Jonathan Alder’s Jackson Izzard (top photo) and Henry Walker (bottom photo) go up for baskets against Bexley on Wednesday. The Pioneers won the Division II district semifinal game at Hamilton Township High School, 48-26. (Journal-Tribune photos by Sam Dillon)
Pioneers top Bexley
Jonathan Alder’s boys basketball squad put on a gut-check display of stout defense Wednesday evening.
The result was a 48-26 verdict over Bexley during the Division II district semifinals at Hamilton Township High School.
The Pioneers ran their record to 20-4 by limiting the Lions (7-18) to just 10 second-half points.
The third and fourth-quarter defensive work came after a difficult second stanza for the top-seeded Pioneers.
After taking an 11-4 spread by the end of the initial period, Alder had some defensive breakdowns.
As a result, the 18th-seeded Lions pulled to within 21-16 at halftime.
“It turned into a physical game during the second quarter and I don’t think we handled that very well, especially late in the period,” admitted Alder head coach Zach Ross.
“We got back to being ‘us’ during the second half,” he said. “We played gritty team defense…that’s who we are.
“Holding Bexley to just 10 points during the second half wasn’t an easy thing to do.”
Alder had a bit of trouble getting its offense untracked during the opening quarter.
Both teams only put a single free throw on the scoreboard as the clock eclipsed two minutes.
Logan Stevens knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner and Jackie Santa-Emma hit a basket as JA took a 6-1 lead.
Alder had trouble penetrating the Lions’ defense and as such, its inside game wasn’t much of a factor during the first eight minutes.
Jackson Izzard, though, kicked the ball out to Grant Welsch for a trifecta.
Izzard then hit a basket that sent the Pioneers into the second set with their 11-4 margin.
The Lions, who had started the game in a man defense, switched to a 1-3-1 zone to begin the ensuing stanza.
Stevens and Izzard, though, drained a pair of trifectas over the defense to push the Pioneers out to a 17-6 advantage.
Bexley’s zone alignment eventually began to take a toll as the Pioneers continued to have trouble penetrating the lane or getting into a good offensive flow.
The contest became more physical as the quarter progressed.
Alder had trouble adjusting to that as its fouls began to mount.
The Lions took advantage of JA’s lapses during the final two minutes.
Bexley went on a 6-1 run down the stretch and narrowed its gap to the five-point spread by the turn.
Bryan Williams hit a three-ball to pull the Lions to within 21-19 early in the third quarter.
JA began the period in a man-to-man defense, but crossed up the Lions with a 1-3-1 a few minutes later.
The Lions’ offense slowed down considerably as the Pioneers locked down the alignment.
JA later did a nice job of alternating man and zone defenses to keep Bexley off-balance the entire second half.
Santa-Emma scored on an offensive rebound and then found a gap in the Lions’ defense for a layup.
Those shots spurred the Pioneers on a 14-1 run during the remainder of the quarter.
Alder post player Henry Walker, who was relatively silent on the offensive end of the court during the first half, scored a trio of baskets during that stretch.
Walker’s final basket of the stanza, on an assist by Stevens, sent the Pioneers into the final quarter with a 35-20 lead.
Ross praised Walker’s efforts.
“Henry came up big for us during the second half,” the coach said. “He led by example.”
While Walker became more active on the offensive end of the court, Ross was just as pleased with the 6-6 senior’s defense.
“We put Henry on the Davis (Damian) kid during the second half because Grant was in some foul trouble,” he said. “Henry just had a huge second half.”
Davis, who led Bexley with 12 points, was not an offensive factor after halftime.
A three-pointer by Cade Phillips pulled the Lions to within 37-23 during the first couple of minutes in the fourth stanza.
That, however, was as close as Bexley got the remainder of the game.
The Pioneers maintained double-digit leads down the stretch.
They did a solid job of running time off the clock with their motion offense.
Bexley had no recourse but to put Alder on the free throw line in order to stop the timer.
Izzard and Santa-Emma (who both tallied 15 points on the night) hit free throws to pad the Pioneers’ final margin of victory.
Jonathan Alder will now face DeSales on Saturday for the district title.
The contest will tip off at at Central Crossing High School (3:30 p.m.).
The third-seeded Stallions (18-6) handed No. 2 Heath (24-1) its only loss of the season on Tuesday.
DeSales defeated the Bulldogs, 63-53, during another district semifinal that was played at Bloom Carroll High School.
“We’ve been preparing for both teams (DeSales and Heath),” said Ross. “We (the coaching staff) will also have a late night tonight in the film room.”
Jonathan Alder
Santa-Emma 5-5-15, Izzard 5-4-15, Walker 3-3-9, Stevens 2-0-6, Welsch 1-0-3, Gower 0-0-0, D. Begin 0-0-0, T. Begin 0-0-0, Heinig 0-0-0, Heimlich 0-0-0, Reed 0-0-0. Totals 16-12-48.
Three-point goals: Stevens 2, Izzard 1, Welsch 1.
Bexley
Dam. Davis 3-6-12, Williams 3-3-10, Phillips 1-0-3, Mitchell 0-1-1, Wagenbrenner 0-0-0, Dan. Davis 0-0-0, Dresbach 0-0-0, Gutter 0-0-0, Harpe 0-0-0, Berger 0-0-0. Totals 7-10-26.
Three-point goals: Williams 1, Phillips 1.
JA’s Jackie Santa-Emma drives the lane for two points against Bexley. Alder won the Division II district semifinal game at Hamilton Township High School. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
Jonathan Alder students signal for a three-pointer as Grant Welsch does up for a trifecta on Wednesday. The Pioneers rolled past Bexley, 48-26, during the Division II district semifinals. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
JA’s Logan Stevens swishes a trifecta against Bexley during a Division II district semifinal victory on Wednesday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)