Athens falls to Marietta in the first round of OHSAA tournament play
By: Luke Schmitt
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MARIETTA, Ohio (WOUB) — The #6 seeded Athens Bulldogs (11-10, 6-6 TVC-Ohio) made their way East to take on the #3 seed Marietta Tigers (16-4, 5-1 TSL) in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs.
The Tigers started the game hot and took most of their shots from beyond the arc. The team shot 12 three-pointers and took four two-point attempts in the first quarter, and their three-point attack paved the way to a 21-5 first-quarter lead for Marietta.
Athens failed to construct any successful scoring plays, as Marietta consistently double-teamed the primary Bulldog ball handler as soon as the possession began. Athens faced an uphill battle throughout the game, and this early deficit kept them from making a dent into the Tiger’s lead.
Into the second quarter, Marietta continued to rack up points. They continued their attack from beyond the arc and shot 11/29 from three. Tigers junior Zaiden Wittekind was the scoring leader on the night for Marieta, and 15 of his 19 points came from three-point land.
Marietta had a great supporting cast of players, and their deep starting lineup combined for 62 of their 74 points. While Wittekind found success from deep, Trey Hawkins and Owen Riley got to work in the paint. Hawkins and Riley had 18 and 12 points respectively.
Amidst the deficit, both teams played very smoothly, as the first free-throw of the game didn’t come until 2 minutes and 41 seconds into the second quarter. Athens’ Zach Mullins took tough charges to thwart the Tiger’s attack, but the Marietta offense was too dominant and led 36-13 at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Athens began to turn their play around and score more consistently. Bulldogs senior Easton Nuzum led the team with his 19 points and kept the team in the game with his nice shots from midrange.
Athens cut into the Marietta lead in the second half, but their efforts fell short and ultimately fell to the Tigers 74-50.
With this Marietta win, they advance to the next round in the tournament and play a familiar TSL foe in #2-seeded Warren. The Tigers and Warriors split their regular season series, meaning a win in this tournament means much more for the players and coaches involved.
Athens’ season ends here, and key seniors Leo Martin, Easton Nuzum, Cordell Johnson, and Brady Keller will graduate. Athens Head Coach Mickey Cozart has had nothing but high praise for this group of seniors and speaks volumes about the senior leadership on this team.