Badin boys fall to La Salle 45-28

Rams scored only one point through first five minutes.

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12:41 AM Wednesday, February 8, 2012

By Jay Morrison

Staff Writer

HAMILTON — Following Tuesday night’s game against La Salle, Badin boys basketball coach Nick Argentati said it was the toughest Lancers team his Rams had ever played.

The fact that La Salle won the Division I state championship last year should provide a hint at how the game went.

The Lancers’ high-pressure defense flustered Badin from the opening possession, limiting the Rams to only one point through the first five minutes and six through the first 14 on the way to a 45-28 triumph at Mulcahey Gym.

“I don’t think they’re as talented as some other La Salle teams, but they play as hard as any La Salle team we’ve ever played,” Argentati said. “You just can’t prepare for that kind of pressure, and we didn’t handle it well.”

Badin (11-6) committed turnovers on three of its first four possessions while the Lancers scored points on eight of their first 10, spurting to a 17-3 lead after just 4½ minutes.

The win was the ninth in a row for the Lancers (17-1), the No. 3-ranked team in the Division I state poll.

“We’ve been playing pretty well recently, and our defense has been strong all year long,” La Salle coach Dan Fleming said. “Our offense was good in the first half tonight, but we kind of slowed down in the second half.”

Down 31-10 at the break, Badin opened the second half on a 9-2 run to make things interesting for a little bit. But the Lancers responded with their patented pressure and forced five consecutive turnovers to push the lead back to 20.

The Rams finished with 20 turnovers which La Salle converted into 18 points.

“We should be a little bit better than that,” Argentati said. “I’m not saying we should play the game with no turnovers, but we have eight seniors who should be able to handle the pressure a little bit better than what we did.”

Seniors Morgan Reynolds and Heath Stricker scored nine points each to lead Badin, with Reynolds also pulling down a team-high five rebounds. Senior J.B. Hunt who made the only shot he took to finish with two points, also played well, Argentati said.

“He wanted the ball in his hands and competed the whole time,” Argentati said. “I thought some of our other guys were just trying to get rid of the ball as quick as they could. They didn’t want to be the guy with the ball in their hands.”

La Salle senior Josh Lemon had game highs in points (12), rebounds (eight) and steals (three). Lancers sophomore Jeffrey Larkin added 11 points, with nine of them coming in the first four minutes. Senior Tyler Vogelpohl chipped in 10.

Badin returns to action Friday at Fenwick. The Rams need a win to move into a tie with Roger Bacon atop the Greater Catholic League Central Division standings.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

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