Green rallies, beats Flyers

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It was a great night for the Green Bobcats Saturday, although that fact wouldn’t be known until the final buzzer went off, as the Bobcats hosted the Ironton St. Joe Flyers. Trailing for the majority of the game, the Bobcats didn’t look like they were going to finish the night on the smiling end of the scoreboard, however, thanks to two 20 point performances, Dirk Hollar’s squad put together a great comeback win, 71-60.

“We trailed the whole game but kept battling and never gave up,” Hollar said. “The fight we had tonight in the fourth (quarter) is what I want from tip off.”

Green ended the night with three players in double figures, two of which eclipsed the 20 point mark. Tanner Kimbler and Tayte Carver led the Bobcats in scoring. The two freshman put up 21 points each, against the Flyers, and were a pivotal roll in the decisive fourth quarter for Green.

Hunter Lewis also broke double figures for the Bobcats, scoring 17 points, and hitting eight of his 10 free throw attempts.

Lewis had been out of action for Green’s previous three games, due to a high ankle sprain.

“Hunter and Tayte both came up with huge blocks in the fourth, but Alex Hughes is who came up huge in the fourth, by taking two charges and playing his guts out for me,” Hollar said. “This kid would run through a wall for me and this team.”

That wall was the St. Joe Flyers, who controlled the entirety of the game, until the fourth quarter. The Flyers led 15-9 at the end of the first quarter, and 27-25 at the half.

The Flyers flew high in the third quarter, scoring 26 points, and increased their lead over the Bobcats to 53-44 by the end of the quarter.

There was little reason to think the fourth quarter would go any differently than the three previous quarters, but it most certainly took an interesting turn in the Bobcats favor.

Green got a second wind in the fourth, and started hitting some clutch shots chipping away at the Flyers’ lead. From there, the Bobcat defense simply refused to allow the Flyers to score, limiting Ironton St. Joe to only seven points in the period, the lowest offensive production on the night.

Excellent free throw shooting helped spark the Bobcat comeback. Green went 11-16 in the fourth quarter from the line, and then added two big three-pointers, one from Carver, and another from Zach Garrett. Those scores, and a few two-point field goals, led to a 27-point quarter for the Bobcats, and an 11-point victory.

“We needed this win after hitting a rough spot in our schedule, and now we have another tough one at home versus Eastern,” Hollar said. “I’m very proud of how these boys continue to fight for my coaching staff and I. They’re great kids.”

Green will host the Eastern Eagles Friday night, with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.

Box Score

1

2

3

4

Final

Green

9

16

19

27

71

St. Joe

15

12

26

7

60

Individual Statistics

Green – Kimbler 5-7-21, Carver 8-4-21, Lewis 4-8-17, Johnson 3-0-6, Hughes 1-1-3, Garrett 1-0-3

St. Joe – Ward 10-0-20, Whaley 5-2-12, Williams 3-1-8, Adkins 2-1-7, Willis 2-1-5, Walters 1-3-5, Neal 1-0-3

3-point field goals – Green 7 (Kimbler 4, Carver, Lewis, Garrett) St. Joe – 1 (Williams)

By Michael Hamilton [email protected]

Reach Michael Hamilton at 740-353-3101, ext 1931, or on Twitter @MikeHamilton82.

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