Redskins win first home game, second overall over Red Knights
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WINTERSVILLE -- The first half was a back-and-forth affair, however, the second half belonged to the Indian Creek boys basketball team.
It outscored Toronto by double digits in the final two quarters to pull away for a 51-38 victory Tuesday night at home to split the season series.
The game was tied, 23-23, at halftime. The Redskins built a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter, en route to outscoring the Red Knights, 28-15, in the second half.
After losing their first 16 games of the season, the Redskins have now won back-to-back contests.
"Our kids have played hard all year," Indian Creek (2-16) head coach Joe Dunlevy said. "As a coach, all you can ask is that. You can tell they work hard because of how much they have improved. The people who have come to see us play can see that."
The Red Knights were limited to just five points in the third quarter, and the hosts outscored the visitors, 25-8, en route to building a 48-31 lead in the fourth.
"You have to give credit to Indian Creek's defense," Toronto (8-11) head coach Sean Tucker said. "Indian Creek's defense was relentless. They had constant on-the-ball pressure all night. We tried to run multiple offenses, but that was unsuccessful due to how tough they were playing defense. We tried to explain to our group how hard it is to get a good look at practice. It is hard to practice going against a defense like this when you are playing against freshmen and sophomores."
The loss snapped Toronto's five-game winning streak.
"We were just not mentally here," Tucker said. "It seemed like we did not want to play. I tried to tell our kids Indian Creek is a much-better team than the first time we played them. I don't know if it was a mixture of looking at their record and hearsay. Their record doesn't show how tough of a team they are."
The Red Knights struggled from the floor in the second half, while the Redskins started making shots on their end of the court.
The Redskins were balanced on offense, as four players produced at least eight points in the win. Logan Kuczykowski collected a team-high 15 points, and Logan Shaffer finished with 10. Jacob Wright tallied nine points, while Isaiah Vandine delivered eight points.
Brendan Matyas netted a game-high 16 points to lead the way for Toronto, while A.J. Clegg scored nine.
"Coming into tonight, they had won five in a row," Dunlevy said. "Sean does a great job. They had to change how they play. I give him a lot of credit for the job he has done with that team. You look at the players they have lost. They have been dealing with a lot of injuries and things like that."
The Redskins outscored the Red Knights, 15-5, in the third to take a 38-28 lead into the fourth. The victors extended their advantage in the fourth.
"We have to get back to our strength," Tucker said. "Our strength is driving to the cup and kicking it out or taking a shot. We were not able to do that tonight. We had to alter the way we played. We could not play to our strength. When we drove to the basket tonight, there were some unforeseen turnovers."
Indian Creek led 11-7 in the first before Toronto came back to tie the score at 11. Logan Kuczykowski then scored at the buzzer to give the Redskins a 13-11 lead.
The victors built a 16-11 lead in the second, but the Red Knights stormed back and took a 21-18 lead. The Redskins regrouped and scored five of the final seven points of the half to tie the score at halftime.
"I want to give my kids credit," Dunlevy said. "They have played hard all year. They have done what we have asked all year. People have asked me how things are going, and I tell them that things are going great. They look at me as if I am crazy."
The Redskins were able to run time off of the clock, while also being able to score as they extended their advantage in the fourth quarter.
Toronto defeated Indian Creek, 39-38, on Dec. 6 at home.
"The two games were real similar for most of the game," Dunlevy said. "In the third quarter, they missed some shots, and we made some shots. I said after the Brooke game that they made shots, and we missed shots. There was not much difference in the games. They just had a tough night shooting. That is to our kids' credit."
GAME NOTE
Indian Creek won the JV game, 46-33. Bryson Bodo delivered a team-high 10 points to lead the way for the Redskins. Austin Vantilburg tallied a game-high 12 points to lead the Red Knights.
UP NEXT
Toronto: Awaits its fate in the OVAC consolation pool that will be announced today.
Indian Creek: Hosts Harrison Central Friday night.
Indian Creek 51, Toronto 38
Toronto 11-12-5-10 -- 38
Indian Creek 13-10-15-13 -- 51
TORONTO (8-11): Sloane 0 0-0 0; Mick 0 0-0 0; Hanlin 1 0-0 3; Reeves 2 0-0 5; Matyas 5 4-5 16; Myslinsky 2 0-0 5; Clegg 4 1-2 9; Ellis 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 14, 5-7: 38.
INDIAN CREEK (2-16): Francis 1 1-2 3; M Kuczykowski 1 0-0 3; L. Kuczykowski 6 1-4 15; Williams 0 0-0 0; Morelli 0 0-0 0; Vandeborne 0 0-0 0; Irizarry 1 0-0 3; Wright 2 5-6 9; Vandine 4 0-0 8; Shaffer 5 0-0 10; Bodo 0 0-0 0; Rothacker 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 20, 7-12: 51.
3-POINTERS: Toronto 5 (Matyas 2, Hanlin, Myslinsky, Clegg); Indian Creek 4 (L. Kuczykowski 2, M. Kuczykowski, Irizzary).