MOUNT VERNON — It took the Fredericktown High School boys basketball team a little while to get things going on Tuesday night, but when it did, there was little the Northridge Vikings could do.
Playing the Vikings in a Division III sectional game at Mount Vernon High School, the Freddies went on a 24-3 run over a period of 8:35 in the second and third quarters to steamroll Northridge, 44-27. Fredericktown, which split the regular-season series with Northridge, shot 54.5 percent (18-of-33) from the field, while the Vikings struggled from the field (11-of-40, 27.5 percent).
“It is tough anytime you play an opponent three times in one season,” said Fredericktown coach Kirk Manns. “Northridge knows us very well and we know them very well, so we knew it was going to be a defensive game. They were able to take away a lot of things that we wanted to do tonight. We came out in the second half and stepped it up, and got the ball inside more.”
“Our guys played their hearts out; our shots just weren’t falling tonight,” said Northridge coach John Wheeler. “It just didn’t go our way.”
Northridge (8-13) had the hot hand early and built a 9-4 lead in the first quarter, but a late jumper by Fredericktown’s C.J. Ruhl made it a three-point game after one quarter. Ruhl added another jumper to open the second quarter, pulling his team within one, but a steal and layup by Northridge’s Barry Roth kept the Freddies (9-12) at bay.
“It is a good thing (C.J. was shooting well) because we didn’t have any rhythm at all coming out,” Manns said. “C.J. really bailed us out by hitting some shots and keeping us close.”
That’s when the Freddies sprung to life, however. Ruhl started a 11-3 run to end the quarter, and Andrew Newell hit three big shots along the way. Northridge managed just a 3-pointer by E.J. Snyder, and trailed by five, 19-14, at halftime.
“We started out well,” said Wheeler. “We were taking care of the basketball and rebounding the basketball in the first quarter. As the game went on, we were outrebounded and turned the ball over. We weren’t getting good shots. Our defense was also a step slower.”
Picking up where it left off, Fredericktown scored the first 13 points of the third quarter. The Freddies made a concentrated effort to get the ball into the post, and Thomas Hinkle made it payoff. Hinkle, who was scoreless in the first half, scored four buckets in the first 4:49 of play and finished with 15 points on the night. Newell hit a jumper and Tyler Hathaway added a 3 to put their team ahead, 32-14. Northridge ended a 7:31 scoring drought with a jumper by Snyder with 2:58 to go, and added a layup by Derek Hull to end the quarter down, 32-18.
“I thought in the first half, we were hurried a little bit; we weren’t taking the time to move the ball,” said Manns. “We weren’t setting up. In the second half, at times, our kids had pretty good composure and were able to do that, but at times, we were still trying to do things too quick.”
Fredericktown got to the free-throw line three times in the fourth quarter, making 4-of-6, and got three more buckets from Hinkle to build a 42-24 lead. Nick Stacey scored a layup on a pass from Jordan Radel with 11 seconds to play for Fredericktown, and Northridge’s Garrett Burke drilled a 3-pointer as time expired to end the game, 44-27.
“They are a very well-coached team,” said Wheeler. “They have a tradition, and that’s something I want to build in our program. As a first-year coach, it is something I can learn from. Tonight, things just didn’t go our way. We felt very confident coming in. I don’t know what happened. I don’t have all the answers.”
With the victory, the Freddies advance to the second round and a Friday night date with the Heath Bulldogs. Heath enters the game with a 13-7 record, and had a first-round bye in the tournament. Tipoff for the game is set for 6:15 p.m. at Gahanna-Lincoln High School.
“From here on out, the mistakes we made won’t be something we can overcome,” Manns said. “Heath is very good. They’ve got a lot of quick kids that can score inside and outside; they can shoot the perimeter shots. They are a very good team; it is going to take a patient effort, a composed effort by our kids to have a chance to win that game.”
