Tigers win for 4th straight time; defeat 1st place Miami Trace
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
GREENFIELD — For the second consecutive night, a team from McClain High School brought the race for the South Central Ohio League basketball championship a little closer.
In similar fashion as the Lady Tigers did a night earlier, the McClain boys basketball team used their defense, made clutch free throws, and controlled the inside game to take down SCOL leader Miami Trace, 55-48 Tuesday night in the only game of the night in Highland County and in the SCOL.
This is the Tigers' fourth straight win and their seventh win of the last 10 games.
Players and coaches from other SCOL teams were in attendance, needing the Tigers to upset the 13-win Panthers to keep their SCOL hopes going, and the Tigers delivered for not only their Highland County rival in Hillsboro but possibly others in the league. Six teams in the SCOL have multiple games remaining in league play.
Miami Trace now has two league losses with two SCOL games remaining against Madison-Plains on Feb. 11 at MTHS and the Washington Blue Lions the following night.
Though Tuesday night did shake up the SCOL standings, it was also about how the Tigers have gone from being 0-8 in the SCOL at one point, to winning their past three SCOL games, now including a win against the top team in the league. MHS began the season at 0-7 overall.
"Our kids … it's obvious our kids are getting better," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "The reason why we are starting to play better offensively is because we took just two threes tonight. In our last game against London, we took just four threes. We aren't shooting a lot of jump shots, even when people zone us, we are getting it in the paint and our shot selection is getting much better."
MHS (3-8, 7-10) trailed by two points or less after the first three quarters, but once the final eight minutes ticked off the clock, they led after that one was finished.
At the start of the fourth, MHS trailed by two points at 36-34, but that changed very quickly when Zach Matracia tied the game .29 seconds into the fourth frame. MHS took the lead when, after a block by Aaron Pryor forced a MHS turnover, Jared Loftis took the ball full-court to the hoop with 6:55 remaining for a 38-36 Tiger lead.
The lead in the fourth exchanged hands numerous times, whether it was from a 3-pointer by Miami Trace's Ty Leach, a put-back bucket from McClain's Tanner Vanzant, a 3-pointer from MT's Isaiah Carson, free throws by Matracia or a free throw by Brandon Fredrick (MT). The score was tied at 42 with 3:44 left in regulation.
Then the offense clicked, while the defense of the Tigers forced a couple MT turnovers, but either way you look at it… the Tigers took control of the game.
At the 3:29 mark of the fourth, Matracia converted a three-point play to put the Tigers back on top at 45-42. Pryor followed with a jumper, and after one free throw by MT, Pryor, who finished with 12 points, scored on a fast-break layup with 2:04 left in the quarter, putting MHS up by six points at 49-43. Two more free-throws by Matracia gave MHS a 51-43 lead with under 2:00 left in the game.
MT cut the Tigers' lead to four points with a 3-pointer by Leach, but the Panthers were forced to foul, and MHS made enough free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Matracia was the leading scorer for the game with 21 points. The senior captain added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"Zach has progressively gotten better each year. He's our emotional leader, our toughness leader, our defensive leader, he's our scorer," Eaton said. "Without him, we don't have a team. One man doesn't make a team, but one man like him sure helps a team."
Leach led MT with 18 points, followed by Isaiah Carson with 12 and Tucker Hughes with 11.
"Zach got into foul trouble early guarding Isaiah, so credit Scott Balzer for his defense against him," Eaton said. "He may have not scored a lot of points, but he had a lot of defensive stops. He kept (Carson) from catching the ball. All we said was no free pass in the lane, and if he's going to catch it, it has to be 15 feet away from the lane. I thought we did a decent job of getting him away from where he likes to score."
Although the Tigers came away with the winning score, both teams began the game with tough play, as MT led 11-9 after the opening frame.
The score was tied at four until Hughes nailed his first 3-pointer of the game with 5:36 left in the quarter. The Tigers struggled under the hoop on the ensuing possession, missing five consecutive put-back attempts under the hoop. Neither team got into a rhythm with the final points of the quarter coming at the 1:09 mark when Vanzant made a big move to the hoop for two points.
The second frame Matracia tied the game at 11 and MHS took a four-point lead with another bucket by Matracia and two points from Scott Balzer. MT came back to take a 17-15 lead with points from the trio of Carson, Leach and Hughes.
Both teams exchanged buckets as the quarter and first half drew to a close, but Leach made the final basket of the quarter for the MT halftime lead of 25-24.
In the third, Pryor tied the game at 26 with a jumper, but Carson answered with a 3-pointer.
Pryor tied the game again at 33 with 1:09 left in the third when he converted a three-point play on a put-back basket and free throw after being fouled.
"Credit our seniors," Eaton said. "Aaron Pryor and Jared Loftis had good nights. Zach Uhl did a great job on the ball and Tanner Vanzant coming off the bench did a great job."
Pryor added 11 rebounds for a double-double, while adding four blocked shots to his totals.
The win is the Tigers' first four-game winning streak of the season. In the streak, MHS has gained all three of its SCOL wins, defeating Madison-Plains, London and now MT. MHS stands at 7-10 overall and 3-8 in the SCOL.
"I wouldn't say this was the biggest win of the year, that would have to be the first win we had," Eaton said. "The reason is because it got us going, but biggest, best, worst, it doesn't matter, I think any win is a good win."
"We put some people in the race with this win, so it will be interesting to see how it shifts," Eaton said. "Miami Trace is a great team. They have a great coach, and they will be just fine, trust me."
MT drops to 13-3 overall, 8-2 in the SCOL. MT's other league loss was their first meeting with Hillsboro.
The Tigers are scheduled to host the Zane Trace Pioneers on Saturday night at MHS, a non-league game. The boys sectional tournament draw is this Sunday.
In JV play, MT defeated MHS, 30-20. Brent Shannon and Devin Trefz led MHS with five points each. MT was led by Blake Baldwin with 13 points.
GAME NOTES: Uhl finished with five rebounds … Matracia tallied eight rebounds, two steals and two assists … Vanzant had four rebounds, two steals … MHS totaled 32 rebounds (MT 19) … MT had three blocked shots … In the turnover battle, MHS committed 10 and MT had 11 … MT tallied nine assists and three steals … Balzer had two rebounds … Loftis had two rebounds and two assists … Pryor added one steal and one assist … In their first meeting of the season, MT defeated MHS 69-56 at MTHS.[[In-content Ad]]
In similar fashion as the Lady Tigers did a night earlier, the McClain boys basketball team used their defense, made clutch free throws, and controlled the inside game to take down SCOL leader Miami Trace, 55-48 Tuesday night in the only game of the night in Highland County and in the SCOL.
This is the Tigers' fourth straight win and their seventh win of the last 10 games.
Players and coaches from other SCOL teams were in attendance, needing the Tigers to upset the 13-win Panthers to keep their SCOL hopes going, and the Tigers delivered for not only their Highland County rival in Hillsboro but possibly others in the league. Six teams in the SCOL have multiple games remaining in league play.
Miami Trace now has two league losses with two SCOL games remaining against Madison-Plains on Feb. 11 at MTHS and the Washington Blue Lions the following night.
Though Tuesday night did shake up the SCOL standings, it was also about how the Tigers have gone from being 0-8 in the SCOL at one point, to winning their past three SCOL games, now including a win against the top team in the league. MHS began the season at 0-7 overall.
"Our kids … it's obvious our kids are getting better," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "The reason why we are starting to play better offensively is because we took just two threes tonight. In our last game against London, we took just four threes. We aren't shooting a lot of jump shots, even when people zone us, we are getting it in the paint and our shot selection is getting much better."
MHS (3-8, 7-10) trailed by two points or less after the first three quarters, but once the final eight minutes ticked off the clock, they led after that one was finished.
At the start of the fourth, MHS trailed by two points at 36-34, but that changed very quickly when Zach Matracia tied the game .29 seconds into the fourth frame. MHS took the lead when, after a block by Aaron Pryor forced a MHS turnover, Jared Loftis took the ball full-court to the hoop with 6:55 remaining for a 38-36 Tiger lead.
The lead in the fourth exchanged hands numerous times, whether it was from a 3-pointer by Miami Trace's Ty Leach, a put-back bucket from McClain's Tanner Vanzant, a 3-pointer from MT's Isaiah Carson, free throws by Matracia or a free throw by Brandon Fredrick (MT). The score was tied at 42 with 3:44 left in regulation.
Then the offense clicked, while the defense of the Tigers forced a couple MT turnovers, but either way you look at it… the Tigers took control of the game.
At the 3:29 mark of the fourth, Matracia converted a three-point play to put the Tigers back on top at 45-42. Pryor followed with a jumper, and after one free throw by MT, Pryor, who finished with 12 points, scored on a fast-break layup with 2:04 left in the quarter, putting MHS up by six points at 49-43. Two more free-throws by Matracia gave MHS a 51-43 lead with under 2:00 left in the game.
MT cut the Tigers' lead to four points with a 3-pointer by Leach, but the Panthers were forced to foul, and MHS made enough free throws in the final seconds to seal the win.
Matracia was the leading scorer for the game with 21 points. The senior captain added eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"Zach has progressively gotten better each year. He's our emotional leader, our toughness leader, our defensive leader, he's our scorer," Eaton said. "Without him, we don't have a team. One man doesn't make a team, but one man like him sure helps a team."
Leach led MT with 18 points, followed by Isaiah Carson with 12 and Tucker Hughes with 11.
"Zach got into foul trouble early guarding Isaiah, so credit Scott Balzer for his defense against him," Eaton said. "He may have not scored a lot of points, but he had a lot of defensive stops. He kept (Carson) from catching the ball. All we said was no free pass in the lane, and if he's going to catch it, it has to be 15 feet away from the lane. I thought we did a decent job of getting him away from where he likes to score."
Although the Tigers came away with the winning score, both teams began the game with tough play, as MT led 11-9 after the opening frame.
The score was tied at four until Hughes nailed his first 3-pointer of the game with 5:36 left in the quarter. The Tigers struggled under the hoop on the ensuing possession, missing five consecutive put-back attempts under the hoop. Neither team got into a rhythm with the final points of the quarter coming at the 1:09 mark when Vanzant made a big move to the hoop for two points.
The second frame Matracia tied the game at 11 and MHS took a four-point lead with another bucket by Matracia and two points from Scott Balzer. MT came back to take a 17-15 lead with points from the trio of Carson, Leach and Hughes.
Both teams exchanged buckets as the quarter and first half drew to a close, but Leach made the final basket of the quarter for the MT halftime lead of 25-24.
In the third, Pryor tied the game at 26 with a jumper, but Carson answered with a 3-pointer.
Pryor tied the game again at 33 with 1:09 left in the third when he converted a three-point play on a put-back basket and free throw after being fouled.
"Credit our seniors," Eaton said. "Aaron Pryor and Jared Loftis had good nights. Zach Uhl did a great job on the ball and Tanner Vanzant coming off the bench did a great job."
Pryor added 11 rebounds for a double-double, while adding four blocked shots to his totals.
The win is the Tigers' first four-game winning streak of the season. In the streak, MHS has gained all three of its SCOL wins, defeating Madison-Plains, London and now MT. MHS stands at 7-10 overall and 3-8 in the SCOL.
"I wouldn't say this was the biggest win of the year, that would have to be the first win we had," Eaton said. "The reason is because it got us going, but biggest, best, worst, it doesn't matter, I think any win is a good win."
"We put some people in the race with this win, so it will be interesting to see how it shifts," Eaton said. "Miami Trace is a great team. They have a great coach, and they will be just fine, trust me."
MT drops to 13-3 overall, 8-2 in the SCOL. MT's other league loss was their first meeting with Hillsboro.
The Tigers are scheduled to host the Zane Trace Pioneers on Saturday night at MHS, a non-league game. The boys sectional tournament draw is this Sunday.
In JV play, MT defeated MHS, 30-20. Brent Shannon and Devin Trefz led MHS with five points each. MT was led by Blake Baldwin with 13 points.
GAME NOTES: Uhl finished with five rebounds … Matracia tallied eight rebounds, two steals and two assists … Vanzant had four rebounds, two steals … MHS totaled 32 rebounds (MT 19) … MT had three blocked shots … In the turnover battle, MHS committed 10 and MT had 11 … MT tallied nine assists and three steals … Balzer had two rebounds … Loftis had two rebounds and two assists … Pryor added one steal and one assist … In their first meeting of the season, MT defeated MHS 69-56 at MTHS.[[In-content Ad]]