Sports
Vinton County Uses Turnovers to Power Over Meigs
By: Danny Justik
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In a key TVC-Ohio match, the Vinton County Vikings got another win, defeating the Meigs Marauders 64-56. In a game that looked like it could be another blowout win for the Vikings, the Marauders were able to make it a tight contest in the second half.
Vinton County started off the game picking apart the Meigs zone defense and getting open from behind the 3-point line. After the Vikings started off the game on a 11-2 run, the Marauders were able to regroup after calling a timeout and finish the quarter only down by 7.
Later in the first half, both teams became very aggressive on defense and caused the game to become very physical. Both teams had trouble dealing with the pressure, forcing their own mistakes and piling up the turnovers. Vinton County finished the first half with 10 turnovers and Meigs had 11 turnovers of itsown. However, the Vikings played well enough to head to half up 34-23.
After halftime both teams cleaned up their games and reduced the amount of turnovers. The defensive pressure continued and caused a couple of scuffles between the players on the court. Meigs made the game tight, cutting the lead down to 5 in the fourth quarter. But after a couple of clutch free throws by Tristan Bartoe, Vinton County was able to close the game out.
When asked if his players were able to handle the intensity of the game, Vinton County coach Matt Combs believes his guys did well.
“It was a physical game, it was a little chippy at times. But I thought our guys, we have a lot of experience, we’re not gonna panic,” Combs said. “You gotta give a lot of credit to Meigs. I think sometimes people don’t give enough credit to the opponent. It was about what I thought it would be, it was a battle.”
For a team that has been very successful with the three ball this season, the Vikings struggled, shooting 29% from beyond the arc. However, Vinton County was able to stay calm and finished tough shots at the rim. Derick Jones led the Vikings in scoring with 21 points and Bartoe followed his lead with 19 points while also leading the team with 5 assists.
For the Marauders, Luke Musser led the team with 17 points with Dillon Mahr chipping in another 11 points. Meigs got a strong effort from Jared Kennedy on the boards, as he had a team leading 13 rebounds.
The Vikings (11-0, 5-0 TVC) look to stay undefeated when they take on Maysville in McArthur. The Marauders (8-5, 5-1 TVC) will look to rebound when they travel to play Point Pleasant.