Hamilton’s Jovon McBride goes hard to the hoop over Ready’s Marko Small. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Lorrie Gardner)
Anchored by 6-6 and 6-4 bookends Henry Larger and Kayden Schaffer, Ready dominated the offensive boards in an impressive win over Division III power Hamilton Township. The Silver Knights ran their record to 18-2.
Columbus, OH – Tony Bisutti chuckled when asked if this Bishop Ready boys basketball team compares to the one that went 28-0 before falling to Akron Buchtel in a Division II state semifinal two seasons ago.
“Oh, my gosh, not at all,” the venerable coach said. “There are no similarities to the state team whatsoever. This group has its own identity … it’s own style.”
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Now that Ready has been reclassified to Division V due to the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s expansion from four to seven divisions, only time will tell whether the Silver Knights can match or even surpass the achievements of that magical 2023 team.
Six-foot-four senior forward Kayden Schaffer is the only holdover from the ’23 outfit.
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“Our styles are a lot different,” Schaffer said. “They shot a lot of threes. We crash the boards and emphasize getting out and going with it. I can say this about our team now: Our team chemistry is fantastic. Everyone is on the same page. We trust one another and I think it shows in the way we play.”
Schaffer, who has signed with Walsh University where he will join forces with his brother Kaleb, was among a quartet honored on Senior Night, and three of them shined in Ready’s 62-46 nonconference rout of visiting Hamilton Township Friday.
Kayden Schaffer elevates and shoots between Hamilton defenders Landon Hensell and Daviace Packnett.
Schaffer had 22 points and 6-6 bookend Henry Larger added 18 as the Silver Knights (18-2) used a 22-3 run in the fourth quarter to pull away. Classmate Conlan Dent, a 6-2, 210-pound big body who was a first-team All-Ohio linebacker, also contributed heavily to Ready’s lopsided advantage on the offensive boards.
“Obviously, we had a little size advantage and we were trying to hammer it inside,” Bisutti said. “As it turned out, we were rebounding so well on the defensive end, we were able to leak out for a lot of breakouts. We also hit more threes than we usually do. What makes our fast break effective is having four versatile guys who can grab it and go with it.”
Having already clinched the Mid-State League Buckeye Division – its first conference title since 1991 — Hamilton Township (16-3) is enjoying a historic season. But on this night, the junior-laden Rangers simply didn’t have the size, physical strength or discipline to hang with the Silver Knights for 32 minutes.
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Ready used an 11-0 run in the second quarter to take control.
But behind the one-two punch of juniors Jovon McBride and Lucas King, Hamilton fought back to pull to 38-37 early in the fourth quarter.
Over the next 2:30, Ready scored 12 unanswered points to right the ship and coasted to an unexpectedly easy win.
“Fourth quarters have been huge for us all year,” said Schaffer, who had six points in the decisive surge.
Ready’s defense, which came in allowing 45 points per game, excelled again.
Hamilton’s Kadan Ahr tries to swat the ball away from Ready’s Austin Vacheresse.
Five-ten junior Marko Small drew the primary assignment of guarding McBride, who came in averaging 26.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals were game. The two-sport standout, who owns a handful of Ivy League and Mid-American Conference football offers, wound up with 19 points but seemed frustrated much of the night. King added 12 points and was impressive on the boards.
“Marko’s one of those kids who lives on the floor and he’s best defender,” Bisutti said. “McBride is really talented. He’s going to get his. The idea is to slow him down and get him out of rhythm.”
Bisutti, in his sixth season at Ready and 33rd overall, also praised the play of sophomore Zay Taliaferro, who scored 11 points filling in at point guard for sidelined Mike Mike Daniels, and Dent, who has signed to play football at Ohio Dominican.
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“Conlan does a lot of things some people probably don’t notice,” he said. “He does a lot of dirty work knocking balls away and keeping plays alive. I think one of the key factors for us is that we won a lot of those 50-50 balls and Conlon had a hand in a lot of those.”
Hamilton’s Daviace Packnett and Ready’s Henry Larger battle for possession.
Coming off a somewhat surprising 61-58 double overtime loss to Franklin Heights Tuesday, Ready likely squandered its chances of catching unbeaten Columbus Academy in the Central Buckeye League race. Academy handed Ready its other loss, 62-60 on an overtime buzzer-beater Jan. 11. On paper, one would expect Ready – ranked seventh in the state by MaxPreps and ninth by MartinRPI.com – to challenge for a district title.
Despite the defeat, Hamilton Township coach Brenden Mathews expects his team to grow from the experience of facing yet another traditional power. Its other losses came to Hartley and Harvest Prep.
“That’s the most physical game we’ve played in all year,” Mathews said. “Their size and physicality really took a toll on us not only on the boards but on the defensive end as well. We’re not the team that typically breaks. But they turned us over a lot and cashed in. All the credit to Bishop Ready. That’s a really strong, veteran, well-coached team. I firmly believe this will make us a better team in the (Division III) tournament.”
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