Wayne tames Sidney; Crider scores 26
By Tim Langevin
“The W-A-I-T-I-N-G is the hardest part.”
The game both teams were anxiously waiting to play since January 25 came to fruition Thursday night. And it was worth the wait. Sidney trailed just 45-41 with 3:06 left in the third quarter. Then Wayne assembled a key 9-0 run to escape with the not-so-easy 75-56 win at the Hive.
Sidney coach Tom Clark said, “It seemed like we were stuck on 41 for three days.” Perhaps, a Bill Murray “Groundhog Day” experience.
This contest had the aura of an All-Star game. Wayne’s dynamic duo of Travis Trice and Marcus Crider versus Sidney’s Top Guns Zach Yinger and Daniel Ocke. But in the end, with the exception of Crider’s 26 points, it was the role players stealing the spotlight.
Freshman point guard Patwaun Hudson bailed Sidney out in the first half with 11 points. After Crider leaped out to a 5-0 lead with an array of mid-range jumpers, Hudson broke the ice with a hard drive down the lane. Seconds later, Hudson drained a step-back three on Trice and the game was tied at 5-5.
With the game tied at 26-26 with 4:05 left in the half, Hudson knocked down back-to-back threes and Sidney led 32-26. Game on.
Trice, Jr said, “Patwaun has a bright future. Some freshmen come out and try to feel their way around. He came out aggressive and attacked. He had 11 at half. He really kept his team in it the first half. He keeps playing AAU ball, he’ll be fine. That’s how players get better and that maturity-level sets in.”
Crider kept Wayne in the contest in the first half with 12 points. But it was his Dunk that was heard around the county. Early in the second quarter, Trice lobbed a pass in transition and Crider served up a mighty facial, which resulted in a technical for hanging on the rim.
Yinger sank both throws and the Jackets led 21-18. Yinger, nearing second place on Sidney’s all-time scoring list, finished the game with just nine points. However, he assured himself as the GWOC King of rebounding with 14 boards. He is tops in the conference with 11.6 rpg.
“We are pretty numb right now,” Clark said. “Four tough losses in a row. Nobody expected to lose 12 games this year. Tough to swallow. But this group is mature and we can bounce back in the tournament.”
Sidney has had a rugger schedule this season. Take out the four games against Piqua and Greenville, Sidney’s remaining 16 opponents have a 74 percent winning mark.
While Clark was numb, Wayne coach Travis Trice, Sr was upset, “I know we haven’t played a game in 12 days, but some of the stuff out there I wasn’t pleased. Mostly individual problems. We are waiting for all the guys to play at the same level at the same time. I don’t think we made good decisions. We don’t share the ball enough. We need to play for each other and about each other.”
Keith Clements was the unsung hero for Wayne with 10 points. Every time Sidney made a run, the junior guard made a clutch basket.
RJ Heins had a breakout game with seven points, all in the second half, to keep Sidney in it. His steal and layup knotted the score 39-39 with 6:20 left in the third quarter.
The Warriors started clicking in the fourth quarter, outscoring Sidney 21-15. Crider paced the attack with six points. The 6′ 6″ senior was dominant on both ends of the floor, taking over for a struggling Trice, who had the flu all week.
Wayne’s Isiah Boddie didn’t start due to a concussion. However, his replacement, 5′ 3″ Evin Bartlett filled in nicely with four points, four assists, and no turnovers.
Trice, Sr said, “Evin is a high school varsity player. Starting him was no gimmick. He makes wise decisions on the floor and doesn’t turn the ball over.”
Travis Trice finished the night with 10 points, 14 below his league-leading average.
“This season has been nice,” Trice, Jr said. “I think we just starting to come together. It was good to get this game in. Get that rust off.”
In talking about his bright future, ”Ever since I was little, I knew I was going to play D-I college ball somewhere. Sometimes people get caught up in the name of the school. My advice is to keep working and do what is best for you. With all the people leaving at Michigan State, the coaching staff is talking about handing me the ball from the start. I will be the only true point guard in the program.”
He stressed, “I still have a lot of work to do. I need to get my body ready for the Big Ten. Work on my strength. I got time to do that.”
Wayne has won 14 straight games and improve to 19-1. More impressive, the Warriors (ranked 7th OHSH/JJ Huddle) have won 37 straight GWOC games. Their last loss was to Centerville February 10, 2009.
Ocke, closing in on 900 points in just three seasons, finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds.
Jarad Sowders tallied 11 points with three steals.
And so, the wait is over. Now both teams can navigate the tournament trail. Wayne plays Piqua Saturday at Trotwood and Sidney plays Meadowdale Wednesday at Trent Arena.
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