The shootist…No, not western legend John Wayne, but Minster’s Kole Richard who connected for 7 three-pointers in the ‘Cats win over Versailles. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Senior Kole Richard celebrated the best shooting night of his life, and his Minster teammates rode his 27 points to a surprise win over Versailles.
Minster, OH – On the the worst night of the winter so far, Minster senior Kole Richard had the best shooting night of his basketball life Friday.
Richard scored 27 points with blistering accuracy behind the three-point line, and then hit a running layup between two Versailles defenders in the final minute to seal what would be a 54-52 Minster win, their fifth of the season, and by far…if not their best, it was their most satisfying.
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“He’s been remarkable in a lot of games for us this year,” said Minster coach Mike McClurg of Richard. “He’s just got a knack for getting away, getting open, and he can flat stroke it. And he was hurt. Look at the bandage on his hip. We have a bunch of sets for other people that also create options for him, and he made the most of them.”
Back and forth for the first sixteen minutes of the game, Versailles’ Drake Ahrens had his own impactful night with 12 points in the first half. But Richard would counter those 12 with 11 of his own, canning 3 of 7 first half three-pointers…and missed having a fourth when his foot was on the three-point line. Minster led, 27-26, at the break.
But Richard did have help, as teammate Cole McClurg would add 9 first half points, and Brogan Stephey, still getting back to speed after a late football injury, made his only field goal of the night, a three-pointer from the win.
Versailles promptly answered the challenge in the third, as Ahrens, Blake Monnin and Jace Watren combined for 12 of the Tigers 14 points in the quarter, at one point going ahead by 6 points.
But Minster had an answer besides the three-point shooting of Richard in the person of post player Cole Albers, who suddenly ignited around the rim to score 8 points of his own – all from point blank range. And trailing by three, who else by Richard would hit his four three-pointer or the game to help even things by the end of the quarter. Versailles would outscore them 14-13, but the score was tied at 40.
Versailles’ Drake Ahrens and Minster’s Brogan Stephey get tangled on this fourth quarter drive to the basket.
By the end of three quarters Richard was sitting on 16 points…Ahrens on 15 for Versailles. But Ahrens was getting plenty of help from Jace Watren, who would finish with 12 for the game, and Blake Monnin, who suddenly got hot in the second half to score all of his 10 points for the game.
But in the fourth, after a relatively quiet third, Richard once again found himself in the right spots at the right time. And Stephey and Albers made sure they found him – from the wing, from the top, left and right, it didn’t matter. While Versailles, and Monnin, would creep out to lead by four, Richard canned the first of three bombs to draw them within one.
Versailles and Ahrens would answer on the other end, with a drive to the rim.
Richard again struck from the opposite wing, feeling it now, and wanting more.
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Ahrens answered with a three of his own; but again Richard hit paydirt, from the exact same spot on the wing from a moment before. And with 68 seconds left in the game the score was suddenly tied at 52-52.
Brogan Stephey’s lone three-point shot turned out to be a difference in the game.
Richard now had seven three-pointers for the game in fifteen attempts, and was sitting on 25 points for the game. But on an ensuing Versailles possession the ball popped free in the Versailles backcourt and into the hands of Richard, who started for the other end with a pair of Versailles defenders – Ahrens and Ethan Wilker – on each hip. Somehow he scooped the ball between the efforts of Ethan Wilker and Jace Watren to block it, spun it off the backboard and into the hoop to make the score 54-52. There were 24 seconds remaining in the game.
Versailles had plenty of time for a tying shot effort, and Ahrens, sitting on 2o points, drove it to the rim, only to be turned away by Cole Albers – contact, but no foul. The ball popped loose for a second attempt at the rim, but it caromed off the rim, Minster recovered, and the clock ran out. Minster 54, Versailles 52.
“We did some things well tonight,” said McClurg, afterwards. “We talked about this week about how when things get hard in the game we shut down, and tonight when we got down by four in the fourth quarter, we kept playing. With the late start we got and the injuries we’ve had, we’re starting to get some connectivity and trust now between players, and when things got hard tonight we got stops when we need to, we hit shots when we need to, and we got the ball in the right hands when we needed to. That, from a coaching perspective, made me happy tonight.”
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Richards 27 led all scorers, and Cole Albers (14), and Cole McClurg (9) combined with him to score 50 of the Wildcats’ 54 points. Brogan Stephey had 3 with that lone three-pointer in the first half, and Andrew Ketner scored on a free throw.
Versailles was led by Ahrens’ 20, Watren had 12, Monnin had 10, Ethan Wilker had 8, and Jack Borchers added 2.
Drake Ahrens’ final attempt to score drew contact, but no foul from Minster’s Cole Albers.
Happy as Mike McClurg was for the way his team had played, collectively, it couldn’t touch the satisfaction felt by Kole Richard for contributing to such a good team win when they needed it most.
“I was feeling it,” he smiled. “Once I hit two or three I just kept shooting because they were falling. I tried to get it off quick, and shoot it when they weren’t expecting it. I usually shoot about ten threes a game, but tonight I just kept shooting.”
“We know he’s a good shooter,” smiled Versailles coach Travis Swank before boarding the bus for home.
“We knew we had to stay down on him, and we didn’t do enough to close out on him like we should. We had a lot of blow-bys and he has that step-back move – that’s his move – and he was able to get it off tonight.
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“But Drake played spectacular for us, we expect that out of him, so going forward he’s going to be a terror for people if he continues to put a complete game together.”
Minster improved to 5-5, while Versailles dropped their second game of the season (9-2).
With Stephey back, getting stronger, McClurg is optimistic for the second half of the season.
‘Brogan played hard tonight, defended well, and we facilitated well to get the ball to the right people,” he said.
He (McClurg) was the second happiest person in the building!
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