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By Eric Hickey, Contributing Writer 2:38 AM Saturday, January 14, 2012

HAMILTON — For visiting Dayton Chaminade Julienne, it was a matter of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

CJ brought an 8-2 record into Mulcahey Gym on Friday night but left humbled as the Badin High School boys basketball team mixed its usual lock-down defensive style with some red-hot shooting in a dominating 52-33 victory.

Morgan Reynolds led the Rams with 16 points and pulled down a game-high 12 boards, while Joe Marot came off the bench to nail three big first-half treys on his way to a 12-point night as Badin improved to 8-3, 2-2 Greater Catholic League Central Division.

“This win gives us confidence for the rest of the season,” said Reynolds, who also had the defensive play of the game when he drew a charge on CJ’s Joe Staley in the third quarter. “We were a lot more aggressive tonight and played pretty good defense since they had one of the best post players we’ve played.”

Staley came in as one of the GCL’s best, but Badin was able to frustrate the big man while getting him in foul trouble. Staley ended up with a team-high 16 points but fouled out in the fourth.

In the third, CJ had cut the Rams lead to 10, and Staley drove and scored, only to pick up a charging call, his fourth foul. The basket didn’t count.

“That was a winning play,” Badin coach Nick Argentati said. “That is one that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet but also one we haven’t been making.”

With Staley on the bench, Badin scored the last five points of the third to take a commanding 37-22 bulge into the final frame, a lead which would prove insurmountable with its defense.

“This is the best defensive team I have ever had,” Argentati said. “From 1-10, we just really guard and when we make shots, we can be a really good team.”

Marot keyed a 10-point run to end the first quarter with two treys as Badin built a 14-8 lead. He added another big three-pointer in the second for the hosts, which finished the game 16-of-24 from the field.

Badin, which travels to Summit Country Day on Tuesday, held CJ to 12-of-42 shooting.

CJ, which fell to 8-3, 5-1 GCL North, faces Chillicothe on Monday in the Flyin’ to the Hoop event.

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