Marysville’s Bodie Eberhart goes up for a basket against Westland on Friday. Eberhart scored 21 points during the Monarchs’ 66-42 victory.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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The Marysville High School varsity boys basketball team trailed Westland, 31-26, at halftime on Friday and some things needed to be straightened out during the intermission.
The main topic of discussion in the Monarch lockerroom focused on rebounding, specifically the Cougars’ ability to hit the offensive glass and Marysville’s inability to stop them.
Westland climbed the offensive boards 12 times, which enabled the visitors a number of second shot opportunities.
One of the reasons the Monarchs had trouble keeping the Cougars off the glass was the fact that Gabe Schaeffer had to sit for a spell with foul trouble.
“We discussed at halftime that we needed to clean up the glass,” said MHS head coach Ryan Grose. “With Gabe in foul trouble, it was going to have to be a team effort.”
The discussion paid huge dividends during the second half as the Monarchs rallied for a 66-42 victory during the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division game.
Marysville not only limited Westland to just three offensive rebounds during the second half, but also came up with a number of timely defensive stops during the third quarter.
That eight-minute stretch limited the Cougars to just three points as the Monarchs gained control by a 50-34 count.
The game was played on a physical level all the way through and at times was a bit ragged.
“We had some poor stretches,” said Grose. “That’s mainly because Westland is so athletic and it’s a challenge to play them.”
A three-point bucket by Bodie Eberhart on a Joey Duke assist gave MHS an early 5-2 lead.
Eberhart scored six of his game-high 21 points over the next several minutes as the Monarchs climbed to a 16-10 advantage by the end of the opening set.
Eberhart went between a couple of defenders in the lane to give Marysville a 19-11 spread within the first two minutes of the ensuing quarter.
The Cougars, though, battled back and pulled to within 19-18 when Rece Evans hit both ends of the one-and-one.
Duke gave the Monarchs a bit of breathing room with a three-pointer, but a stickback from Eric Panning and a dunk by Kalil Camara tied the game at 22-all with a little more than two minutes to play in the half.
Panning gave the Cougars a brief two-point lead before Phillip Hughes’ slam tied the game at 24.
Gaige Holbrook hit a jumper for a 26-24 Westland lead. He then buried a trifecta as the Cougars’ margin grew to 29-24.
Camara converted a Monarch turnover into a 31-24 Westland lead.
Hughes then hit a bucket at the horn, cutting MHS’ halftime deficit to five.
The Monarchs got active on the boards during the third quarter and from that point on, the Cougars really didn’t stand much of a chance.
Eberhart dumped a no-look pass to Hughes for the first basket of the second half and Marysville suddenly shifted into a higher gear.
Hughes scored three baskets over several minutes, pushing MHS out to a 43-34 advantage and forcing a Westland timeout.
The Cougars remained in trouble once play resumed.
Spencer Mills converted an old-school three-point play and Eberhart scored twice down the stretch as Marysville took its 50-34 spread into the final quarter.
Schaeffer scored on the opening inbounds play of the fourth set after a pass from Eberhart.
Schaeffer drew a foul on the play and sank a charity toss as MHS’ lead grew to 53-34.
The Monarchs took their first 20-point spread at 56-36 when Jack Christian knocked down a three-ball.
From that point on, the Cougars were forced to play catch-up… something they weren’t successfully able to do.
Marysville
Eberhart 10-0-21, Hughes 8-1-17, Christian 3-2-11, Schaeffer 2-2-6, Mills 1-3-5, Duke 1-1-4, Siefring 1-0-2, Karnes 0-0-0, Brown 0-0-0, Taylor 0-0-0. Totals 26-9-66.
Three-point goals: Christian 3, Eberhart 1, Duke 1.
Westland
R. Evans 3-4-10, Holbrook 4-0-9, Camera 3-3-9, Panning 2-3-7, Martinez 2-0-5, D. Evans 1-0-2, McGee 0-0-0, Corwin 0-0-0, Carpenter 0-0-0. Totals 15-10-42.
Three-point goals: Holbrook 1, Martinez 1.
The MHS jayvees and freshmen also improved to 2-0 with preliminary victories.
The freshmen won, 59-29, as Chase Allen scored 10 points.
Garrett Taylor scored 24 points and Gabe Powers added 11 as the jayvees notched a 78-32 triumph.