Carson Francis, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Coming into the season, expectations weren’t very high for a Chillicothe squad with only one senior.
And after an 0-3 start to the campaign, it appeared as though it could be a long season. However, the Cavaliers have turned the tides as of late, and Tuesday night’s win against Logan continued to that momentum.
Fueled by a potent defensive team performance, and production on both sides of the ball from its young core, Chillicothe (3-4) fought its way to a 43-31 victory over the Chieftains — picking up a third win in the last four tries.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
“We started slow this season,” Chillicothe’s Cooper Stoneking said. “But the more we play with each other, the more we’re going to grow and start winning more basketball games.”
Offensively, Chillicothe was firing on all cylinders to start, with Stoneking knocking down a pair of triples in the opening frame. Caydon Cox added another seven points to put the Cavaliers out to a 17-10 advantage after the first eight minutes.
They were able to stay out in front throughout the entire first half, and freshman Andrew Hamman was the spark plug in the second quarter.
Coming off the bench, the youngster knocked down two corner 3’s to keep his team in the lead. But Logan (1-6) was able to stay within striking distance, as seven first-half points from Sawyer Magdich kept the Chieftains’ deficit at six, a 24-18 Chillicothe lead going into the intermission.
Even with Logan continuing to strike back, the Cavaliers would rely on their defense to pull away in the second half.
The Chieftains came out of the break with possession, but came up empty. Chillicothe’s Cam Badger then took the ball up the floor in transition before dishing a no-look pass to Cox inside for a bucket. The next time down the floor, Logan was suffocated by the Cavs’ defense, forcing up an airball from beyond the arc.
Chillicothe had made a statement to start the half, and it was all Cavaliers the rest of the way.
“We haven’t played with confidence that much this season,” Cox said. “Our defensive game was played well tonight, and we played together as a team.”
After Chillicothe brought a 31-24 lead into the final quarter, it looked to put the game away early.
Following an early bucket, Stoneking knocked down a trey to put the Cavaliers up by 10 — their largest lead of the night — with 5:54 to go. From there, Chillicothe would keep up its defensive intensity and hit its free throws down the stretch, putting a cap on a 43-31 victory, the team’s first win over Logan since 2020.
Stoneking led the Cavaliers in scoring with 15 points and three triples. Cox followed with nine points and a team-high nine rebounds. Hamman finished the game with six points and six rebounds of his own.
The Chieftains were led in scoring by Magdich, who finished with 13 points. Behind him, Jackson Stimmel contributed seven points, and Daniel Bauers chalked up six.
Logan looks to get back on track as it hosts Linden-McKinley in Saturday’s Hocking Hills Holiday Jamboree. For the Cavaliers, they’ll look to keep their momentum going when they travel to Jackson for an important FAC matchup on Saturday.
“It’s a must win,” Stoneking said when asked about Saturday’s game. “[Jackson’s] always a tough team, and it’s always a tough atmosphere to play in. We’ve just got to be ready, follow the game plan, and go win the basketball game.”
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