Cagers Squeak by Kingsway in a Barn Burner
February 3, 2023—Orrville, OH
The wind chill was below zero outside, but inside the friendly confines of Kingsway gymnasium, the heat was turned up and it was a barn burner of a game. The Cagers snuck out of there with a 60-48 victory in a highly contested and heated battle of tough hard-nosed teams.
The Cagers lost the tip and quickly found themselves down 2-0 on a bucket by the Eagles. The Cagers would regroup and settle into their offensive set. It wasn’t long before the Cagers found their groove on that end. The visitors executed a pick-and-roll offense to perfection. Taj Gibson (4 pts) and Preston Demiter cashed in on the roll part. “Our offense was clicking early. They had no answer for what we were doing on that end. We forced them to call a time out,” said head coach Doug Hamsher. However, it was the other end that was concerning. Kingsway’s high-post pick-and-slip offense gave the Cagers fits. Time and time again, the Eagles found a way to the bucket and matched score for score. Eli Stanley would hit a three pointer to give the Cagers a little breathing room, but at the other end, Tristan Bischoff would answer. The tit for tat back and forth would be the theme the rest of the night as the Cagers held a 15-13 lead after the first eight minutes.
Kingsway switched to a 3-2 zone defense to stop the Cager offensive machine. It was a great move to almost everyone in the gym, but Stanley. The Cagers set screens for the 6-0 senior, and he nailed a 3 in the right corner. The next trip down he hit a 3 from the left corner. The Eagles all everything player, Jaden Himes, answered with his own 3. The dual was on. Stanley would get a pass from Gibson and hit his third 3. He was on fire! Himes came down and matched it. The gym was in a frenzy! Not to be out done, the Cagers whipped the ball around and fellow senior Jay Hanzie found an open Stanley in the corner… SWISH! His fourth 3 of the quarter! Himes would bully his way for a 2-pointer. With all the attention on Stanley, Anthony Sines spotted up from 24 feet and found nothing but net. Kingsway matched it with Tristan Biscoff’s 3-pointer. Wow! What a quarter. Stanley would answer with a pump fake and drive to the hole. After the smoke settled from the nets burning, the Cagers held a 36-31 lead at half. Stanley fired in 14 points and Himes 9 to lead their respective teams. “That was fun to watch. The best two players in the gym going toe to toe. Players making plays. Doesn’t get any better than that on a cold Friday in February,” said Hamsher.
Although both Stanley and Himes cooled off to start the third quarter, the gym was again smoking hot with action. Each time the Cagers scored, Kingsway would answer. Sines would cash in on a 3-pointer from the right wing only to be matched by JT Bischoff banking in a 3 at the other end. According to Hamsher, some of the biggest moments were provided by Ruben Belodedici. The 6-2 forward came off the bench and had two rebounds and four crucial points in a few minutes span that gave the Cagers some breathing room. “Ruben came in and did his job. Rebound and put backs. We needed him. That was huge,” said Hamsher. Sines would hit yet another 3-pointer in the quarter to help the Cagers extend the lead to 49-42.
The Cagers had trouble with Kingsway’s defense and couldn’t connect early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles would chip away at the lead with a 3-pointer by Bochart to cut the lead to 5. With the heat in the gym at an all-time level, the players and fans alike were even more heated as the play became more and more aggressive. With the lack of fouls being called, players took liberty with a hack there, and elbow there, and a scratch leading to blood over there. “It got pretty rough out there at both ends. Sometimes in a heated contest things like that happen. We have to learn to fight through the frustration that comes with a rougher game,” said Hamsher. Senior Jay Hanzie came up huge in the end. With the game within the Eagles’ reach, Hanzie found the lane and drove to the hoop and was fouled as the ball went through the hoop. He hit the ensuing free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play. On the other end, Hanzie got a crucial rebound and held on to the ball while being mugged. After some confusion from our friends in stripes, Kingsway was called for a foul. Hanzie canned both free throws securing the 12th win for the Cagers. It was a good win for the Cagers against a good team. “Give Kingsway a lot of credit. They came out and played a heck of a game. It’s good for men to compete and fight for something. Both teams fought hard tonight, left everything on the floor, and have something to be proud of. It was a barn burner for sure!” For the game, Stanley led all scorers with 20 (five 3-pointers), Sines had 14 (three 3-pointers), Hanzie had 10, Demiter had 8, Belodedici and Gibson each had 4 to round out the scorebook. Kingsway was led by Himes with 17 and JT Bischoff with 7.
