John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SCIOTOVILLE – From Saturday’s opening tip, the Manchester Greyhounds were off to the races.
CREDIT: John Bruce/SOSA
In a 54-37 road victory over East, the trio of Drew Kennedy, Connor Darnell and Braylon Roberts scored 42 of the team’s 54 points to bring home a victory.
Manchester (4-8) brought in an aggressive defense that challenged every shot and sprinted down the court in their sideline break after each change of possession, keeping East on its heels throughout.
“It’s great. We’ve got some big guys who can sit down and score for us very well and we appreciate that,” Darnell said. “It’s always nice to have.”
Roberts got the scoring started for Manchester with a 3 from the top of the key before the Tartans’ Landahn Pernell hit one of his own from the right wing. After the teams traded misses, Darnell connected with Aaron Lucas out of the break for a lay-in.
East (3-6) then took its final lead of the game when Jaylon Mayhew buried a corner 3 for a 6-5 edge.
Back-to-back baskets from Kennedy, before another triple from Roberts, gave the Greyhounds a lead they’d only build on throughout the afternoon. A tough rebound and putback late in the quarter by East’s Dylan Fitzgerald rounded out the first quarter with Manchester leading, 14-9.
The Greyhounds began to impose their will on the Tartans with the aforementioned swarming defense coupled with a fast-break offense.
BY THE NUMBERS
While the Greyhounds didn’t shoot at a highly efficient rate (41.2%), they were able to force 20 turnovers and limit the Tartans to only 29.4% shooting on the night. Both teams connected on only two 3-pointers, while the Tartans made a living at the free throw line, going 15-for-23 (65.2%). Manchester owned the glass with a +7 rebounding advantage, with Aaron Lucas pulling down a game-high seven caroms for the Greyhounds. Manchester also handed out 12 assists on their 21 made baskets, with four each coming from Darnell and Horner.
Darnell pushed the pace, either finding Kennedy in transition or getting to the hoop himself for scores. When the Greyhounds did have to run an offense, Chase Horner found Roberts and Parker Hayslip for backdoor layups.
If it wasn’t for Austin Baughman’s ability to get into the paint for the Tartans, East would’ve struggled to score in the first half at all.
Baughman routinely got inside from the top of the key and found his way to the free throw line, helping East stay in the contest during the first half.
As the third quarter rolled around, it would be all Greyhounds as Darnell and Kennedy took over, pushing their teammates out to a 14-point lead after three with their ability to score at the rim.
Baughman and Mayhew added to their totals for the Tartans, but overall, East just couldn’t make the shots needed to make up the difference in the scoring line.
For Darnell, he put together an all-around game that most point guards would be envious of — 13 points, six rebounds and four assists — as the Greyhounds raced to their fourth victory of the season.
“My job is to get the ball to my [teammates],” Darnell said. “I score myself, too. But I just try to do all that I can to put us in the best position to win.”
Although the Greyhounds have struggled in Southern Hills Athletic Conference play, their schedule has prepared them for their non-conference slate, where they’re 4-3 on the year.
“We play a lot of fast-paced teams,” Kennedy said. “It gets us conditioned and we’re able to adjust to different defenses.”
Manchester will look to continue its winning ways on Friday, hosting Fayetteville, while East is back in action on Tuesday at Western.
“We’re going to continue to work, everyday,” Darnell said. “It’s a grind. We may have started off a little rough but we have to keep pounding.”
BOX SCORE
Manchester: 14-18-12-10 — 54
East: 9-12-9-7 — 37
Manchester scoring: Kennedy 17, Darnell 13, Roberts 12, A. Lucas 4, Horner 2, Hayslip 2, Crabtree 2, Q. Lucas 2.
East scoring: Baughman 11, Mayhew 7, Justice 5, Pernell 5, Fitzgerald 4, Huston 2, Jackson 2, Roe 2
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