-8 on the season, with a Southern Hills Athletic record of 2-5.
Next for the FAC first-place Tigers is a FAC game on Friday, Jan. 28 against the Miami Trace Panthers at MTHS. Whiteoak is next scheduled to face Manchester at home on Friday, Jan. 28.
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