Yellow Jackets topple Braves
MOUNT VERNON — All season long, Mount Vernon High School boys basketball coach has been telling his players that their defense is improving. For another game, they proved him right.
The Yellow Jackets held league-leading Olentangy to just 40.8 percent from the field (20-of-49) as they rallied to win, 56-51, at “The Hive” on Friday night. The Braves (14-3, 6-3 Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division) led after each quarter, including a 34-33 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but Mount Vernon put together a late run to win.
“This is huge for our confidence,” said Mount Vernon senior Tony Tear. “Dublin Scioto really got us started and we are showing that we really are a good team. We keep picking up quality win after quality win., which is important heading into tournament time. We want to really make a run.”
It was a rough first half for both teams as neither shot the ball relatively well. Mount Vernon jumped out to a 13-8 first-quarter lead after a jumper by Jarrod Fiecoat, but back-to-back 3-pointers by Olentangy in the final 30 seconds gave the Braves a one-point lead after one. Three straight buckets opened up a 10-point Olentangy lead less than two minutes into the second quarter, but the Jackets pulled within two after a three-point play by Tony Tear and a layup from Richard Rucker. The Braves closed the quarter on a 6-2 spurt to go up 26-20 at halftime.
Olentangy scored a couple of quick baskets to open the third quarter to go up 10 again, but a jumper by Tear ignited an 8-1 run to make it a three-point game, 31-28, with 3:02 left in the period. Nate Short hit three free throws and had an assist on the run. The Braves were able to make it a six-point lead with 1:45 on the clock before Mount Vernon called a timeout.
“I felt like we had to execute and we had to get a score on that next possession,” said Mount Vernon coach Kurt Kaufman. “I felt like if we could go into the fourth quarter only down three, we were still in pretty good shape.”
Facing a significant moment in the game, the Jackets responded. Kyle Clinedinst took a cross-court pass from Ben Severns and drained a 3 to cut it to 34-31. Rucker then scored off a layup with five seconds left to make it 34-33 heading into the final quarter.
John McCambridge tried to keep the momentum on the Braves’ side, scoring a layup to open the fourth quarter. Mount Vernon, led by Rucker, answered the call. Rucker took a pass from Chris Glibert and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. He then grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it back in to give the Jackets the lead. Rucker’s night was shortly over, however, as he was called for his fifth foul on the Braves’ next trip up the court. Jordan Hoelzer hit a pair of free throws for Olentangy, which started a 9-0 surge and gave the Braves a 43-38 lead with 4:21 left.
Facing adversity, Mount Vernon rose to the occasion. Tear took a pass from Clinedinst in the corner and lofted up a 3-pointer. Joe Stuart then scored on the Jackets’ next possession to tie the game at 43. Michael Duffy scored a tipback to regain the Braves the lead, but Mount Vernon rattled off nine straight points to take control.
“It was just a matter of time,” said Kaufman of his team’s shooting. “When you get good looks, they are bound to fall sometimes. Give credit to them. We tell our shooters, ‘If they are off, shoot until you’re on.’ Our kids did that.”
“We came out and knew we weren’t hitting out shots in the first half,” said Clinedinst. “When they started falling, we definitely were back in this game.”
Ben Severns hit a pair of baskets, including a 3, and Stuart hit four free throws to open up a seven-point advantage with 1:22 left. McCambridge scored two buckets in the next minute to keep things close, but four more free throws by Tear offset a Duffy layup and sealed the Jackets’ 56-51 victory.
“It just takes one to get a big run going. Kyle had about three guys on him and he kicked it out. It was a great pass and just went in,” said Tear of his 3-pointer. “We hit the free throws as well. Joe did a great job of stepping up.”
“We felt like we were taking good shot in the first half. It was just that they weren’t falling,” Kaufman said. “We had a couple of them fall at the right times in the second half. We still didn’t shoot the ball real great, but we evened it up by hitting our foul shots. That was key to the game.”
Tear finished 5-of-8 from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line (6-of-6) for 17 points. He also had five boards and two assists. Rucker had 12 points and two steals before fouling out; Severns had seven points; Stuart added six points; and Clinedinst had five points to go along with his 14 rebounds and three steals. Clinedinst also had two assists and one block.
“Tony was big,” Kaufman said. “He is a solid player. He plays within himself. That fits our team perfectly. He can shoot it. No doubt about it. Kyle stepped it up and got those rebounds. That was big.”
McCambridge dropped in 21 points to lead Olentangy. Nathan Balch finished with nine points and Duffy had seven.
The Mount Vernon junior varsity improved to 15-3 on the season with a 61-33 drubbing of the Braves. Drew Cheek scored 19 to lead Mount Vernon. Joe Scott had 10 points, and Caleb Tier and Matt Dusenberry contributed eight points apiece.
With another win in their basket pockets, the Jackets will try to make it three in a row against New Albany (14-3), which comes to town following an 87-37 defeat of Watkins Memorial on Friday night. It will be Senior Night at “The Hive” as Mount Vernon honors its six seniors — Fiecoat, Rucker, Tear, Glibert, Clinedinst and Short.
“These seniors have done a tremendous job,” Kaufman said. “When you talk about Mount Vernon tradition — and there is a lot of tradition here — these guys have carried that tradition on. It has been a tough season at times, but our guys have hung in there. They are doing what we want to do and that’s play our best basketball at the end of the season.”
“It is going to be special,” said Tear. “It is going to be sad, but we’ll be happy as well. We want to go out with a big win.”
Clinedinst added, “It is going to be an emotional night, but we are just going to continue to play our game. ... It is definitely going to be special. Hopefully, we can make the best of it.”
