Blake Monnin added 11 points to the Versailles cause and three times scored on assists from Drake Ahrens. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
Drake Ahrens scored and helped others score to start Versailles on its quest to be a factor in the race for the top spot in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
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Versailles, OH – Drake Ahrens isn’t the type of basketball player to track his stats in his head during the game. And he’s definitely not the type to stop by the scorer’s table to see how many points he scored.
Instead, he heads to the other side of the gym – as do his teammates – to talk about the game to family and friends. And if any of them asked Ahrens, the Tigers’ senior point guard, which number meant more to him Friday night – 19 points or eight assists – he would pass on the points.
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“I like passing better than scoring,” he said.
But as a senior leading an experienced team, Ahrens can’t be just a passer like he was as a freshman starter. With each passing year, head coach Travis Swank has asked Ahrens to score more.
That’s why less than two minutes into the game Ahrens didn’t pass up the open shot he worked on all offseason. He made a 3-pointer to break a 2-2 tie, sending the Tigers on their way to a 68-46 victory over Parkway on opening night of Midwest Athletic Conference play.
“He’s extended his game by being able to hit outside shots,” Swank said. “And that’s what most people don’t realize. They see him as a slasher and driver and a superior passer, but he’s worked extremely hard on developing his outside game.”
Drake Ahrens and his Versailles teammates pushed the ball up the floor every chance they got.
After Ahrens swished a 12-footer off a long rebound, he got his teammates involved with the kind of passes that make the players around you better. He assisted Ethan Wilker for a layup and Simeon Hess for the first of his two 3-pointers as the Tigers rolled to a 20-4 lead after the first quarter.
“I just love the way he sees the floor,” Parkway coach Doug Hughes said. “He’s a really good leader and a guy that’s just as interested in getting somebody else a really good look. In this day and age, when everybody’s about scoring and stats, that’s a nice attribute to have.”
Ahrens, who had five of his assists in the first half, sees his point guard job as a three-step process: “Seeing the floor, finding open gaps, getting people open shots.”
Why? 
“It’s what we need,” he said. “And I think the crowd goes more crazy about my passes than me scoring.”
Ahrens’ passing and the Tigers’ overall look-for-the-best-shot approach led to nine players scoring, including at least one 3-pointer by six of them. Blake Monnin led the rest of team with 11 points.
Ethan Wilker played good minutes off the bench for Versailles and scored eight points.
The crowd had plenty to cheer about from the Tigers’ fast start to a fourth-quarter spurt that shut down Parkway’s peek at a comeback. Leading by 15, Ahrens leaped to catch a lob pass in the lane on an inbounds play from the baseline and scored to begin a clinching 7-0 run. A minute before, Ahrens scored the same way.
But it was the fast start that fueled the Tigers and put Parkway in catch-up mode. The lead reached 23 with 2:39 left in the first half. The Tigers finished the half with their starters on the bench and led 36-18.
“We just wanted to push in transition and get easy buckets,” Ahrens said. “That’s what our whole week in practice was, just pushing transition to get easy buckets. So we did.”
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Parkway struggled to score early, much less get open shots, as they fell farther and farther behind. The Panthers also committed seven turnovers in the first quarter and 11 in the half.
“They were the aggressor, and we dug ourselves a huge hole,” Hughes said. “The turnovers were live-ball turnovers, which created some easy opportunities for them at the other end.”
Versailles’ Simeon Hess drvies past Parkway freshman Cohen Korte. Hess made two 3-pointers.
The fast start was what Swank ordered following a six-point loss to Northmont.
“We wanted to see how we responded mentally to a tough, physical game, and part of that was to pressure and get some easy ones in transition,” he said.
Parkway (1-2, 0-1 MAC) didn’t allow themselves to be shell-shocked. Hughes’ young team showed resilience. He has two players with varsity experience and plays freshman twin brothers Bosten Korte and Cohen Korte in the backcourt.
Versailles’ defense forced the Panthers to shoot mostly from the 3-point line. After a slow start, the Panthers’ tried some different offensive actions and began to get more open shots. They finished with 12 3-pointers.
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“We talked in in the locker room at halftime about trying to get our young guys settled in a little more, and tried to get them to be the aggressor,” Hughes said. “We were on our heels a lot of the first half, but we were the aggressor more in the second half, and it led to some good shots for us.”
Versailles’ Cam Ahrens tries to fight through the defense of an unseen Parkway player and Parker Lyons.
Bosten Korte made five of the Panthers’ 3-pointers and led the team with 15 points. His brother, mostly running the point, scored four.
“It’s extremely bright,” Hughes said of the twins’ future. “They play really hard, and probably their best trait is they’re very, very competitive kids.”
Swank wasn’t surprised that Parkway fought to stay on the edge of striking distance. The Panthers played a lot of 2-3 zone early, but as the game progressed they bounced back and forth between zone and man, looking for an edge to make a big run.
“They never blinked, and that’s usually what you expect in a MAC conference game,” he said. “You’re going to get everybody’s best shot because everybody’s pretty well coached, and each team has two to three kids that are pretty well skilled as well.”
“We wanted to see how we responded mentally to a tough, physical game, and part of that was to pressure and get some easy ones in transition,” Versailles coach Travis Swank said about his team coming off a loss to Northmont.
Being at their best in league games will be required for Versailles (3-1, 1-0) to challenge two-time defending league champion Delphos St. John’s. The Tigers play the Bluejays in Delphos on January 30.
“The MAC is going to be really, really tough this year,” Swank said. “I think a lot of our coaches in the conference feel it’s about as deep as it’s been in a while. It all starts with Delphos. They’ve got the best player in the conference [Cam Elwer], but we feel like we have a good shot at challenging along with three to four other teams that are probably going to compete for the top spot.”
Hughes likes Versailles’ chances to be a factor in the league race.
“They’re a handful,” he said. “I think they’re one of the better teams in the MAC, them and Delphos. It’s going to be a dog fight. I think they’re real good.”
Drake Ahrens hustles down court in the first quarter to block a layup attempt by Parkway’s Jacoby Triplett.
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