Byesvillevillagereporter.com - Colts lose despite brilliant fourth quarter

UHRICHSVILLE -- After spotting the host Claymont Mustangs as much as a 19-point fourth quarter lead, the visiting Meadowbrook Colts poured in 39 points in a torrid final frame, but came up just short in a 69-67 East Central Ohio League loss.

Claymont (8-5, 4-3 ECOL) owned the first three quarters, with "big man" Daniel Wise dominating the inside game the first half as the Mustangs built a 18-12 opening quarter lead and expanded to a 13-point halftime margin.

Wise scored 15 of the Mustangs' 34 first half points and Claymont utilized the inside-outside game masterfully. Brennan Mills added 10 points the first two frames including a pair of three-pointers.

"We have to defend from the jump ball, plain and simple," Meadowbrook coach Keith Arnold pointed out. "In the first three quarters, they (Claymont) ran the inside-outside well and Wise had a nice first half. Their kids did a nice job of trying to execute the game plan."

Meadowbrook (8-4, 3-4 ECOL) then turned up the defensive intensity, utilizing the full-court pressure which forced nine turnovers by the Mustangs. The Colts put together runs of five and six to narrow the gap to 12 points (55-43) with 3:42 still showing.

The Colts pulled within seven with 1:38 remaining, but Claymont utilized the foul line down the stretch to keep the difference between 8-to-12 points until the final 26 seconds.

With the Mustangs clinging to a 69-61 advantage, Nichols buried another "three" to cut the deficit to five with 14 ticks left. Keeping up the pressure, Aaron Wickam was fouled, but missed both ends of the two-shot bonus with the Colts rebounding.

Jeramie Neff canned a "triple" with just one second left to cut the difference to the 69-67 final.

"When we decided to play with that extra edge on defense, we did all right," Arnold stated. "We didn't do that the first three quarters, but in the fourth quarter we picked up the defensive intensity. This team is capable, but it comes down to a consistent mental approach."

The game was decided at the foul line, with both teams connecting on 23 floor shots. Meadowbrook was 14-of-26 from the charity stripe while the Mustangs converted 18-of-24 tries, including 11-of-15 in the fourth quarter. Meadowbrook was 4-of-10 in the final frame.

Meadowbrook made 23-of-51 field shots, just over 45 percent, with Ethan Shriver leading all scorers with 25 points. Neff followed with 20 points, both scoring 12 points in the final quarter. Nichols hit three from beyond the arc in the fourth and tacked on a free throw for 10 points.

The Colts picked off 11 steals, most coming in the final quarter led by Neff with four and Shriver with three. The visitors handed out 12 assists with Neff dishing out five and Shriver four.

Claymont converted 23-of-36 floor shots for a sizzling 63.8 percent Mills, before fouling out in the last two minutes, and Chris Foltz each pouring in 18 points with Wise close behind with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The Mustangs posted a 34-25 rebounding advantage led by Wise with Nick Merrick adding six boards. Alex Robertson and Shriver each pulled down five to pace the Colts.

Jeff Harrison

For The Village Reporter

BYESVILLE -- Meadowbrook High opened some breathing room in the second quarter and visiting Cambridge was never able to recover, leading to a 62-46 repeat victory for the Colts in the battle of Guernsey County rivals.

An earlier 61-55 winner, Meadowbrook (10-4, 4-4 ECOL) turned in a solid shooting night in front of a nice-sized crowd. Coach Keith Arnold's Colts connected on 21-of-33 field goal attempts for a sharp 64 percent accuracy.

"I liked our energy and hustle," said Arnold. "I thought we handled the crowd and the atmosphere well.

"We wanted to go inside-out and we stuck to that," the Colts' coach related. "When you do that, even the jumpers are in good rhythm and you generally make a good percentage."

Meadowbrook managed a 17-12 lead after one quarter, sparked by a seven-point round from senior Ethan Shriver. Cambridge junior Benny VanDyne -- playing perhaps his best game of the year -- opened with seven early tallies for the Bobcats.

Cambridge (4-9, 2-6 ECOL) managed just one field goal in the second round while Meadowbrook got six points from senior Alex Robertson to spark a 15-4 edge which led to a 28-16 halftime advantage for the hosts.

The 'Cats cut the lead back to 10 on several occasions in the third chapter, but by the end the Colts had increased the margin to 13 (43-30). Shriver tallied nine points for Meadowbrook while senior Ryan Hatmaker countered with a seven-point quarter for Cambridge.

A VanDyne "triple" opened the third and pared the gap back to 10, but the Colts ripped off seven in a row to extend to a 17-point bulge and the Bobcats were unable to get any closer than 10 (56-46) down the stretch.

Shriver topped the Colts with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Senior Jeramie Neff tallied 15, including 10-of-15 at the free throw line; senior Logan Pepper scored 11 and had four boards; and Robertson closed with 10 points and five caroms.

The Colts finished with 21 rebounds and eight turnovers, but only three in the first three quarters.

"We let up a little at the end, but we did a nice job protecting and distributing the ball for the most part," offered Arnold. "I thought Ethan did a solid job on Hatmaker defensively and Alex gave us a lot of energy in the first half tonight."

VanDyne topped Cambridge with 14 points; senior Ryan Jamiel had 12 points and 11 rebounds; and Hatmaker finished with 11 points and three steals.

The 'Cats were 15-of-42 from the field (36 percent) with 26 rebounds and eight miscues.

Zak Gress

For The Village Reporter

SARAHSVILLE --Maybe it was the cold weather, or maybe it was the calm attitude with which Shenandoah's Brett Farnsworth and Wes Rataiczak knocked down free-throws in the final minutes of a 70-63 win at home over Meadowbrook, but either way one thing is for certain: the Zeps had icewater in their veins.

Within 1:15 left in the contest, the junior guard Farnsworth and senior forward Rataiczak combined for a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe to put away the Colts (10-5).

With 6:00 left in the contest, Logan Pepper drilled a three-pointer from the wing for the Colts, and shortly after, Shriver and Minyo slashed the Zep defense for a pair of quick baskets, cutting the lead to 53-51.

With their backs to the wall, the Zeps preceded to attack the pressure defense of Meadowbrook and draw trips to the foul line. The rest, as they say, was history, as Shenandoah converted 12-of-18 free-throw attempts in the final frame to secure the victory.

Meadowbrook head coach Keith Arnold was disappointed with his team's lack of defense.

"Defense and discipline," Arnold declared. "If we want to go anywhere in the tournament, then in the next couple weeks, we are going to have to buy back into the defensive end of the floor. We have given up way too many points lately."

Rataiczak paced the Zeps, tallying 26 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a block. Doudna added 16 points and four boards; Farmer poured in 11 points and dished out four assists; and Farnsworth collected 10 points.

Shriver led the way for the Colts, scoring 21 points and pulling down a trio of rebounds. Neff added 16 points; Pepper hit two "triples" en route to an eight-point, seven-assist performance; and Minyo pumped in 11 markers.

The Zeps shot a blazing 25-of-39 (64 percent) and 16-of-25 (64 percent) from the foul line. The Colts hit 23-of-56 field goals (41 percent) and 12-of-18 foul shots (66 percent).

The hosts enjoyed a narrow rebounding advantage, grabbing 21 to Meadowbrook's 19. The Colts forced 12 turnovers while committing nine.