It was a sweet shot that made the drive home from eastern Fairfield County on Saturday night much more enjoyable for the Teays Valley boys basketball team.
With the game tied at 46-46 and the final seconds ticking off the clock, senior Garrett Meddock hit a step-back three-pointer from the right wing, sending the Vikings to a 49-46 Mid-State League Buckeye Division win over the host Fairfield Union Falcons.
“I could not be prouder of the effort and grit these guys showed at Fairfield Union. We came out and played with great effort and intensity,” Teays Valley coach Brian Barnett lauded. “Throw in some toughness and you get a hard earned road win.”
That senior-led effort was capped by Meddock’s buzzer beating shot.
“We inbounded the ball and gave it to Garrett at the center circle with six seconds left. He drove right, got bumped and hit the shot right in front of our bench with half a second left,” Barnett said. “I had a great view of the shot and it never left the center of the rim. I am very happy for him as I know how much time he spends shooting the basketball.”
The two teams played to a 10-10 first quarter, but the Vikings were able to grab a 22-20 lead heading into the break and expanded their advantage to 36-32 entering the final period of play.
Eli Burgett led the charge for the Vikings in the third quarter with 10 points en route to a team-high 18 markers on the night.
“All night long Fairfield Union had a hard time handling Eli in the post,” Barnett said. “He did what a senior does in using his body to score. This was Eli’s best game by far, and I am so happy for him.”
The Vikings led by two to three possessions throughout much of the fourth quarter, but the Falcons battled their way back to tie the score at 44-44 and again at 46-46.
Reese Sauerbrun tossed in 10 points, Liam Sachs had nine and Meddock added eight for the Vikings.
Ryan Magill led all scorers with 29 points for the Falcons.
Barnett credited the Vikings’ defense for holding Charlie Bean to eight points.
“Reese Sauerbrun did a great job defensively on Bean all night and switched off on Magill some,” he said.
The Vikings were without the services of two of their top players due to injury, senior Camden Primmer and junior Peyton Weiler, and Barnett credited the depth his team has developed during this season with making the road win possible.
“A big reason for our success was the fact that all these guys had played important game minutes throughout the year,” he said. “All of the guys had started games and they were ready. We built depth early in the year and it really paid off tonight.
“Liam Sachs did a great job all night on the offensive end and came up with some big hustle plays. That allowed us to keep possession of the ball. Junior Jackson Smith – even though he did not score came up with some big steals in the first and second halves that lead to big baskets for us. Freshman Luke Sachs did a great job handling the basketball under pressure and getting us into our offense. He made great decisions and his defensive pressure caused problems all evening. His strength around the basket allowed him to secure some offensive boards.”
Weather permitting, the Falcons (7-9, 6-6) continue league play on Monday at Circleville and the Vikings (8-8, 8-5) hit the road again to take on Central Crossing in a non-league game.
Amanda-Clearcreek 50,
Circleville 35
A strong first half on Saturday allowed Amanda-Clearcreek to claim a 50-35 MSL-Buckeye win over the host Circleville Tigers.
Five players reached the scoring column in the first quarter that ended with the Aces holding a 20-7 lead. Clayton Rhyme led the way with six points, while Brody Pugh and Tayvon Miller added four apiece.
Rhyme scored four more points in the second quarter to help the Aces extend their advantage to 29-13 at the break.
Circleville played its best basketball in the third quarter and trimmed two points off its deficit. Briley Cramer led the charge by hitting a trio of three-pointers during the period en route to a team-high 17 points.
Preston Hulse chipped in six points on the afternoon, and Max Brooks and Trevor Coleman had five apiece for the Tigers.
Rhyme led all scorers with 18 points, Stevens tallied 12 and Cade Young added eight for the Aces.
Weather permitting, the Tigers (3-16, 2-10) are slated to host Fairfield Union on Monday for a league game and the Aces (7-11, 4-9) continue on the road a day later with a trip to Heath.
Westfall 50,
Southeastern 48
Westfall followed its biggest win of the season on Saturday by grinding out a 50-48 Scioto Valley Conference win over the host Southeastern Panthers.
Trevor Wolfe led the way with 14 points for the scarlet-and-gray, Casey Cline had 13 and Luke Blackburn tossed in 10. Tyler Shipley hit two big free throws to help put the win on ice and finished with seven points.
The Mustangs (7-13, 5-8) wrap-up conference play for the season, weather permitting, with a trip to Zane Trace on Monday.
Copyright 2021 SportingPumpkin.com. Any unauthorized republication of content on this website is prohibited by law.
Let’s go vikings