Patriots slam their way to 9th straight win
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — The Southern State Patriots shook off the rust after a two-week break by putting on a 100-plus point offensive display as they opened the second half of their season with a 102-74 win over the Ohio University-Chillicothe Hilltoppers, Wednesday at the Patriot Center.
The win was the Patriots' ninth consecutive victory, as they move to 13-2 overall. During the break, the Patriots went from being the No. 3 ranked team in the USCAA Power Rankings to the No. 4 ranked team.
"It was a win, and we'll take it," SSCC head coach Travis McAvene said. "We played flat, like we have been off for a few weeks, but we've added some players to the roster, and it will take a little time for us to gel.
"We played much harder in the first half. This team has potential, and they can go as far as they want to go, but we have to put defense first. (Wednesday) we relied on our athletic ability, but we can't do that against every team we play. I'm not satisfied with the performance."
Not only did the Patriots score multiple points in transition and in the post with a couple alley-oop dunks, but they also shined from beyond the arc with 10 3-pointers, including a first-half consisting of six treys, with three each from Ty Harris and Brandon Whitlock.
Whitlock led the Patriots with 23 points, 17 in the first half, while new SSCC player Martise McLaurin followed by gaining a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as he broke away in the second half with 16 points, ending his scoring with a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation.
The Patriots had three other players reach double figures: Isiah Walton with 16 points, Ty Harris with 14 points (nine assists) and JR Blair with 13 points (seven rebounds) in the win.
"We had two weeks off, and we did come out flat," Walton, a team captain, said following the win. "I guess it was rust, but in the second half, we did pick up our play and played Patriot basketball.
"It felt good to get back on the court. I know we'll get better, but with a new semester starting, the break and some new teammates, we'll get back to normal."
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At the end of the first half, the Patriots led 51-38, as they built a 10-3 lead in the opening five minutes against OU-C with Whitlock scoring eight of the first 10 points by SSCC, including a forceful dunk at the 15:44 mark which put the Patriots ahead by seven points.
Later in the half, the Patriots showed more of their hops as McLaurin slammed the ball through the hoop on an alley-oop to make it an 18-7 score.
Then there was a point in the first half that rained 3-pointers with OU-C Blake Warrington starting what turned into five straight 3-pointers combined by both teams in a span of 1:35.
Following Warrington's trey, Whitlock knocked down back-to-back threes, which were answered by a 3-pointer from Antwann McDaniel from OU-C. McDaniel finished with 18 points.
The barrage of treys was finalized with Harris hitting a 3-pointer to put the Patriots ahead 34-17 with 11:15 on the first-half clock. SSCC shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and 55 percent from the field.
Whitlock made his third 3-pointer of the half with 45 seconds remaining in the half, giving the Patriots a lead of 21 points. That three began a shorter display of consecutive three-point baskets as it was answered with two straight shots from beyond the arc from Warrington, who ended the game with six total 3-pointers and 20 points to lead OU-C.
The scoring in the first half continued to go both ways, but another 3-pointer by Harris put SSCC in front by 19 points, as the Patriots eventually led by 13 points to end the opening half.
In the second half, SSCC outscored their opponent 51-36, highlighted with an alley-oop dunk from Walton with 14:51 left in regulation.
Leading the second-half scoring for the Patriots was McLaurin with 15 points in the half, followed by JR Blair adding 13 in the half.
McClain graduate Trey Lytle also played in the game as a member of OU-C, making a free throw in the second half. Other leading scorers for OU-C were Dylan Gragg with 13 points and Casey Shaw with 11.
The rest of the SSCC scoring was from Jovon Freshwater with four points and Kam Harris with eight.
SSCC totaled 41 rebounds (13 offensive) with six blocked shots, 15 steals and 13 turnovers.
The Patriots will return to the court on Monday, Jan. 14 when they will host UC-Clermont at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, SSCC will host Miami University-Hamilton at 7:30 p.m.
The win was the Patriots' ninth consecutive victory, as they move to 13-2 overall. During the break, the Patriots went from being the No. 3 ranked team in the USCAA Power Rankings to the No. 4 ranked team.
"It was a win, and we'll take it," SSCC head coach Travis McAvene said. "We played flat, like we have been off for a few weeks, but we've added some players to the roster, and it will take a little time for us to gel.
"We played much harder in the first half. This team has potential, and they can go as far as they want to go, but we have to put defense first. (Wednesday) we relied on our athletic ability, but we can't do that against every team we play. I'm not satisfied with the performance."
Not only did the Patriots score multiple points in transition and in the post with a couple alley-oop dunks, but they also shined from beyond the arc with 10 3-pointers, including a first-half consisting of six treys, with three each from Ty Harris and Brandon Whitlock.
Whitlock led the Patriots with 23 points, 17 in the first half, while new SSCC player Martise McLaurin followed by gaining a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as he broke away in the second half with 16 points, ending his scoring with a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation.
The Patriots had three other players reach double figures: Isiah Walton with 16 points, Ty Harris with 14 points (nine assists) and JR Blair with 13 points (seven rebounds) in the win.
"We had two weeks off, and we did come out flat," Walton, a team captain, said following the win. "I guess it was rust, but in the second half, we did pick up our play and played Patriot basketball.
"It felt good to get back on the court. I know we'll get better, but with a new semester starting, the break and some new teammates, we'll get back to normal."
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At the end of the first half, the Patriots led 51-38, as they built a 10-3 lead in the opening five minutes against OU-C with Whitlock scoring eight of the first 10 points by SSCC, including a forceful dunk at the 15:44 mark which put the Patriots ahead by seven points.
Later in the half, the Patriots showed more of their hops as McLaurin slammed the ball through the hoop on an alley-oop to make it an 18-7 score.
Then there was a point in the first half that rained 3-pointers with OU-C Blake Warrington starting what turned into five straight 3-pointers combined by both teams in a span of 1:35.
Following Warrington's trey, Whitlock knocked down back-to-back threes, which were answered by a 3-pointer from Antwann McDaniel from OU-C. McDaniel finished with 18 points.
The barrage of treys was finalized with Harris hitting a 3-pointer to put the Patriots ahead 34-17 with 11:15 on the first-half clock. SSCC shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and 55 percent from the field.
Whitlock made his third 3-pointer of the half with 45 seconds remaining in the half, giving the Patriots a lead of 21 points. That three began a shorter display of consecutive three-point baskets as it was answered with two straight shots from beyond the arc from Warrington, who ended the game with six total 3-pointers and 20 points to lead OU-C.
The scoring in the first half continued to go both ways, but another 3-pointer by Harris put SSCC in front by 19 points, as the Patriots eventually led by 13 points to end the opening half.
In the second half, SSCC outscored their opponent 51-36, highlighted with an alley-oop dunk from Walton with 14:51 left in regulation.
Leading the second-half scoring for the Patriots was McLaurin with 15 points in the half, followed by JR Blair adding 13 in the half.
McClain graduate Trey Lytle also played in the game as a member of OU-C, making a free throw in the second half. Other leading scorers for OU-C were Dylan Gragg with 13 points and Casey Shaw with 11.
The rest of the SSCC scoring was from Jovon Freshwater with four points and Kam Harris with eight.
SSCC totaled 41 rebounds (13 offensive) with six blocked shots, 15 steals and 13 turnovers.
The Patriots will return to the court on Monday, Jan. 14 when they will host UC-Clermont at 7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, SSCC will host Miami University-Hamilton at 7:30 p.m.