Minster’s Cole McClurg scores past Botkins’ Owen Zimpher to forge a tie in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. The ‘Cats would go on to win, 46-43. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
The two teams combined for a total of 41 turnovers, inconsistent shooting and ragged play. Yet, Minster made a pair of free throws at the end to steal a much-needed win from Botkins.
Minster, OH – There was probably no one among the 1,500 in attendance to watch that wouldn’t admit that it was ugly basketball.
Ugly, you say?
Dorsten Contracting proudly supports the MAC and Shelby County League sports on Press Pros.
Dr. Naismith, himself, might have put on his hat and coat at halftime of Minster’s game with Botkins Saturday night…and left. Not what the man who invented the game of basketball had in mind.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA and Ohio State sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Botkins committed 17 turnovers, took too many bad shots, and somehow squandered commanding leads in each half.
The Wildcats committed 24 turnovers, shot less than 50% from the foul line, had three players score 93.5% of their point total…and won.
A sophomore, Beckhem Stephey, literally came off the bench at one point and willed Minster back into contention.
The winning coach, Minster’s Mike McClurg couldn’t suppress a grin as he talked about it after the game, like the grinch that stole Christmas.
The losing coach, Botkins’ Phil Groves said he’d rather not talk about it at all. Humbug with Christmas.
Botkins James Steinke scores over Minster’s Cole Albers in the first half of Saturday’s loss to the Wildcats.
Such was Minster’s 46-43 win Saturday night, and one that started out where the Wildcats left off the night before in their 67-43 loss to Versailles. They turned the ball over on four of their first five possessions, were down 7-0 before they scored, and at 9-2 in the first quarter turned to Beckhem Stephey for anything he could provide…points, energy, or defense. He did it all as Cole Albers scored all 8 of Minster’s points to trail 15-8 by quarter’s end.
Botkins led 17-8 at the beginning of the second quarter when Stephey suddenly spurred a 9-0 run with a pair of three-pointers and 12 points by quarter’s end to forge a 24-24 tie at halftime.
But Botkins was equally resilient, coming out of the halftime locker room to spiral into a 9-0 run, ignited by Eli Potts canning a pair of three-pointers to sprint to a 41-33 lead by the start of the fourth quarter.
Your local Kaup Pharmacy proudly supports amateur sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Playing at a frantic pace at both ends, neither team could settle into a pattern of predictable play, ball-handling, and managing momentum. Minster came roaring back at the start of the fourth, Cole McClurg attacking the rim to score twice on highly-contested shots, and by the 6:00 mark Minster had erased Botkins’ 8-point advantage with a 41-41 tie. And from that point to the end of the game…you guessed it. Ugly basketball.
Minster sophomore Beckhem Stephey came off the bench to provide energy, ball-handling, and 15 points.
Botkins fell prey to back-to-back turnovers that facilitated the loss of their lead, then doubled down in succeeding possessions with some questionable shot selection. But what the Trojans lacked on offense they made up for by defending like a rabid animal.
Minster Dental is proud to sponsor the best in area sports stories on Press Pros Magazine.com.
“Owen Zimpher…”, said Minster center Cole Albers. “That dude’s tough. He has aggressive hands and he’s really long. It was hard to score against him even when you had position.”
Likewise, Minster would play their best eight minutes of defense for the year…and probably all year…limiting Botkins to just 2 points for the entire fourth quarter. Still, the Trojans had a chance at 1;04 remaining in the game, tied 43-43 and the ball out of bounds. Chance denied, however, as they promptly turned the ball over in the backcourt.
Cole McClurg grabbed it and sprinted for the rim, only to be fouled by Owen Zimpher, putting McClurg at the line with a chance to take the lead. For the game, Minster would hit only 7 of 15 attempts from the line. But somehow McClurg willed both shots in to go up 45-43.
Botkins still had a chance, only to come up empty at their own end with a hurried shot. Minster rebounded, Beckhem Stephey was fouled in the backcourt, and had two chances at the line to put the game away with 14 seconds remaining. He missed the first, and hit the second.
Botkins called a timeout, needing either a three-point shot or a three-point play to tie. On the inbounds…they turned it over for the final time of the game on a steal, the clock struck zero, and somehow it ended. One for the books.
Botkins’ Eli Pitts scores during the third quarter of Saturday’s game with Minster.
The Wildcats would have just four players score. And Stephey (15), McClurg (11), and Albers (16) would combine for 43 of the team’s 46 points. Carson Kaylor, with a bucket and a free throw, was the only other name in the book. They shot 36% from the floor, 46.5% from the line, and managed 3 of 11 from three-point range.
For Botkins, Owen Zimpher led with 16 points, while Eli Pitts added 8, and Will Monnin threw in 7. Three others combined for the Trojans remaining 9 points.
Mike McClurg talked about the win with a sheepish grin, but after Friday’s disappointment at Versailles, the old adage about a win being a win was never more poignant.
“All due respect to Botkins, man…they guard,” he began. “And we thought we got guarded last night. Tonight we got guarded even harder. They’re not as long as Versailles, but they get their hands on everything. We had 23 turnovers and that’s a credit to them, but credit to us for being resilient and guarding on our end. We communicated, and we took them off their game a little bit. So it was really cool to see us be resilient like that, come back and win.
“We’ve struggled at the free throw line, as you guys know. But Cole (McClurg) made some big ones tonight that helped us win the game. Beckhem Stephey was really good, and he gave us a trigger there in the second quarter. Everybody played in their role, and the steal at the end by Andrew Ketner was huge. So I’m proud of this win because we know we have pieces to be really good. And when it starts coming together it’s going to be fun.”
Botkins coach Phil Groves was short and to the point.
“We had our opportunities to blow the game open,” he began. “We had two nine-point leads and we made bad decisions with the ball. We took quick shots and we didn’t rebound well. We allowed too many daggers, and when you don’t take care of things defensively, and don’t rebound, that’s the result you’re going to get. It’s disappointing, because when you force 25 turnovers in a game you should get the job done defensively. The decision making, the mental breakdowns…it’s frustrating.”
Minster improved to 7-5 for the year, and Botkins fell to 10-2 with their second loss in as many nights to MAC teams.
Ironically, on a night when bad weather was forecast, the biggest turbulence turned out to be that on the court.
Let the record show…that the ‘Cats and Mike McClurg weathered the storm.
The future of Minster cheerleading provided color and life to Saturday’s halftime.
Wilson Health/Orthopedics proudly sponsors the best in area sports and the Ohio State Buckeyes on Press Pros.