Dante' scores 27 in win
Saturday, Feb. 19
McClain rides fast start to Sectional title win over Hillsboro
Division II Southeast District boys brackets (link)
By Chris Hoppes SCOLsports.com
CHILLICOTHE – The McClain Tigers used an 11-0 start Saturday night en route to a 54-40 Sectional championship victory over the Hillsboro Indians at Southeastern High School.
The Tigers improve to 20-2 on the season and will take on Gallia Academy (9-13) Friday night, Feb. 25 at 8:15 p.m. at the Convocation Center at Ohio University in Athens. In the other District semifinal coming up Friday at 6:15 p.m., it will be Warren vs. Logan Elm. The District championship game is set for Sunday, March 6 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, it was just a tremendous start to the game for McClain that had Hillsboro facing an uphill battle. The battle was all-the-more challenging without senior post player Andy Snyder, who was injured in Hillsboro’s victory over Circleville Wednesday night.
The win was the third for McClain this season over Hillsboro.
McClain’s sophomore Dante’ Jackson led all scorers with 27 points. He led McClain with seven rebounds.
Sophomore Michael Howard scored eight points for the Tigers, followed by junior Heath McNeal with six and junior Jarrod Ralph with four.
Senior Jeremy Cumberland led Hillsboro with 13 points. Junior Joe Snyder scored 10, while sophomore Tirrell Cumberland added seven points.
The Indians finish the 2004-05 season at 14-8.
After the 11-0 run to begin the game for McClain, the two teams played about even. McClain led at the end of the first, 17-7.
The Tigers increased their lead to 15 points midway through the second period and led by 20 briefly before Snyder’s stick back bucket made it 33-15 McClain at the half.
“The first half’s probably as well as we’ve played all year,” McClain head coach Rick VanMatre said. “On both ends of the floor.
“I thought defensively we really had them out of rhythm,” VanMatre said. “We forced a bunch of turnovers with either our press or our quarter-court match-up zone.”
Howard gave the Tigers an early jump-start, according to VanMatre.
“One of the other keys was Michael Howard stepped up and hit some big shots for us, especially in the first half to get us going,” VanMatre said.
The Tigers shot a very fine 13 of 22 unofficially in the first half for 59 percent.
In the second half, however, McClain left the door open for Hillsboro to climb back into the game, going just 4 of 20 for a combined total of 17 of 42 for 40 percent.
As McClain cooled down dramatically on the offensive end in the second half, the Indians started cold and had to find the shooting touch while facing an 18-point halftime deficit.
Hillsboro was unofficially 1 of 9 in the first quarter and they followed that by going 3 of 11 in the second quarter. In the second half, Hillsboro was 11 of 24 from the field for a game total of 15 of 44 for 34 percent, unofficially.
“We came back out, as we have so many times this year, a little bit flat in the third quarter,” VanMatre said.
Hillsboro went to work and began to pound the ball down inside to Jeremy Cumberland who responded with several baskets as Hillsboro began a long climb back from what became briefly a 22-point lead by McClain.
Hillsboro battled mightily to get back into contention. The Indians chipped away and began a 12-2 run that took the bulk of the third quarter to accomplish. The scoring came from Jeremy Cumberland with seven, Tirrell Cumberland with three and Snyder with two.
After Snyder’s steal and lay up, it was 39-27, McClain with 23 seconds to play in the third.
A free throw from McClain’s Corey Rose made it 40-27 after three.
“We just couldn’t get on track offensively at all in the third quarter,” VanMatre said.
Hillsboro was able to cut McClain’s lead to 11 points on three occasions in the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter and once again, at 51-40, late in the game. That would prove to be as close as Hillsboro could get, however, as McClain made 10 of its 14 fourth-quarter points at the free throw line to post the 54-40 win.
As has been the trademark at McClain for so many years, defense is the key and it played a vital role in Saturday’s victory.
“We missed some decent shots and we missed some free throws down the stretch,” VanMatre said. “Fortunately, our defense kept us right there and we were able to hold on for the win.”
It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers, according to VanMatre.
“I thought in the first half we played about as well as we can play,” VanMatre said. “Then in the second half, we were very sluggish on the offensive end of the floor.”
“What we’re left with is, what ifs and if onlys,” Hillsboro head coach Joe B. Stewart said. “What if we had played as well as we did in the second half in the first, and if only we had.
“Obviously, Andy Snyder is a big part of the heart of our team,” Stewart said. “And we missed him. We’ll give the guys on the other side of the coin some credit here. They took away the things we do best. Basically the whole first half looked like that and then we finally got it in gear in the second half and did some very good things.”
McClain’s zone was troublesome for Hillsboro in the first half, according to Stewart.
“They pushed us out much too far on the floor for us to attack the zone effectively,” Stewart said. “We didn’t get into the gaps (in the first half). We really did in the second half and created the kind of action that we want on the inside in the second half.
“At times in the second half you saw the formula we brought,” Stewart said. “But Greenfield took it away from us in the first. The big thing was just how they jumped out of the gate.”
Now it’s on to the Convo for the Tigers, and a rematch of last year’s District semifinal against Gallia Academy.
“My old buddy, Oz,” VanMatre said, referring to the Gallia Academy Blue Devils head coach, Jim Osbourne. “They played well and upset Vinton County (Friday night) in a real close ballgame. We had the opportunity to see that game. They beat 15-5 Sheridan, then turned around and beat a very talented Vinton County team, so they’re on a roll.”
McCLAIN 54, HILLSBORO 40
SECTIONAL FINAL SCORE BY QUARTERS
McClain 17 16 7 14 - 54
Hillsboro 7 8 12 13 - 40
McCLAIN - Jarrod Ralph 0 (1)-1-4; Michael Howard 1 (2)-0-8; Skyler Gill 0 (1)-0-3; Corey Rose 0-2-2; Dante' Jackson 7 (1)-10-27; Matt Binegar 0-0-0; Heath McNeal 3-0-6; Thom Schottlekotte 1-0-2; Neil Decker 0-0-0; Jeb Wisecup 0-0-0; Joel Anderson 0-0-0; Jarrod Lyle 0-0-0; Zach Massie 0-0-0. TOTALS- 14 (3)-17-54. Free throw shooting: 17 of 27 for 63 percent. Field goal shooting: 17 of 42 for 40 percent. Three-point field goals: Ralph, Gill, Jackson. Rebounds: 17. Steals: 8. Assists: 12. Turnovers: 11. Personal fouls: 16. Fouled out: none.
HILLSBORO - Matt Garman 0-4-4; Ryker Miller 0-0-0; Anthony Price 0-0-0; Jeff Palmer 0-0-0; Drew Barreras 0-0-0; Joe Snyder 5-0-10; Tirrell Cumberland 1 (1)-2-7; Codey Juillerat 1-1-3; Todd Cumberland 0 (1)-0-3; Jeremy Cumberland 6-1-13. TOTALS - 13 (2)-8-40. Free throw shooting: 8 of 12 for 67 percent. Field goal shooting: 15 of 44 for 34 percent. Three-point field goals: Ti. Cumberland, To. Cumberland. Rebounds: 23. Steals: 7. Turnovers: 16. Personal fouls: 22. Fouled out: Snyder, Garman. Technical fouls: 2. Intentional fouls: 1.