Sports
Vinton County Downs N-Y For First Win Of Season
< < Back to vinton-county-downs-n-y-first-win-seasonAfter a 10-0 run by Nelsonville-York to start off the fourth quarter, giving the Buckeyes a 39-37 lead, they could not find any more manpower to get the job done.
In a physical game that saw neither team shoot over 40 percent, Vinton County answered that late run with one of their own, as the Vikings defeated the Buckeyes 51-45 Friday night.
Defense was a huge key for Vinton County (1-1) after they struggled out of the gate. The Vikings would be down as much as nine points early on in the first quarter before head coach Matt Combs realized he had to gather his troops.
“It seems like every year we come over here we get down, we just had our kids keep calm and try not to panic,” said Combs. “We gave up three 3-pointers to Jay Elliot, whose name was written huge on our board.”
Nelsonville-York (3-1) would start out on an 11-2 run, behind Elliot’s early nine points. However after the first quarter, Vinton County held the Buckeyes to just 14 points combined in the second and third quarter.
One key player that helped the Vikings turn their early mishaps around was junior Chase Wood. He tallied 13 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Also contributing to the victory was junior Jordan Albright, who finished off the night with 15 points and four rebounds.
One key component that led to the Buckeyes downfall tonight was turnovers. Nelsonville-York had 11 turnovers on the night and sophomore point guard Hunter Edwards saw five of those leave from his hands.
“We had some tough turnovers late in the game, hopefully we make plays there instead of turning it over,” said head coach Jay Kline. “This team is still growing, I like our team, I like the parts and I like how we are putting it together.”
One bright side for Nelsonville-York in these first two outings has been senior Joel Thompson. He’s been a monster on the boards and has been averaging seven points and nine boards.
“I think I kept the secret well,” said Kline. “He’s an important player for us, he can do a lot of things well and he will continue to do a lot of things well.”
Contributing to this Buckeyes effort was senior Jeremy Warren. He added 13 points and seven rebounds, along with four steals.
Another thing that lacked in the contest was bench scoring. Neither team saw a player score a single point off the bench.
“We knew this was going to be a real challenge,” stated Combs. “I just feel fortunate to get out of here with a win.”
With this victory, Vinton County will host Alexander on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Nelsonville-York will travel to River Valley on Tuesday to face the Raiders.