MOUNT VERNON — The 2008-09 boys basketball season got off with a bang in Mount Vernon on Friday night. The Yellow Jackets put on a show, offensively and defensively, and stifled Lexington, 77-45.
“Basketball starts on the defensive end, and our effort was the best defensively that we’ve been all preseason,” said Mount Vernon coach Kurt Kaufman. “When the tip went up, these guys were ready. They did everything we’ve talked about. That triggered our offense, so it was a nice thing to see.”
Senior guard Cuy Sheffield led the way for the Jackets with a high of 21 points, often beating the Lexington defense to the basket. Mount Vernon also got it done in the post, with Joe Scott posting 10 points, Ben Hoar eight and Stephen Bien seven. For the game, Mount Vernon was 25-of-49 from the field and 24-of-33 from the free-throw line. Even still, it was the Jacket defense that may have been the most impressive.
“Our defense helped a lot,” said Sheffield. “We got some easy baskets because they were taking a lot of 3s and missing them. We were getting easy layups and our defense was leading to our offense. ... I was just trying to attack the basket and make opportunities for myself and my teammates.”
Lexington (0-1) jumped ahead early, 5-2, but a stingy defense by Mount Vernon began to work on the Minutemen. It wasn’t long before the Jackets (1-0) were on a 11-1 and held a 13-6 advantage. Sheffield had seven points in that stretch off three layups and a free throw. Lexington pulled within five on two occasions, but Mount Vernon closed the quarter scoring the final eight points, leading, 23-10, after one.
“We want to be aggressive offensively and defensively,” Kaufman said. “Our guys have put a lot of effort in this summer, trying to get stronger and faster. I think it showed tonight.”
Not much changed in the second quarter. The Jackets continued to play tough defense, and then transferred that over on the offensive end. A 9-1 run to open the quarter gave Mount Vernon a 22-point advantage with 5:32 to go before halftime. Lexington guard Courtney Avery hit three 3-pointers down the stretch to provide some offense, but so did Sheffield, who scored the last two buckets for Mount Vernon. The Jackets led, 38-20, at the half.
With such a strong lead, Kaufman was able mix up his lineup generously, and it showed in the scoring column. Twelve players got into the game for the Jackets in the second half, and Mount Vernon didn’t miss a beat.
A 12-4 spurt opened up a 50-24 advantage for the Jackets in the third quarter. Ben Severns had five points and Charlie Phillips added four. Lexington scored the final two buckets of the quarter only to find itself down, 50-29, after three.
Mount Vernon continued to hustle after the ball in the fourth quarter, despite such a large lead. The result was a 13-7 run and a 27-point differential. The Minutemen scored seven straight points to narrow the gap, but was forced to foul the Jackets. Mount Vernon hit 9-of-12 from the line down the stretch to help solidify a 77-45 victory.
“This is a good start to our season. It’s nice to get off on the right foot,” said Sheffield. “Making a statement like this at home is big. We really want to win all of our games at home, and not let people come in and beat us at our place. This gives us a lot of confidence.”
In all, three Yellow Jackets reached double figures while seven scored six points or more. Severns finished with 10 points, while Phillips had seven points and six rebounds. Tad Glibert had six points and four steals. In addition to his 21 points, Sheffield also had five rebounds. Scott led the team with seven boards, and Bien had four rebounds and three blocks. For the game, Mount Vernon outrebounded Lexington, 41-30.
“This is what we want,” said Kaufman. “We want to look down the scoring column and see a balanced offense. That means you can’t key on any one person. We had that tonight.”
Avery was the only double-digit scorer for Lexington with 19 points. Jason Guth had eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.
In reserve action, Mount Vernon picked up its first win of the season over Lexington, 61-55. Freshman Riley Swanson dropped in 21 points to lead the Jackets (1-0), while T.T. Crouch and Chris Ingersol each added 10 points.
Mount Vernon has just a few days off before beginning Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division play. The Jackets are back at home Tuesday, hosting Olentangy Orange at 6 p.m.
“These guys are hungry this year,” said Kaufman. “They’ve been around long enough that they understand you have to bring it all the time. You can’t have a letdown; you’ve got to be focused and execute the game plan every minute of the game.
“These guys have a bad taste in their mouth from the league last year. We’re ready to try and correct that. The first league game is Tuesday, and that is very big. We’ve got to go after it.”
