Vinton County loses a tough game against New Hope.
By: Ben Axelrod
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MCARTHUR, Ohio (WOUB) — Vinton County was back at home to take on New Hope Christian Academy in a nonconference contest. New Hope defeated the Vikings at home, 65-56.
Vinton County knocked down a couple of threes from Nash Yates and Josh Montgomery to get off to a 6-0 lead. The Statesman would take a five-point lead at the end of the first quarter, 16-11.
The Statesman kept the lead and forced the Vikings into tough shots. New Hope kept shooting the ball well off good looks to make their lead even bigger. Nate Ames had a dominant first half, scoring 19, and would hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, going into halftime to give them a 35-25 lead at the break.
The Statesman would continue to play with great energy, which made it tough for the Vikings coming out of the half. The Vikings would continue to search for answers to get back in the game, but couldn’t keep up with the Statesman. Ames continued to be hot in this game as he would have another buzzer-beater, banking in a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter.
The Vikings had multiple turnovers, and the game started to get out of reach for them in the fourth quarter. Vinton County couldn’t go on a run to make a comeback as New Hope would keep responding with baskets. New Hope would defeat Vinton County by a final score of 65-56.
With this loss, Vinton County falls to 6-8 while New Hope improves to 7-6. Josh Montgomery led the Vikings in scoring with 24 points, while Nate Ames led the Statesman with 26 points.
After the game, we asked Vinton County head coach Nj Kight what he wants to see changed against Nelsonville York, and he mentioned
“Just a commitment on the defensive end. You know commitment to guarding a commitment to communicating. Our communication is not very good. You know, if our communication doesn’t pick up, our defense won’t pick up. Like, if we’re not on a string defensively, if we’re not committed to five guys playing defense, then nothing’s going to change.”
The Vikings will look to bounce back on the road against Nelsonville York in their next game, while New Hope will play Federal Hocking next.