CJ Olding got to the rim whenever he wanted, scored 11 points, and had 6 assists in the win over Tri-County. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Showing a lot of firepower, and willingness to pull the trigger, 18-5 Lehman made short work of Tri-County North Saturday morning in the Division VII sectional at Piqua.
Piqua, OH – After watching Jeremy Hughes’ Lehman Cavaliers blow through the #15 seed Tri-County North Panthers in Saturday’s opening round of the Division VII tourney at Piqua’s beautiful Garbry Gymnasium, one could question, rightly, whether the Cavaliers were members of the Three Rivers Conference…or the Three Point Line Conference.
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The #3 seed Cavaliers fired up 23 shots from range for the game, hit 8 of them (34%) and what they didn’t hit they didn’t worry about. They got most of the first-half rebounds, turned a lot of those rebounds into second chance points, and were so dominant at the outset that they led 22-7 at the end of the first period.
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That turned out to be an omen. Lehman would cruise in the second half, eventually winning their 18th game of the season, 75-55.
Tri-County was clearly overmatched by Lehman’s full-court pressure, turned the ball over 12 times in the first half (22 for the game), and suffered the consequences of a 35-21 deficit come Gatorade time.
“We want to take the three-point shot,” said Jeremy Hughes, sheepishly in the post-game. “Especially if they’re not going to defend it. And they didn’t defend it today.”
His point was spot-on. To the old adage of taking what the other team gives you, Tri-County gave Lehman every opportunity they wanted, or needed, and more.
Jackson Kennedy scored on this beauty of a reverse layup off the baseline in the second half.
CJ Olding didn’t have his best shooting day, but he ran the floor, was disruptive on defense, and found one open shooter after another. He finished with 11 points and 6 assists.
Shane Frantz is the usual straw that stirs the drink, but on this day the three-point shot came hard for him, as he only made 2 of 7…but finished with 1:08 left in the game with 21 points.
Jackson Kennedy, the popular do-it-all personification of Lehman basketball, was the highest percentage shooter of them all, hit 2 of 4 from three-point range, added a beauty of a reverse layup off the baseline in the second half…and finished with 8 points.
And then Evan O’Leary, whose very name reminds you of touchdowns for football coach Dwane Rowley, ran the floor, shot the ball, rebounded, scored 9 in the first half, 13 in the second half to fuel the Cavaliers’ pull-away, and finished with a game-high 22 points.
Not believed to be a threat in Division VII to a team like Delphos St. John, Lehman nonetheless proved Saturday that they’re a threat to any team that doesn’t take the time to defend them.
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“We like to run the floor and push the attack…attack the rim,” said Hughes. “We shoot a ton of threes, but a lot of those were uncontested shots because they didn’t give us a lot of ball pressure. But the threes that we did shoot…I didn’t mind any of them because they were good shots for us. We just didn’t settle. They came as a result of good ball rotation.”
Quietly, the lightly-regarded Cavaliers have amassed their best record under Hughes in recent memory.
“You don’t think about them,” said another conference coach earlier in the year. “But you better. They’re athletic. They have talent. And when they’re making shots you have to guard them.”
The three-point shot came hard for leading scorer Shane Frantz, but he finished with 21 against Tri-County.
Even to the point of Evan O’Leary, who doesn’t average anywhere near 20 points a game, but when teams are all in on CJ Olding and Shane Frantz (who does average 20), O’Leary takes it personal.
“We’ve seen a ton of box-and-one, triangle-and-two, and defenses aimed to stop the other shooters,” says Hughes.
“Well, Evan took that personally in practice this week. He wanted them to play box-and-one on him. And he proved it today.”
How good are they?
You can equate Lehman and basketball to what Joe Nuxhall once said about baseball, and batters standing at home plate.
“If they swing the bat they’re dangerous,” Nuxie would laugh.
But don’t laugh at Lehman. Remember: Olding had 11 points on a bad shooting day…Frantz scored 21 points on a day when he didn’t shoot the three…O’Leary led them all with 22 points on a day he took as a challenge… and Jackson Kennedy just happened to be the right guy when a bucket was needed.
Other than all that…you can take your chances. They’re not 18-5 for no reason.
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