Sports
Marauders Suffocate Buckeye Offense
By: Joseph Hennessy
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Fast-paced offense and full-court trap defense that forced turnovers was the recipe for success tonight for the Meigs Marauders (5-7, 2-3 TVC-Ohio) as they welcomed in the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes. Weston Baer caught fire early in the first quarter from 3-point land but it was the full court, suffocating defense that caused mistakes all night and tough scoring opportunities for the Buckeyes. At the final buzzer, the scoreboard read 83-61, giving Meigs momentum going forward.
Baer cashed in six of seven from deep, giving him 30 points on the night. Zach and Tyler Bartrum kept the ball movement at a fast pace allowing Baer to get an open three, but Baer is one of the more dominant one-on-one offense players in the TVC so his ability to get in the paint and cross up defenders helped keep Nelsonville-York on their toes.
It was Meigs’ defense that caused any type of offense early-on. The Marauders were causing turnovers and running back up the court, attacking the Buckeyes seven-man depth chart and wore them out going up the sidelines.
Head coach Jeremy Hill after the game said, “Our defense just created a lot of scoring opportunities.”
Coulter Cleland, a freshman, makes his presence known in games. Not as tall as some on his team, but his football mentality comes out and “see ball, grab ball, score ball,” is his demeanor. His IQ on the court at a young age should scare teams playing against them going forward, not just this season but for the next three years.
Hill said, “Everybody feeds off of everybody and if one guy is laying down, usually the defense breaks down. If you have five guys out there, they’re going to feed off each other and that’s what he did.” He later added, “I think we’ve been waiting on that effort to come forth, now we just need to do something with the win. We got to get a string of them and climb ourselves back up the ladder.”
Cleland finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds (nine on the offensive end), and three steals. Bartrum contributed with 11 points, four assists, and three steals.
As for the Buckeyes, they were led by lefty-shooter, Bryce Richards, who ended the night with 20 points.
Meigs returns to action Friday when they head to River Valley. As for Nelsonville-York, they look to rebound on Friday as well against Alexander.