Sports
Meigs has Mega Takeover in Second Half with Rising Leader
By: Claire Geary
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At the end of the first quarter, Ricky Body launched the ball from beyond half court and swished the ball into the net. With a buzzer-beating shot to just barely take the lead, the battle between the Vikings (8-6, 5-4 TVC-Ohio) and the Meigs Marauders (8-8, 5-4 TVC-Ohio) did not disappoint.
During the first half, the Marauders had a slow start that could not keep up with the Vikings aggressive defense and tactical offense on the floor.
With very few fouls being called, and time ticking away, team leader freshman Coulter Cleland stepped up to the plate to give momentum back in his team. The Marauders started pressing against the strong ball club, but still fell short by the end of the second quarter, trailing 27-to-20.
Throughout the second half, each team played aggressively on both sides of the ball. The excitement was in the air, the crowd and student section erupted in cheers in support of their team.
At the end of the night, a power-house combination of veteran junior Weston Baer and a young leader led the Marauders to victory with a 46-to-32 win over the Vikings.
Cleland led the night with a double-double, scoring 17 points and attaining 10 rebounds. Head coach Jeremy Hill was impressed with Cleland’s performance.
“Well, I could tell you this,” he said, “[Cleland] is a freshman on paper, but he is not a freshman on the court. He played well and has been playing well for the last three weeks.”
Some notable Marauders on the night were junior Weston Baer, who had 11 points and senior Zach Bartrum with six points to round out the top scorers for the Marauders.
For Vinton County, the Vikings put up a fight until the middle of the fourth quarter. Leading the team in scoring was Body, who had 11 points for the night. Closely behind him was teammate Gavin Arbauhgh with 10 points and four rebounds.
After the big win tonight, Meigs recorded improved to an even 7-and-7, and the Vikings drop to 8-and-5. Next week, the Marauders travel to play Point Pleasant on Tuesday, Jan. 29.