Vikings Hold Off Statesmen 65-62
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Vinton County Head Coach NJ Kight was looking for consistency from his Vikings Saturday, a night after not playing well at Nelsonville-York. He got what he was looking for in a 65-62 win over New Hope Christian Academy.
“That might be the most complete game we’ve played all year” Kight said after the game. “My message before the game was ‘find a way’… whether things go smoothly, whether it’s rough, whether it’s one of those grind it out games, ya’ know, just find a way.”
The Vikings were playing shorthanded when one of their best players, Hayden Reynolds was injured during warm-ups and was out for the game.
Despite being a man down, the Vikings came out of the gate smokin’ hot from three-point range, led by Nash Yates who drained four long range missiles in the first period for 12 of his 22-points on the night.
Meanwhile, the Statemen fans were looking for sharp-shooter Hunter Cavanaugh to crack 1,000 points for his stellar career at New Hope Christian Academy. He brought the crowd inside Ohio Christian University’s Maxwell Center to their feet with a drive down the lane with about 30 seconds remaining in the first to crack the milestone.
Afterward, the Vikings kept Cavanaugh quiet offensively while building a 37-38 lead at halftime. McDonald’s Player of the Game, Cobra Sharp drilled 13 of his game-high 27-points in the second quarter. “We’re a good shooting team usually” Sharp said “if we see the first couple go in, we’re gonna have a day like that. But today, it was special. Nash Yates, man, he shot the lights out. I don’t know how many three’s he made, but it felt like every time we needed one he knocked one in.”
The Vikings hit 11-of-21 shots from beyond the arc while New Hope drained 9-of-25.
The difference was on second chance baskets. Vinton County outrebounded the Statesmen 30-19 helping the Vikings build a double-digit lead. But the Statesmen simply wouldn’t go away. Every time VC went ahead by 12-points, New Hope whittled the margin down to five, eventually closing within 61-59 in the final minute of regulation.
Nathaniel Ames paced the New Hope attack with 19-points while the Statemen had four player hit in double-figures, including Cavanaugh who finished with 16. Xander Rink poured in 14 and Tyler Cook 11 more.
The Statemen were playing without Head Coach Shane Roese, who was under the weather. Assistant Coach Tim Reeves praised his club’s effort in the losing bout as they dropped their third straight. “The last three teams we’ve played (Eastern Pike, Patriot Prep and Vinton County) have been very stiff competition. That’s preparing us for our post season and our tournament” said Reeves. “We hope that the adversity we’ve gone through and the good competition we’ve played prepares us for that and we’ll be successful.”
Vinton County (10-9) hosts McClain Tuesday and New Hope (13-5) hosts Wellington School the same night as the regular season comes to an end for both teams next week.
SCORING:
VINTON COUNTY (65): Cobra Sharp, 27; Nash Yates, 22; Josh Mongtomery, 7; Luke Dimel, 6; Scout White, 3
NEW HOPE CA (62): Nathaniel Ames, 19; Hunter Cavanaugh, 16; Zander Rink, 14; Tyler Cook 11; Matt beard, 2.
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO HEAR THE POST GAME INTERVIEWS & THE GAME OF THE WEEK REPLAY with Dan Ramey & B Jay Dailey on Litter Media RADIO.
