Hardwood Heroes Sports
Meigs Stays Red Hot as they Win a Thriller at the Alley
By: Curtis Feder
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ALBANY, Ohio- After a rough start, the Meigs Marauders turned it around this season with a five game winning streak coming into their game against Alexander on Tuesday, with their most recent victory against Eastern on Saturday.
The Spartans, composed of an older squad with seven seniors, came into this game looking to supersede Athens to be the top dog of the TVC-Ohio.
Alexander came out looking like the better team in the first half, and went on an 11-to-3 run in the first quarter. Freshman phenom Kyler D’Augustino was slicing up Meigs’ defense and ended up with 15 points.
Despite the flow of the game, the Marauders hung around and kept the game close, trailing at the half only by six.
In the second half, the Meigs comeback began. The Marauders amped it up on defense, grabbing steals and scoring in transition. With less than a minute left in the third quarter, Meigs took their first lead of the game.
The fourth quarter was dominated by Coulter Cleland and Weston Baer. From the opening tip, it was evident that the game plan for Alexander was to stop the dynamic duo. The Spartans guarded them feverishly the entire game, but it did not matter.
The two combined for 45 out of the team’s 53 points in the game, with Cleland leading the team in scoring with 27 points. The scariest part: he was not 100%.
The sophomore missed school the previous day, but still showed up and became a major contributor to the Marauders’ success on offense.
“In the third quarter I felt like I was going to pass out. I felt really weak,” said Cleland. “I had a cookie on the sideline, and then I felt better and finished the game.”
In the final moments, every play was amplified. The old saying goes “defense travels,” but in this case the fans traveled. The Meigs fans cheered louder than the rest of the gymnasium combined, as the Marauders completed their comeback.
The Marauders outscored the Spartans 21-to-8 in the fourth quarter and went on to win 53-41, obtaining their sixth straight win.
The fight to keep the winning streak alive does not get any easier, as they must face Vinton County, a team that is also in the hunt for the top of the TVC-Ohio.
“We really honestly do the old cliche and take it one game at a time,” said Meigs boys head coach Jeremy Hill. “It’s extremely difficult, but if you keep [the] kids focused, and they go out and do their jobs, then we can be successful.”
The Marauders jump past Vinton Country into third place in the TVC-Ohio standings, and they will look to keep it that way and extend their winning streak to seven straight when they go on the road to face the Vikings on Friday.