Buckeyes overcome rocky start and find rhythm
By: TJ Sweeney
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BUCHTEL, Ohio (WOUB) – The Nelsonville-York Buckeyes welcome the Wellston Golden Rockets for TVC-Ohio. The Rockets enter the game with a 2-7 record accumulating three straight losses. The Buckeyes on the other hand, have only played two games in the last four weeks, losing both.
The Buckeyes get off to a slow start, showing some rust from their time off. The Rockets capitalize on their rough start and get out to an early 7-2 lead. However, Alec Thompson for Nelsonville York wasn’t going to let that happen as he scored the first five points for his team.
Matching Thompson’s energy, the Buckeyes polish up their defense and finish off the first quarter in a competitive manner. After some strong defensive stands and hard-fought rebounds, the Buckeyes finished the quarter behind 10-12.
Immediately after the break, Nelsonville-York is clicking. They are grabbing boards, forcing turnovers, and finishing in the paint. Bean Martin leads his team on an 11-0 run, scoring five points during their tear. The Buckeyes end the half on a high note, Alec Thompson takes a charge and the student section goes wild, Nelsonville-York uses the momentum to end the half on top, 27-17.
After halftime, the Rockets tried to work their way back into the game, but Nelsonville was matching their scoring and making plays to maintain the lead. It was a full-team effort for the Buckeyes as Briant Call led the team with 10 points, following closely behind were Alec Thompson, Cameron Sullivan, and Bean Martin all with nine points each. The Buckeyes maintained their 10-point lead til the end of the third quarter, winning 40-30.
The Rockets came out aggressive in the fourth quarter, accumulating multiple fouls. Their physical play style didn’t pan out, as the Rockets fell behind even more. Wes Briggs fought hard for the Rockets, he led his team in scoring, putting up 17 points. Ultimately, Briggs fouled out late in the fourth quarter and the Buckeyes cruised to a 54-41 victory.
Following his team’s victory, head coach Blaine Gabriel said, “We’re starting to get the rotation a little bit better, the freshmen are starting to step up and I got good bench play tonight”.
The win moves the Buckeyes to 3-1 in conference play, the Buckeyes travel to Meigs to take on a dominant Marauders’ squad on Friday.