1/24 Alexander (11-3) at Athens (10-4) Backyard Brawl

[Raider6309]

How’d they battle back without Kearns?

Good win, sounded exciting

Athens missed foul shots and turnovers

[VetteMan]

Athens 61
Alexander 57
Final

Whiting 25 points

Thanks for the updates Raider6309.

[93Bulldog]

Really exciting game. Packed gymnasium, great student sections, good officiating, fun ending. Game had just about everything you could ask for on a Friday night.

Athens led 16-10 after the first
Athens led 29-23 at half.
Athens led 46-34 after third.
Athens win 61-57.

Whiting was terrific. 25 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 9 rebounds. Drained four 3's.
Markins scores 14 with 6 boards.
Butcher with 6 pts, but 11 rebounds.

For the Spartans:
D'Augustino - 17
Kearns - 12
Terry 9 pts, 12 rebounds.

Bulldogs with 15 turnovers.
Alexander with just 8.

Athens 8-for-12 from the charity stripe
Alexander 6-for-11.

[pfloyd]

Really exciting game. Packed gymnasium, great student sections, good officiating, fun ending. Game had just about everything you could ask for on a Friday night.

Athens led 16-10 after the first
Athens led 29-23 at half.
Athens led 46-34 after third.
Athens win 61-57.

Whiting was terrific. 25 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 9 rebounds. Drained four 3's.
Markins scores 14 with 6 boards.
Butcher with 6 pts, but 11 rebounds.

For the Spartans:
D'Augustino - 17
Kearns - 12
Terry 9 pts, 12 rebounds.

Bulldogs with 15 turnovers.
Alexander with just 8.

Athens 8-for-12 from the charity stripe
Alexander 6-for-11.

Terry seriously had 12 rebounds ???? I had him for 8 ... 2 blocks ...

[Ironman92]

Really exciting game. Packed gymnasium, great student sections, good officiating, fun ending. Game had just about everything you could ask for on a Friday night.

Athens led 16-10 after the first
Athens led 29-23 at half.
Athens led 46-34 after third.
Athens win 61-57.

Whiting was terrific. 25 points to lead all scorers and grabbed 9 rebounds. Drained four 3's.
Markins scores 14 with 6 boards.
Butcher with 6 pts, but 11 rebounds.

For the Spartans:
D'Augustino - 17
Kearns - 12
Terry 9 pts, 12 rebounds.

Bulldogs with 15 turnovers.
Alexander with just 8.

Athens 8-for-12 from the charity stripe
Alexander 6-for-11.

Terry seriously had 12 rebounds ???? I had him for 8 ... 2 blocks ...

You probably confused him with the other 6’10 kids

[93Bulldog]

That's what I had in my book. Lol

I'll see what Kevin had him with.

[Raider6309]

Have to check with Kevin and Maddox

[93Bulldog]

8, 12 doesnt matter.

The number of touches he gets (or should I say doesnt get) and lack of scoring opportunities is what matters! Good grief.

[93Bulldog]

Kevin Wiseman had Terry with 13 tebounds.
I had him with 12.

Were you counting 'tip ins' Floyd? Those are rebounds + 2 points.

[pfloyd]

Kevin Wiseman had Terry with 13 tebounds.
I had him with 12.

Were you counting 'tip ins' Floyd? Those are rebounds + 2 points.

... I'm not questioning you 93dog, he gets so few touches - as he not even part of the flow of the Spartans offence - he very well could have had that many rebounds ... no I didn't count the "tips" as rebounds ... I have seen 4 Alexander games so far this season - still baffles me that 6-10 does not get touches, is not a part of the offensive scheme ... I get it that he is not a banger in the paint BUT 6-10 IS 6-10 ... IF 6-10 gets the ball on the blocks he's getting 2 and/or going to the line ... the Bulldogs made it a game in the 4th with those 7 TOs ! and as you said 93dog an excellent game by the duo of Brayden Squared - Markins and Whiting 14 & 25 respectively ...

[93Bulldog]

As someone who really wants Alexander to do well in the tournament, they can be incredibly frustrating to watch sometimes. Even if Terry isnt trying to score on the block or elbow every time, you can still run the offense through him. Just watch some old clips of Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell and how the guards moved around them - and you could have an offense that is almost impossible to stop. As it stands now, the Spartans will go long stretches and numerous possessions where he doesnt even touch the ball. It's mind boggling.

[VetteMan]

I really don't know why any of us should be surprised at how many touches or whatever that Terry gets each game. We all have been asking this for the last 3 or more years now, and it hasn't changed hardly at all. If they haven't done it by now, I doubt very much that they are suddenly going to start now with a few games left in his Senior year. The Head Coach knows his talent on his team, and for whatever reason, and he does win probably 90% or more of his games, he is the Head Coach.

[6-4-3=2o]

I really don't know why any of us should be surprised at how many touches or whatever that Terry gets each game. We all have been asking this for the last 3 or more years now, and it hasn't changed hardly at all. If they haven't done it by now, I doubt very much that they are suddenly going to start now with a few games left in his Senior year. The Head Coach knows his talent on his team, and for whatever reason, and he does win probably 90% or more of his games, he is the Head Coach.

Bingo! Theses 2 senior classes have played some very tight, well played, awesome freaking games going back to biddy league! But they have never planted his butt on the blocks and run offense through him. Several times tonight (few and far between), they tried to post him up, but as soon as he touched it, we had a guard/wing collapsing and raking the ball from him. It's mind boggling, but not surprising in the same breath.
And hopefully it's not a serious injury w Kearns. It did not look good.

[93Bulldog]

When you're 6'10 you should never have a guard/wing raking the ball from you. Keep it high above the head, when the defender crashes, your teammate is now wide open.

Working the ball inside-out. That strategy has won championships from the high school level all the way to the NBA.

[vcgrad]

So sad-- Alex should fire the coach---6 10 kid with 9 points?????? I guess he should stand outside the 3 pt line and shoot also. Just like coaches son???? 3/22 on 3 pt shots???? I guess if it is not working---keep firing the, up?????????

[6-4-3=2o]

When you're 6'10 you should never have a guard/wing raking the ball from you. Keep it high above the head, when the defender crashes, your teammate is now wide open.

Working the ball inside-out. That strategy has won championships from the high school level all the way to the NBA.

Oh, I agree 100%. Dogs had a good game plan to help on the big man.

And there's vcgrad. Hates Athens, no credit given. Dogs won, led almost the entire game. Moving on. Two roadies this week. Good luck to your Vikings, man

[Ironman92]

When you're 6'10 you should never have a guard/wing raking the ball from you. Keep it high above the head, when the defender crashes, your teammate is now wide open.

Working the ball inside-out. That strategy has won championships from the high school level all the way to the NBA.

Oh, I agree 100%. Dogs had a good game plan to help on the big man.

And there's vcgrad. Hates Athens, no credit given. Dogs won, led almost the entire game. Moving on. Two roadies this week. Good luck to your Vikings, man

I’m not defending vcgrad but will say every chance he gets to bash on Kearns, he does.

[pfloyd]

... any word on JK Kearns today? the fans of hoops in SEOhio are hoping for the best - that he is out only a short time ... I have to give props to how the Spartans rallied from 6:49 on the clock to get themselves in a position to get a W ... Schaller/Easley/Terry/Chapman/Markins & D'A ... scrapped on D turning the Bulldogs over 7 times in the 4th while themselves having ZERO turnovers in the 4th ... offensively EVERYONE became an offensive threat in that last 6:49 of the game (which makes THIS Alex team dangerous with the talent/potential that is there in ALL of these players) ...before the 4th the Alex offensive output was 10 - 13 - 11 in the 4th the Spartans put up 23 ... Excellent job by the Spartans to "get in" the game ...

[Raider6309]

Brayden Markins calmly sank a final free throw, celebrating with a slight fist pump as the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division is officially a two-team race to the finish line.

The Athens Bulldogs protected their home court, and in the process got a measure of revenge against the Alexander Spartans.

Brayden Whiting scored 25 points, as Athens knocked off Alexander 61-57 in front of a packed house at McAfee Gymnasium on Friday.


Athens (11-4 overall, 6-1 TVC-Ohio) pulled even with Alexander atop the TVC-Ohio standings thanks to the pivotal victory.

"It's huge, biggest game of the year," Whiting said. "I'm happy with the way it went."

Whiting, a junior, was a big reason for the Bulldogs' winning night. His 25 points came on 9 of 18 shooting, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. He also grabbed nine rebounds.

"My mindset coming in was just rebound, play defense and shots will come," Whiting said. "I think it worked pretty good."

While the contest was close down the stretch, Athens never trailed after Whiting's second-quarter 3-pointer provided a 20-17 lead.

Whiting scored 15 points in the first half alone, forcing the Spartans (11-4, 6-1 TVC-Ohio) to chase the Bulldogs the entire second half.

"I thought he was an absolute monster in the first half," Athens coach Mickey Cozart said. "He came out aggressive. I thought he played extremely well. He can just do that. He's that guy. He can shoot the basketball. He can do a little bit of everything, but he can shoot the basketball, that's for sure."

Whiting's shooting was part of a key statistic for the Bulldogs, who made half of their 3-point tries (7 of 14), while the Spartans made just 3 of their 22 shots from long range.

"Whiting, he's an excellent player," Alexander assistant coach Jordan Hill said. "He got hot in the first half and we lost him a few times on some rotational things and he made us pay, making some big shots. That got us behind the eight-ball to start the game. Just seemed like we got a lot of good looks and none of those good looks seemed to fall, especially early."

While the night was one of celebration for Athens, it was a somber mood in the Alexander locker room afterwards.

Not only did the Spartans miss a chance to take a two-game lead on Athens, but senior point guard J.K. Kearns suffered a fourth-quarter injury that forced him out of the game.

Kearns went up for a shot and was fouled, landing awkwardly with 6:39 left in the game. He immediately reached for his knee, and had to be carried back to the locker room.

He finished with 12 points, three rebounds and an assist in the game.

Kearns, a three-year starter, is a captain and leader in many ways for the Spartans. That was evident when he made his way, on crutches, back to sit behind the bench in the final moments of the game. He was unable to play, but still providing encouragement for his teammates.

"He is a true student-athlete who gives everything he has at everything he's involved in," said Hill, who was speaking in place of head coach Jim Kearns, who left after the game to take his son to the hospital. "He's a tremendous kid to coach. He's a tremendous captain and leader for this team. So whatever comes about with his diagnosis, it's life. Sometimes life is tough, especially when you have a bunch of kids invested in this team like they all are."

The Spartans trailed 46-36 at the time of Kearns' injury, and Athens would push the advantage to 50-36 after Markins found Nate Trainer for a basket with 5:25 remaining.

The Bulldogs were poised to pull away, but the Spartans fought back. Luke Chapman's 3-pointer began a 13-3 run, as Kyler D'Augustino's steal and assist led to Trey Schaller's fast-break lay-in. Suddenly, Alexander trailed just 53-49 with 2:56 still to play.

"Doesn't surprise us as coaches or really them as kids to see that kind of effort and attitude when it's crunch time," Hill said. "There was no way in the world they were going to stop playing. They were going to fight with everything they have. Very proud of their effort, just disappointed in the finish."

The Spartans continued to push, but the Bulldogs never let Alexander have the basketball in a one-possession game.

Whiting's tip-in through traffic in the lane allowed Athens to go back ahead 55-49.

Kaleb Easley followed up with a score on the other end, but Whiting had another answer. His foul-line jumper with 2:05 remaining allowed Athens to lead 57-51.

"In a pressure situation, yeah, his mindset seemed good," Cozart said of Whiting.

The Spartans had a chance to cut the deficit to one possession but D'Augustino missed with 45 seconds left. Markins made two free throws for a 59-53 edge with 41.3 seconds left.

D'Augustino would scored with 33 seconds left, and Athens would miss the front end of a one-and-one on the other end. That allowed Caleb Terry to scored on a putback to cut the lead to 59-57.

However, only 6.2 seconds were left as Alexander used its final timeout.

Athens was able to inbound the basketball to Markins, who made two pressure free throws with 5.1 on the clock.

That allowed the Bulldogs to lead by four points, and there was nothing the Spartans could do in the closing seconds.

Markins had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Cozart cited Markins and Isaiah Butcher (six points, 12 rebounds) as defensive keys. Butcher battled with Terry, Alexander's 6-foot-10 center, all night. The Spartans made just 24 of 69 shots for the game and were held to 34 points through the first three quarters.

"That was probably Isaiah Butcher's best defensive performance of the season," Cozart said. "I thought he was outstanding. I thought he stayed within the game plan."

Trainer added seven points for Athens, including a key fourth-quarter 3-pointer that helped slow Alexander's run.


D'Augustino led Alexander with 17 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Terry added nine points and 12 rebounds, while Easley and Schaller both scored eight points.

The Spartans will have the weekend off before hosting Wellston on Tuesday. They left Athens High School unaware of J.K. Kearns' status moving forward, but know where they stand in the league race.

Alexander can still do no worse than a share of the top spot if it wins the rest of its TVC-Ohio games.

"We'll go back and take a look at some things on film and get better," Hill said. "We have to play everyone (in the TVC-Ohio) again. We have some tough road games ahead of us. We know that, but obviously, it's our goal and we're still going to pursue this goal to win this league title. Maybe it's just a little bit more difficult now."

The Bulldogs faced that adversity when they lost at Alexander back on Dec. 13. They've been in a must-win mode ever since, and are still very much alive to defend their TVC-Ohio crown after taking Friday's showdown.

"We told our guys at Alexander in that locker room (on Dec. 13) that we still controlled our destiny," Cozart said. "We just have to win out. We have to win out. That's still the message. We have to win every TVC game going forward, because we're not going to rely on somebody else beating Alexander. They're too good. We're going to do our best to take care of business."

Athens 61, Alexander 57

Alexander;10;13;11;23;—;57

Athens;16;13;17;15;—;61

ALEXANDER 57 (11-4, 6-1 TVC-Ohio)

J.K. Kearns 5 0-0 12, Kaleb Easley 3 2-2 8, Trey Schaller 4 0-1 8, Kyler D'Augustino 7 3-4 17, Caleb Terry 4 1-2 9, Luke Chapman 1 0-0 3, Lucas Markins 0 0-2 0; TOTALS 24 6-11 57; 3-point field goals: 3 (Kearns 2, Chapman 1)

ATHENS 61 (11-4, 6-1 TVC-Ohio)

Andrew Stephens 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Butcher 2 1-3 6, Brayden Markins 5 4-4 14, Nate Trainer 3 0-0 7, Brayden Whiting 9 3-5 25, Will Matters 2 0-0 5, Reece Wallace 0 0-0 0, Jack Cornwell 1 0-0 2; TOTALS 23 8-12 61; 3-point field goals: 7 (Whiting 4, Butcher, Trainer, Matters 1 apiece)

TEAM STATISTICS/INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Field goals — Alexander 24-69 (.347), 3-point field goals 3-22 (.136); Athens 23-52 (.442), 3-point field goals 7-14 (.500); Free throws — Alexander 6-11 (.545), Athens 8-12 (.667); Rebounds — Alexander 39 (Terry 13), Athens 40 (Butcher 12); Assists — Alexander 6 (D'Augustino 2), Athens 10 (Markins 3); Blocks — Alexander 3 (Terry 2), Athens 1; Turnovers — Alexander 7, Athens 14; Steals — Alexander 8 (D'Augustino 3), Athens 5 (Brayden Markins 3); Team fouls — Alexander 11, Athens 12; JV game — Athens 40, Alexander 31