MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon High School boys basketball team took a solid step forward over the holiday break as evidenced by Friday night’s 62-42 win at River View. Coach Kurt Kaufman knew it was only a matter of time and practice before his team would take a step forward.
“We did some good things,” said Kaufman. “We played some pretty good defense. We got contributions from a lot of different people as far as scoring goes. It was a good win.
“Hopefully, things are starting to come together, but we are only as good as our last game. We will evaluate after Friday’s game, and then again after Saturday’s game.”
While Kaufman is cautious about declaring his team over the hump, he has good reason. The Yellow Jackets face two big nonconference games this weekend. On Friday, Mount Vernon hosts Dublin Scioto, and then Saturday, Marion Harding comes to town.
The Irish come into Mount Vernon with a perfect 9-0 record. Led by the trio of Blair Gorniak, Ben Ashwill and Brad McDougald, Dublin Scioto took on Bishop Watterson on Wednesday, winning, 58-46.
“They are a good team,” said Kaufman. “They pressure you and are relentless on defense. They look to score off defense. If you can handle their pressure, then you can play with them. It will be a good game.
“They are all about 6-foot-2 and pretty athletic. They don’t have any one big guy this year. They are all really solid players. ... I think we can match up and go inside with them.”
Marion Harding rolls into Mount Vernon with a 3-7 mark through 10 games. Sophomore Shawn Dyer leads the team, averaging 13.1 points a game. Seniors Kyle Oney (11.5 ppg) and Kyle Kirkpatrick (10.1 ppg) back up Dyer. Also contributing is junior Cory White (9.7 ppg). The Presidents play on Friday at home against Napolean.
“We saw them play and they want to push it,” said Kaufman. “They want to run, and score as many points as possible. They are kind of similar teams in the sense that they are looking to score off their defense and they are looking to score quick.
“We will see how well we can execute our game plan. It all comes down to execution. The team that executes is the team that will be successful.”
The key to the Jackets’ recent turnaround has been the evolution of several options. One of those, sophomore Joe Scott, has been on a tear. He has averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds a game over the last three games, two of which were Jacket victories.
“Joe Scott is a good basketball player. He is getting better and better,” Kaufman said. “He has a great attitude and work ethic. He is capable of a lot, which is what we are seeing now. In the future, he is really going to impress a lot of people.”
Another reason for Mount Vernon’s success has been the play of point guards Cuy Sheffield and Jaryd Rogers. Each has provided a critical role, and played at a high level.
“Cuy is playing really well right now, and Jaryd, it is just a matter of confidence,” said Kaufman. “He is going to do whatever he can to stop you from scoring, and he is looking to score more himself. When he does that, he is a good player. That’s what we need out of him.”
Playing a pair of games at home to open the new year is a positive sign for Kaufman. He’s hoping to go above .500 at home for the first time in over a month.
“It is nice to be at home,” Kaufman said. “It will be nice not to be traveling and hopping on the bus. We’ve got to take advantage of it. We’ve got to get the home games.”
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The Mount Vernon High School girls basketball squad got two positives over the holiday break: A win and a near win. The Jackets, after beating Newark on Dec. 22, played an undefeated Marion Harding team to the end on Saturday. The Presidents were able to put the game away in the final minute, but even still, Mount Vernon had played its best game of the season.
“We played real well against them,” said Savage. “We actually jumped out to a five-point lead early, and then the first half was pretty much nip and tuck all the way. ... We beat them by one point in the third quarter, and then tied the game up with 1:15 to go. I thought we played our best game of the year. We had to foul a little bit at the end and ended up losing, but all in all, it was our best game of the year.
“We were able to get them in some foul trouble like we wanted to do, and we got ourselves to the foul line 32 times. We made 21 of the 32, and did a lot of the things we’ve been working on.”
Savage wants his team to continue its climb toward the top as it travels to Delaware for a nonconference game on Friday night. At 2-6, it might seem the only place to go is up.
“We’re hoping to turn things around,” said Savage. “We changed our philosophy in the last couple of weeks. We are trying to go more inside-out. I think our girls are on the same page now, and I think we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to our offense.”
The Pacers (5-7), led by twin sisters Makeda and Anasa Mathews, will present a challenge to the Jackets in the post. Both are capable of uncorking 20-plus points, but it is a challenge Mount Vernon is getting used to.
“The two Matthews girls are going to be a challenge for us on the interior. They are big, strong, physical girls,” Savage said. “Last year, Delaware scored 40, and they combined for 25 of the 40. For us to be able to control them, and go after them and maybe get them in foul trouble, would be huge. We’re hoping to continue and build for the second half of the season.”
Savage was quick to point out that just because Delaware may not have the best record, they are still a threat for the up-and-coming Jackets.
“Their record might not indicate that they have a good team, but you have to remember who they are playing,” said Savage. “They are playing good people. You can have a pretty decent team, but lose some close games. When you do that, your record may not look as good. We will have to play well. We don’t have that margin for error. We have to get good production from everybody, and we’ve got to avoid turnovers. ... We have to play a good game.”