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STEUBENVILLE -- The Big Red boys' basketball team was unable to stop Carrollton's winning streak.
The Warriors led by 14 entering the fourth quarter, however, Big Red battled back and pulled within seven points. Undaunted, Carrollton answered right back, and the visitors hit their free throws down the stretch to pull away for a 56-40 victory esday night inside the Crimson Center.
"We had a big win Friday up at Liverpool," Big Red (5-7) head coach Mike Haney said. "We made shots. Tonight, we did not make shots. We were 3-for-13 from 3.
"We cut it to five or six. We had a chance, but then we had a turnover and they would come down and make a shot and we missed a shot. The lead went from six to 10."
The Warriors have now won 11 straight games.
"That has been our MO this year," Carrollton (13-2) head coach Mike Aukerman said. We have won a lot of close games. We have been able to pull away in the fourth quarter. Jaxon (Rinkes) and Lincoln (Mallarnee) hit some shots for us. Rinkes is tough. We are able to isolate him and get him in space.
"We were able to take the lead from eight to 10 to 12. We hit our foul shots, and we were able to close the game out.
"You don't win 11 straight games by accident."
After trailing 40-26 after three, Big Red delivered the first seven points of the fourth to pull within 41-34 with 5:14 remaining, however, the Warriors answered by scoring the next four points to regain a double-digit advantage with 3:53 left to play. Phaeton Hill nailed a 3-pointer to pull the hosts within eight, but they were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
"They are a good team," Haney said. "They are well-coached. They are disciplined.
"Rinkes had 21. He's a true point guard. He controls the offense and the tempo. They made shots."
Hill tallied a team-high 13 points to lead the way for the hosts from Jefferson County, however, the senior standout was the lone Big Red player to produce double digits in points. Keith Lewis was second on the team with nine points.
Three players finished in double figures to lead the way offensively for the visitprs from Carroll County. Rinkes recorded a game-high 21 points, Micha Barkan collected 14, while Mallarnee netted 11.
Hill attempted to keep the Crimson-and-Black in the game with his outside shooting as he hit three 3-pointers on the night, however, the home team's comeback was hampered by turnovers and missed shots.
"He sure did," Aukerman said about Hill keeping Big Red in the game. "We tried to get out on him. We mixed up our defense. We wanted to make sure he didn't beat us, but he hit some big shots. He kept them close in the fourth.
"We were able to execute down the stretch, and we hit our foul shots."
The boys in black converted 14-of-19 attempts from the charity stripe, including going 12-of-15 from the line in the fourth.
"We tried to foul, but we could not make our 3s," Haney said. "We couldn't go two for 3. They were able to make their foul shots."
On the other hand, Big Red was not as Big Red made just 4-of-11 attempts from the line, including going 1-for-7 in the first half.
A 3-pointer and a layup in transition off a stolen pass gave the Warriors a 13-7 lead in the first. Big Red scored the final basket of the quarter to make the score 13-9 entering the second.
The Warriors built a six-point lead in the second stanza, however, a dunk by Hill made the score, 19-15. A foul shot pulled Big Red to within three points, but that was as close as they got the rest of the way.
The victors scored the next seven points to go up by 10 with 1:39 left to play before halftime. The Warriors led 26-19 at half.
"We were down six, and we were 1-for-7 on free throws," Haney said. "We didn't make our free throws. If we made our free throws, it is a tie game.
"We changed up our defense. Mallarnee hit two 3s, but we limited him to nothing but free throws in the second half."
The visiting team hit a 3-pointer to open the third quarter giving them a 10-point lead. A 3-pointer by Hill pulled his team to within 33-26, however, Carrollton tallied the final seven points of the quarter to extend their advantage going into the final quarter.
Hill's final 3 of the night made the score 45-37 with 3:43 left, but the Warriors recorded 11 of the game's final 14 points to pull away for the win.
"Our practices are very intense," Aukerman said. "Every day they come in and bust their butts. It doesn't matter who we play.
"We have eye toward the end of the season. We want to be playing in mid-March. We want to make a deep run. We want to be playing tournament basketball."
Carrollton is 13-0 with Rinkes and Mallarnee in the lineup. The dynamic duo did not play in either of the team's losses this season.
"Everything they did defensively, they did before," Haney said. "Offensively, they ran what we saw them ran. They made shots. The game of basketball is about making shots."
Big Red is scheduled to play Brooke Friday night at home.
"It's (TV) game," Haney said. "We played them before Christmas. We have to be ready because they shoot the ball well."
It has been an up-and-down season so far for Big Red.
"We get a win and we try to build off of that, but then we do not shoot the ball well," Haney said. "We are going to work hard the next two days to get ready for Brooke. Brooke shoots a lot of 3s, so we are going to have to do a good job defensively and we are going to have to rebound."
Carrollton is slated to play Alliance Friday night on the road. First place in the Eastern Buckeye Conference is on the line that night.
"I am extremely proud of our seniors," Aukerman said. "They showed great leadership, and we were able to finish them off. It was great for the caravan we had to Steubenville. We hope to have the same thing Friday night. The fan support has been great. It is an exciting time to be a part of Carrollton boys' basketball."
Carrollton 56, Big Red 40
Carrollton 13 13 14 16 – 56
Big Red 9 10 7 14 – 40
CARROLLTON (13-2): Rininger 0 0-0 0, B. Smith 2 0-0 4, Murphy 0 0-0 0, Petrangeli 0 0-0 0, Mallarnee 2 5-7 11, Allison 0 0-0 0, Benner 0 0-0 0, Rinkes 7 6-6 21, C. Smith 2 1-2 6, Birong 0 0-0 0, Barkan 6 2-4 14. TOTALS: 19 14-19 56.
BIG RED (5-7): Hill 5 0-0 13, Manning 1 0-0 2, Hopkins 3 2-5 8, Kernahan 0 0-2 0, Lewis 4 1-2 9, Faulks 0 0-0 0, Pierce 2 1-2 6, Bowers 1 0-0 2, Vostatek 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 4-11 40.
3-POINTERS: Carrollton 4 (Mallarnee 2, Rinkes, C. Smith); Big Red 4 (Hill 3, Pierce)