Points came hard early…as St. Henry’s Logan Link looks up to watch his shot drop in the Redskins’ 63-54 win over Marion Local. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Sonny Fulks)
St. Henry played with what coach Eric Rosenbeck called “great energy”. It resulted in “great frustration” for a Marion Local team struggling to find points and January momentum.
St. Henry, OH – On the style meter Friday night’s 63-54 St. Henry win over Marion Local was probably not what Dr. Naismith ever imagined for the game of basketball.
James Creighton, however, who’s generally credited for inventing the game of ice hockey would have been all over it.
It was rugged…rough…and physical to the point of it being hard to execute and maneuver with the basketball. Pete Maravich never saw this day coming, where skill and technical ability is compromised by mixed martial arts…where you see stars for daring to drive the lane and shoot a layup.
Nonetheless, St. Henry’s Eric Rosenbeck put it simply when he addressed his team recently.
“We wanted this year to be easy because we had a lot of returning players,” he recalled Friday. “Once we accepted the fact that it was not going to be easy, that teams are going to be physical and you’d better match it or exceed it or you’re going to be in trouble…from the tip tonight I loved our energy. It took a little while to get our offense going, but I thought our getting some separation (in the score) in the third quarter was a big deal.”
Rough, tough…St. Henry’s Caden Bergman pays for a drive and score during the first half of Friday’s St. Henry win over Marion Local.
It was a big deal, to Rosenbeck’s point, in a game that from the tip lacked flow, rhythm, and that saw Marion coach Kurt Goettemoeller hit with a technical foul 13 seconds in. Nothing was going according to the Naismith manual on basketball.’
To exacerbate things, it marked the second time in a week that Marion had struggled against this old route 119 rival, by fate of schedule St. Henry having won two days after Christmas, 76-66, at Marion.
And true to Rosenbeck’s words, it was hard for both teams…St. Henry making just enough shots in the first eight minutes, including a three-pointer by Luke Beyke, to claim an 11-7 lead.
Tough, skin-tight defense made it hard – energy, as it were. Rosenbeck’s Redskins simply grabbed the bit and challenged every step, every pass, every screen and shot by Marion. 6’9″ Marion post player Jack Knapke had to leave the game at one point to have a hyper-extended knee taped. St. Henry’s Caden Bergman took a hand to the side of the head on a layup attempt, was reeled by its force, and made the shot, anyway!
Midmark proudly supports your favorite MAC sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
St. Hank’s defense eliminated points from the Marion backcourt. The quartet of Daniel Everman, Kyle Otte, Vic Hoelscher, and Grant Kremer would score exactly two points for the half, while having a tough time in getting the ball to Knapke and 6’8″ Austin Niekamp in rhythm. Niekamp, on the strength of 5 of 8 shooting, did score 11 points for the half. Knapke, who couldn’t turn around in the lane without being double, or triple-teamed, would score just 6.
Marion’s Jack Knapke takes the brunt of a charge by St. Henry’s Evan Bowers during Friday’s Redskins win.
Marion’s defense fought back, holding Beyke and Evan Bowers to 6 points each, while Hayden Boeckman and Caden Bergman each splashed for a three-pointer.
As Dr. Naismith put on his hat and coat and headed for the exit, St. Henry held a 25-21 halftime lead.
“We’re trailing by 4 in the locker room at halftime and I told the kids I was proud of them,” said Goettemoeller. “We had to overcome some adversity. I get a technical 13 seconds into the game. Jack (Knapke) gets hurt. We trailed 16-7 at one point…we had to hang in there, we’re only down 4 at the half, and I felt good about that.
“And I told them…we have to get off to a good start in the third quarter,” he added. “And…we didn’t.”
Since 2013, Moeller Trucking sponsors MAC sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
To his point, the four-point lead became 8, or 9, as St. Henry’s Luke Beyke quickly found the rhythm missing for all of the first half. He scored 7 in the quarter.
Logan Link added 4.
Bowers, Bergman, and Curtis Puthoff each cashed two-pointers…points coming now off Marion turnovers as a result of succumbing to St. Henry’s pressure.
Steals, and turnovers helped St. Henry…Hayden Boeckman strips the ball away from Marion’s Vic Hoelscher.
Marion tried to keep pace. Austin Niekamp matched Beyke’s 7 with 7 points of his own. And a three-pointer by Kyle Otte gave them a brief lift, but not enough as by quarter’s end St. Henry had extended their lead to eight points, 43-35.
“We had a big third quarter last week when we played them, so we knew they weren’t going to accept that,” said Rosenbeck. “We were prepared for a physical game, more low scoring, and that’s what we got [tonight]. I was just really proud of our seniors and their preparation. Our practices have been good, our seniors are owning this team, and I want them to enjoy it and love it.”
The pace, the fatigue, and the frustration set in for Marion in the fourth quarter. Grant Kremer, who struggled to get a shot to go in for 24 minutes, finally dropped a three-pointer from the corner, scoring 6 for the quarter.
Austin Niekamp’s ability to shoot from the perimeter kept Marion in the game. He finished with a game-high 27 points.
Austin Niekamp, who scored 11 in the first half, benefited from his ability to step outside the pressure and knock down shots…scoring 9 for the final quarter and a game-high 27 to lead all scorers.
Jack Knapke, visibly hobbled by the sprained knee, would can a couple of point-blank shots to finish in double figures, with 10…as St. Henry improved to 5-3 for the season, and Marion Local dropped to 3-4.
“It’s always fantastic to play against these guys,” smiled Rosenbeck, afterwards, commenting on the packed house that turned out to watch. “The environment was great, the crowd, the communities are very similar, and that leads to even greater competition than a normal Friday night game. We’re blessed to play in front of so many people.”
Kurt Goettemoeller was philosophical, patient, and vowed to use it as a learning experience.
Leugers Insurance proudly sponsors MAC sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
“We got it to 6 points or so, but we could never really threaten them in the second half,” he said. “It was physical, and I don’t care about that. I like physical games, and we missed some shots that would have kept us in the game.
“But the biggest thing in the game was our inexperience showed up against a team that’s been playing varsity basketball for a couple of years now. You could see the experience difference. They’ve got a lot of savvy, they’re well coached, and I told our kids after the game…we’ve got to grow and get better. We’ve got two months to get better and maybe we’ll get to meet them another time, when it matters most. Right now they’re better, and it showed on the floor tonight.”
Marion’s Vic Hoelscher shoots through the block attempt St. Henry’s Evan Bowers.
Better, and improving. For the pace, the physical nature, and the grind, both teams finished near the 50% mark in field goal percentage, a point to consider when you consider a team’s ability to score come tournament time.
And despite the circumstances, Marion shot 75% from the foul line, hitting 6 of 8 attempts. St. Henry finished with 72%, 13 of 18.
Rebounds were just about even, St. Henry (22) with a slight advantage over Marion (20).
But pressure kills in a basketball game, and nine St. Henry steals off pressure resulted in at least five transition buckets that were critical.
Eric Rosenbeck calls it playing with energy. Have it, or you’re in trouble.
Kurt Goettemoeller simply called it…the difference in the game!
Lefeld Welding Supplies, in Coldwater and Greenville, proudly sponsors MAC sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.