Sports
Bulldogs Control Meigs, Remain Perfect In The TVC
< < Back to bulldogs-control-meigs-remain-perfect-tvcThe Athens Bulldogs dominated the Meigs Marauders winning Friday night at McAfee Gymnasium 63-31 in a TVC-Ohio matchup.
Athens came into tonight’s game sitting comfortably at the top of the conference and Meigs in third. The game had a slow, sloppy start as neither team could find a rhythm. Athens used size to their advantage to get a couple of easy buckets to get their offense rolling, while Meigs struggled to score until the three minute mark of the first quarter on a layup from Isaih English. English went on to score the first six points for Meigs, but foul trouble landed him on the bench for much of the second and third quarters. This stopped the momentum for the Marauders.
Foul shots were a huge factor in the victory for the Bulldogs, contributing for 16 of their points. The Bulldogs also used their speed and agility to convert on numerous fast breaks during an 11-3 run in the third quarter. Leading the green and gold was 6-foot-4 junior Ryan Leuhrman, who posted 15 points and 5 rebounds.
During the second half, many new Athens’ players got significant time on the court. Head coach Jeff Skinner expects his bench players to see a lot more playing time in future games.
“I’m probably as hard on those guys coming off the bench with the big lead as if it was a close game to make sure our team still has flow,” said Skinner.
Meigs was led by English with 14 points and 2 rebounds. The Marauders accounted for 19 fouls and a disappointing 11 turnovers. The highlight for the Marauders came in the final seconds of the game, as junior A.J. Kopec hit an exhilarating 3-point shot to end the game.
Athens rises to 12-3 overall and a perfect 6-0 in the TVC-Ohio while Meigs drops to 7-6 and 3-2 in conference play.
Athens travels to Ironton on Saturday, Jan. 25. These two teams will meet again in Pomeroy on Jan. 28, where Meigs head coach David Kight hopes his team will be more confident and “knock down more shots.”