ADAMS TOWNSHIP – In a spirited, sometimes chippy game, the Badin Rams won the Clinton-Massie Holiday Basketball Tournament boys varsity bracket Friday night with a 66-56 win over the host Falcons.
The win gives the Rams the tournament championship, a clean sweep in the varsity contests as the girls were victorious over Legacy Christian in the title game earlier Friday night.
Massie drops to 1-1 on the year.
Trey Uetrecht had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Falcons. Thomas Myers finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
“Not happy with the loss but happy with our effort,” Massie coach Todd Cook said. “Not pleased with playing one half. Come out and get yourself in a big hole, 41-19. We just weren’t ready to play.”
The Falcons had great success on the offensive boards early but were unable to cash in and trailed much of the first quarter. Joseph Walsh ignited the Rams in the opening period, coming in off the bench to score points and take Badin from a 9-7 lead to a 17-9 advantage at the quarter’s end.
Massie had six offensive rebounds but five turnovers in the opening eight minutes.
Walsh finished with eight points in the first half and Mathews finished with a game high nine in the first two quarters. Badin led 41-19 at the half. The Rams were 12-19 from the field in the half while Massie turned the ball over 13 times.
“In that type of game, you expect a (high) amount but we have to eliminate that,” Cook said. “A lot of them come on our transition, we’re really trying to push the ball this year.”
Massie came out with the first six points of the third quarter, the highlight being a Griffin Laake to Drew Settlemyre fast-break layin. That made it 41-25 with 4:45 to go in the third.
But the Falcons were sloppy with the ball in the ensuing moments and went back down 20. Clinton-Massie had xxx turnovers in the third alone. But Badin was just 3 for 15 from the field in the third and was unable to take advantage of the CM miscues.
To close the third, Trey Uetrecht had a nice coast-to-coast run for two. Then at the buzzer, Uetrecht’s stickback pulled Massie within 14, 49-35.
The Falcons continued to chip away at the Rams lead. Settlemyre drained a pair of free throws and made it 51-40. A Uetrecht lob to Myers made it 52-42 but Zachary Switzer anwered with a three-pointer, 55-42. Zach Chowning had a steal and layin at 2:06 to get the Falcons as close as they’d been since the first half at 55-46.
The Falcons beat the Rams up court, Laake to Uetrecht for a pair but just as quick at the other end Switzer converted to nullify the CM basket, 59-48.
In the end, the Rams were able to have just enough success at the free throw line (9 of 10 down the stretch) to keep the Falcons at a safe distance and secure the win.
SUMMARY
December 22 2017
@Lebanon Road gym
Championship game
Clinton-Massie Holiday Tournament
CM 09.10.16.…..56
HB 17.14.08.…..66
(56) CLINTON-MASSIE (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Wolfe 0-0-1-1 Chowning 3-1-1-8 Myers 6-0-6-18 Campbell 0-0-2-2 Uetrecht 5-0-4-14 Laake 2-0-3-7 Settlemyre 2-0-2-6 Voss 0-0-0-0 Tanner Olberding 0-0-0-0 Trampler 0-0-1-1. TOTALS 18-1-19-56
(66) BADIN (fg-3fg-ft-tp) Tipton 2-0-2-6 DeCello 2-0-8-12 Hargis 0-0-0-0 Hagenmann 1-0-0-2 Flaig 0-0-0-0 Young 2-1-0-5 Mathews 3-2-2-10 Meyer 3-0-0-6 Switzer 3-2-2-10 Giesting 1-0-2-4. TOTALS 18-5-25-66
