The Mounties (4-1) started things out with an 8-0 run and never looked back, taking down the Indians (1-4) 53-43 at Rittman Tuesday night. The Mounties’ full-court pressure bothered Rittman all night long, forcing 14 turnovers. Jedidiah Brannon had a big night for Mapleton, finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Mapleton Starts Fast
One of the keys to winning on the road is a fast start, and the Mounties got theirs going right away. Mapleton employed a full court press, and it paid off, flustering the Tribe from the start. In the opening three minutes, Brannon, and Garrett Kern each scored twice to give them an early 8-0 lead. Rittman would battle back though, as layups from Dack Mutters and Artie Sonego, and a Bradyn Raber three narrowed the gap to 8-7. At the end of one, Mapleton led 12-7.
The Indians would find more success in the second quarter, but every time they got close Mapleton had an answer. Bradyn Raber led the way with seven points for Rittman in the quarter. The score would get as close as a point, but the Mounties took a 26-23 lead into the half.
Just like they did to open the first, Mapleton came out of the halftime break fast. Ryan Hickey hit a three to open the scoring and the Mounties got out to their biggest lead of the game at 35-26. Brannon had a big third for Mapleton, scoring six and bringing down five rebounds. Heading into the fourth, the Mounties led 38-34.
Mapleton went 7-10 from the line in the fourth and got key three pointers from Kyle Sloter and Calvin Vermilya to close out the Indians. Rittman would get as close as 40-39, but the Mounties outscored them 13-4 the rest of the way.
Keys to the Game
Mapleton came out in a full-court press and it paid dividends right away. The Mounties forced 14 turnovers and kept Rittman off balance all night. Every time the Indians would get close, Mapleton came up with a way to extend the lead. On offense, they were able to find holes in the Rittman zone and made the extra pass to find the open man.
Top Performers
Mapleton
Jedidiah Brannon: 17 points 14 rebounds
Garrett Kern: 12 points 6 rebounds
Kyle Sloter: 9 points 6 rebounds 5 assists
Rittman
Bradyn Raber: 15 points 4 assists 2 rebounds
Noah Wile: 8 points 12 rebounds 2 blocks
Dack Mutters: 5 points 7 assists 3 rebounds
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| Mapleton | 12 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 53 |
| Rittman | 7 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 43 |
Follow me on Twitter @devinlowe123 for more high school basketball coverage!
Recent Comments