Sidney beats Lehman; Dunbar, Alter record big wins
Monday: Jan. 24, 2010
Here’s what’s happening in High School sports around the Miami Valley.
Weekend Statewide Boys Basketball Scores
Weekend Statewide Girls Basketball Scores
DDN: Akbar, Hawkins combo carries Dunbar over Trotwood
DDN: Backcourt duo carries Alter past rival CJ
DDN: Madison stands tall, stomps Carlisle
SNS: Springfield Shawnee boys win Clark County swimming title
CDS: Marion Local tops Delphos St. John’s in double overtime
SDN: Well-timed threes lead Fort Loramie over Anna
Featured Story
By Tim Langevin
Sidney-Lehman II: Plenty of buzz surrounded the Lehman vs. Sidney II matchup. Division I vs. Division IV. Private vs. Public. Yes vs. No. Although these extraneous issues have sparked diametric views off the court, no one could argue this game screamed a unity of excitement on the court. Without further ado….
SIDNEY — The atmosphere was electric. Too electric for Lehman. Sidney’s talent and depth jolted the Cavaliers 74-51 before a full house at the “Hive” Saturday night in a cross-town showdown.
And it was the usual suspects from Sidney, Daniel Ocke and Zach Yinger, getting the job done. Ocke scored a game high 23 points with seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Yinger served up 21 points and hauled down 12 boards.
Ocke said, “We came out like any other game and played our hardest. We didn’t worry about DI or DIV. It’s a basketball game. We all know each other. We are all friends. It was a fun night and fun to play.”
Yinger echoed the same sentiment, “We’ve known the guys since fourth grade. It was a fun game, especially in front of all those fans.”
What a combo these two seniors have proved to be. Yinger has 967 career points, just 33 shy of the 1,000-point club. Only two players, DeWayne McCluskey and TC Johnson have scored more points in the history of Sidney basketball.
Clark said, “It’s important to him. It’s important to me. It’s really important to his teammates. We are going to make it happen, but he knows W’s are more important. He also knows it will come with the W’s.”
Ocke has made short work of his point production (761 points) in 2 1/2 years as a starter. As a freshman, Ocke could hardly walk and chew gum at the same time. Since then, he has elevated his game with hard work in the off-seasons.
“Last April he made a commitment to earn a basketball scholarship,” said Clark. “He has improved with a one-dribble finish at the end and his mid-range jumper off the dribble. His footwork keeps improving and his passing has always been solid. We always knew he was a good spot-up shooter, but this season we need him to play the post and he has responded.”
No doubt, playing the post or perimeter, the 6-6 Ocke has become a duel threat for defenders. This European-style, hybrid player is averaging 23.0 points per game, second in the GWOC behind Travis Trice of Wayne.
Back to the game. Lehman jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. Jon Slagle made 1-of-2 foul shots and Nick Cordonnier scored on a power move in the paint.
RJ Heins muscled a bucket down low and then scored again in transition to boost the Jackets ahead 4-3. Heins finished with four points and four assists.
Freshman point guard Patwaun Hudson, gaining more confidence with each start, bombed a three from the right perimeter and three possessions later, another from the left perimeter. Sidney led 10-7 and never looked back, stretching the lead 16-9 after the opening frame.
Hudson ended the game with 11 points, four rebounds, and four assists. It is becoming evident that Hudson is the straw that stirs the drink. Who knows, maybe Hudson will be the next Travis Trice.
Clark said, “The more he plays, the more confident he gets. Need to remember, he is used to playing against kids his own age. At age 14, he is playing against 18 and 19-year-old men. That’s a big difference. But he is hard to take off the floor. We need him out there.” Hudson played 30 of 32 minutes.
The Jackets won the second quarter by a decisive 22-10 margin to take a commanding 38-19 halftime lead.
Held scoreless in the first quarter due to early foul trouble, Ocke scored eight points and Yinger added six. But it was reserve Alec Austin with the daggar, draining two long threes.
Lehman coach Isaiah Williams said, “In a rivalry game like this, usually somebody does something unexpected. That number 4 (Austin) for Sidney hit two big threes. Then Heins played aggressively and Patwaun hit some big shots. From the film we watched, those guys weren’t doing that. That’s what happens in games like this.”
Tyler Steinke kept Lehman in the rear view mirror with six points. He scored on two mid-range jumpers and a blow-by baseline drive. The senior point guard finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Cavs, bringing the fight to this game in the third quarter, outscored the Jackets 23-16 and cut the lead 46-39 at the mid-point. And it was all sharp shooter Alex Baker, erupting for 14 of his 16 points during that stretch run. The junior guard converted 4-of-7 from three-point-land. Baker bombed from the perimeter, the top of the key, the corner, and downtown Sidney.
Williams said, “We got more aggressive in the second half. We knew Sidney liked to run, but we wanted to see if they could run with us. We were down 19 at half. We had to try something. Once we got it down to single digits, we went individual again, trying to go one on four.”
Sidney took the scary out of the game with an 8-2 run to close out the quarter. Hudson scored on a floater down the lane. TJ Golden hit a 10-foot baseline jumper. Ocke scored in the paint on a nice feed from Golden. And Yinger scored on a stick-back off the fast break.
Sidney dominated the fourth quarter with a 20-8 run. Ocke led the scoring parade with eight points, including 3-of-3 free throws to start the action.
Hudson followed with his third three of the game. He converted 3-of-4 for the night. Ocke scored on a three-point-play and then Yinger made layups on back-to-back steals.
On the second steal, it looked like Yinger was thinking dunk and so was the crowd, but decided otherwise as he explained, “I wanted to dunk, but I took off too far from the basket and had to adjust.”
Cordonnier displayed a high motor on both ends of the floor. The 6-6 senior paced Lehman with 19 points, 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
The difference-maker was Sidney’s bench, out-pointing Lehman’s bench 15-zip. Austin and Golden each scored six and Andy Beigel added two and Zyler White contributed one free throw.
Another glaring stat, Sidney shot 51.9 percent from the field to Lehman’s 29.8 percent.
“This team is still a mystery. I thought we were building after the Houston win. But our last two losses we are back to square one,” a frustrated Williams said. “One thing people don’t realize, I didn’t have these kids in the summer. I just got them. Another thing, football season was long. We will get it going.”
Clark concluded, “Ken Barhorst (SDN Sports Editor) says I shouldn’t do it because it’s a no-win situation. But that never scared me. We try to find the best game. Put the kids in the best atmosphere whether it’s Dunbar or Colonel White or Lakota East. And you can’t beat this or those type of atmospheres.”
Sidney improves to 7-6 and Lehman stands at 5-5.
Last year Sidney won the renewed rivalry 51-46. This year was a different story. The good news, these two schools recently signed a new two-year contract. And for good reason. When these teams play, “cha-ching” for both programs.
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