by JACOB MEREDITH / sportingpumpkin.com
ASHVILLE — A tale of two halves is the best way to describe this future Ohio Capital Conference divisional matchup vs the Vikings of Teays Valley and the visiting Gales of Lancaster with the Vikings winning 47-45.
The beginning of the game did not go the way Teays Valley Coach Brian Barnett wanted. “It was up and down at times, and it was a typical first game, our crowd was there, the student section was into the it and I believe we were just trying to do too much.”
The Gales came out of the gate with a Colten Bruny jumper then a long three from Tyler Carpenter to set the pace. A Sam Miller drive and Brody Fields bucket would match the Lancaster shots.
Fields added 23 to the box score and Miller would go for a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards on the night.
“We got to give Lancaster some credit in the first half they were hitting shots, and we were just sloppy with the ball and turning the ball over too much,” Barnett said.
The Gales shot 7-8 from the field to the Vikings’ 3-8 in the quarter and Lancaster finished the period up 14-10.
Teays Valley started the second quarter with a Kole Nungester three then the Gales matched with a jumper of their own. Teays Valley responded with consecutive Fields jump shots.
“I feel like our team really settled down in the second quarter and played their game,” Barnett said.
The Vikings held the Gales to 5-10 shooting from the field and no free throws in the second stanza and the score stood at 26-18 at the break.
In the third quarter, the Teays Valley comeback started with a three from Owen Hoffhines and after that the Vikings started to rewrite the script.
“In the second half we were really patient and worked the basketball a little more and got to the paint, and any time you do that it’s a good thing,” Barnett said.
The ball found its way to its way to Miller who drained a three and a jumper to force an early time out for Lancaster. Then Fields chipped in a deep three of his own to cut the lead to one to end the third with Lancaster up 34-33.
The fourth started out with a Lancaster three, then the Vikings answered as Fields iced two free throws and a deep three to open up the comeback for Teays Valley. The Gales and Vikings traded punches in the fourth as the pace of play picked up.
The Vikings got control as Miller and Fields dropped matching jumpers to get the crowd going and then a Cavin McDowell three iced the game for the Vikings.
Teays Valley held Lancaster to 3-8 shooting in the period and 60 percent on the night.
Teays Valley 47, Lancaster 45
Lancaster — Colton Bruny 6-0-14, Tyler Carpenter 3-0-7, Cam Eaton 1-0-2, Hayden Allen 4-2-10, Canon Ailes 2-0-6, Gabe Boyden 3-0-6. Three-point goals — Bruny (2), Carpenter, Ailes (2). Total — 19-2-45.
Teays Valley — Kole Nungester 1-0-3, Brody Fields 7-7-23, Luke Burgett 1-1-4, Owen Hoffhines 1-0-3, Cavin McDowell 1-0-3, Sam Miller 4-2-11. Three-point goals — Nungester, Fields (2), Burgett, Hoffhines, Miller. Total — 15-11-47.
Quarter scores 1 2 3 4 F
Lancaster 14 12 8 11 45
Teays Valley 10 8 15 14 47
