Comeback Cagers Do It Again
February 4, 2025
Fresh off a championship run at the Blazer Classic, the Cagers had quick turnaround on the road facing Kingsway Christian (KC). Using a 31-9 run to end the game, the Cagers came out on top 40-33 in a battle of local teams.
From the start it looked like the Cagers were going to have a championship hangover. Their legs looked tired, their play sluggish, and nothing was jiving at either end like it was the previous weekend when they ran the table. The basket at their end seemed to have a lid on it as nothing was falling. On the flip side, all cylinders were firing for Kingsway. Their inside presence dominated the Cagers to the tune of 13 of their 16 total first quarter points. “Noah Hilty (11 points) is just a freshman, and he is going to be a good player. We had no answer for him early on,” said the Cagers bench boss. It looked like it was going to be a long night for the visitors. At the end of the first quarter, it was Kingsway 16 and the Cagers 3.
The second quarter continued like the first. Kingsway dominated the paint. The Cagers got a little going with Aaron Meech driving for a score, Luke DeRodes would fire in a bucket, but Kingsway kept answering. Soon it was 24-9 in favor of Kingsway midway through the quarter. That’s when the tide turned. Meech would drive and score. Yet again, the 6-1 senior guard drove to the hoop and finished. He followed that up with a 3-pointer. “Aaron is fast and skilled. He can fill it up in a hurry. Not many opposing players can hang with him when he gets it going,” said Hamsher. DeRodes would add a bucket and three free throws and the Cagers were within 4 at 24-20 at halftime.
This was not new territory for the resilient Cagers. They have been down before and Hamsher knew something was going to happen. “I told the kids at halftime, that we played a terrible half, but I liked our chances. If we could just tie it up and take the lead, I thought we could win the game.” After trading a few empty possessions out of the half, Meech drove right, made a nifty move to the rack, and kissed it off the glass. Meech would add two more buckets to pace his 6-point quarter. DeRodes added a deuce himself to help aid the cause. Kingsway almost kept pace and held a slim 30-28 lead heading into the 4th frame.
Defensively the Cagers got better and better in the second half. DeRodes manned the middle by swatting several Eagle attempts. On the perimeter the guards closed out and made it difficult for the hosts to find the basket. Offensively it was a collective effort for the Cagers. Meech would drive and score to tie it up. Then the biggest shot of the night was taken by freshman Logan Winans. A Cager teammate found Winans all alone on the left wing. He set his feet beyond the arc and let it fly…SWOOSH! The Cagers had the lead! “Logan had missed three or four shots in the game and was feeling a bit frustrated with his shot. We found the solution and that was to not rush his shot, and he buried it. That shot was so HUGE!” said Hamsher. After taking the lead, the Cagers clamped down on Kingsway at the defensive end. Meech jumped in the passing lane, took the ball and went coast to coast. DeRodes would protect the rim and send another shot attempt into the stands. Meech took control again, this time drawing the defenders and dishing it to a wide open DeRodes who put it in for two. Ethan Numer iced the game with two fouls shots and the Cagers snuck out with another win. “Most people would have counted us out, but this group is the epitome of players FORGED into one unit, playing for each other. It has been fun.”
For the game, Meech had high honors with 21, DeRodes added 12, Numer had 4, and Winans’ lone 3-pointer rounded out the scoring column.
