Generals down Colts
BELLVILLE — The Clear Fork High School boys basketball team dropped a 51-43 contest against Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Wooster on Tuesday night. From the opening tip-off, the Generals had enough edge to keep the Colts trailing most of the game. Both teams now stand at 1-5 in the OCC.
“We didn’t handle the pressure real well. I just think we didn’t match their energy,” said Clear Fork head coach Brian Kiper. “They were hungry for a win and it showed in the way they played, and we didn’t match that.”
Wooster’s big man, Christian Barbera, scored all 10 of his team’s first-quarter points, making it a tie game after one. The Colts trailed 23-19 at the half.
“He is their best player and the main person they have returning with varsity experience. We let him score the first 10 points of the game and I think we were able to come back at the end,” Kiper said. “Everybody talks about our kids and how hard they play, and they made a game of it, but we didn’t match their energy from the beginning. We didn’t get off to a good start and had to play behind the whole game.”
Barbera ended the night with 13 points, spending a good chunk of time on the bench after receving his third foul early in the second quarter and fouling out late in the fourth. The Generals held Clear Fork to nine points in the second quarter, and only four in the third before the home team rallied back with a 20-point fourth quarter.
“They got the defensive rebounds, we didn’t keep them off of the glass. They converted their free throws, and they did a lot of things right tonight that we didn’t. That is why we got beat,” said Kiper.
Wooster had the final advantage from the free-throw line, shooting 16-of-23, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter, compared to Clear Fork’s 6-of-13.
“We shoot tons and tons of free throws every day. Each kid shot 25 free throws this morning during shoot around. We do work on it, but it’s all a mental thing. It’s going to the line, blocking out everything that is going on, and blocking out the score,” Kiper said. “You are 15 feet away with a free shot — you just have to concentrate and put it in.”
Leading scorers for the Colts were Brandon Smith with 14 points, and Joe Fraley with 10 points and two 3-pointers.
In the junior varsity game, the Colts defeated the Generals, 47-32. Clear Fork’s offense was led by Heath Freeman scoring 19 points. Andrew Guill added 10 points. For Wooster, Drew Mahler contributed nine points.
Clear Fork travels to West Holmes on Friday for an OCC matchup slated for a 6 p.m. start.
