Wilmington Handles Chillicothe 49-42

Wilmington's Matt Smith

By Dan Ramey

Follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @DanRameyRadio

Matt Smith was the big story on the night, pouring in all 19 of Wilmington’s first quarter points, as the Hurricane beat Chillicothe 49-42 Saturday night.

Smith hit 7-of-8 shots from the field over the first eight minutes, including five from beyond the arc. On the night, the 6’4” senior forward tallied 29 points.

“We let that kid (Smith) get off and really put us in a bind… put us in a hole” said Cavs Coach Eric Huffer. “It’s something we couldn’t really get over. They were physical. They wanted it more than us. We just got bullied tonight.”

Huffer knew exactly why Smith was found open for shots “It’s the dribble penetration by 43 (Jeffery Mansfield) that’s causing our weak side defense to kick in and help” leaving Smith open. “He hit that one from the volleyball line… he banked it (to end the first quarter). It was just his night.”

Despite the hot start by Smith, the Cavaliers managed to stay within four points by halftime. But Chillicothe simply couldn’t pull even and trailed throughout the contest.

Jeffery Mansfield dropped in 16 points for the Hurricane, twelve of them from the charity stripe. The margin of victory came on free throws as Wilmington was 16-of-20 to the Cavs’ 9-of-13.

Meanwhile, the Hurricane limited Cavalier opportunities. The Cavs took just 30 shots from the field to Wilmington’s 36.

“This was the best defense we’ve played all season” said Wilmington Coach Mike Noszka after the game. “There are no secrets out here, it’s strength on strength. We know what they’re doing and they know what we’re doing. It comes down to execution and we hit a few shots.”

Wilmington (9-4) won the battle on the boards, 22-14, holding Chillicothe to one offensive rebound. The Cavs forced 12 Wilmington turnovers, but were only able to convert on two of them.

“The biggest thing we did was we guarded 2 (Branden Maughmer) and 20 (Jayvon Maughmer)” said Noszka.  Branden Maughmer managed just one field goal attempt in the first half and entering the fourth period had just three points. Maughmer scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth while Jayvon was held to four. Will Roderick followed knocked down 12 points and Simon Roderick added nine.

Chillicothe (10-4) returns to action Tuesday at Hatton Gym, their first home game since December 22nd, to host Harvest Prep. The undefeated Warriors sit atop the state Division III poll. Tuesday will be Athletic Hall of Fame Night with ceremonies taking place between the JV and Varsity games, approximately 7pm.

CHILLICOTHE (42): Branden Maughmer, 13; Will Roderick, 12: Simon Roderick, 9; Jayvon Maughmer, 4; Jalen Jordan, 3; Jason Benson, 1; Chris Postage, 0; Brandon Noel, 0.

WILMINGTON (49): Matt Smith 29, Jeffery Mansfield, 16; Sam Jacobyansky, 4; Willie Morris, 0; Layne Griffith, 0; Curtis Gauche, 0; Dorian Taylor, 0.

HALL OF FAME NIGHT IS TUESDAY:

The Cavs Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome six individuals and one team as the Class of 2018 this Tuesday.

The Class includes the 1973-74 Chillicothe Girls Basketball team, Bill Gunlock (1947) All-Ohio Football, Cory Cox (1996) All-Ohio Baseball, Brad Bates (2000) All-Ohio Football, Mary Taylor Montgomery (2003) All-Ohio Softball, Keegan Rathkamp (2004) All-Ohio Cross Country and Track and Dany Demick (2010) All-Ohio Wrestling.

In addition, Carolyn Sullivan will be presented an award of Merit for her service to the Softball program.

A reception will be held from 4pm through the end of the Varsity game in the Larry Cox Gym.

Wilmington's Mike Noszka

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content