Journal-News.com

CINCINNATI — On a night when shots had a hard time falling, Badin High School's boys basketball team needed Ben Motley more than ever.

The senior forward doesn't do a lot of scoring, and that's OK with him. Motley was in his element Monday, Dec. 22, in a contest dominated by defense and rebounding.

Motley grabbed 13 boards and provided his usual physical play on defense for the Rams, who stifled host Purcell Marian 41-26 in a Greater Catholic League Central Division clash at the Eveslage Athletic Center.

"Being the guy to get the big rebound or setting the screen and watching your teammate score, that feels real good," Motley said. "Everybody would like to score, but I think doing all the little things is what wins games."

All three of Motley's points came in the fourth quarter. A modest number, but it matched the Cavaliers' offensive output in that stanza.

Brad Franks scored 11 points for Badin, which moved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the GCL. Scott Staarmann and Scott Purcell each added eight points, and Corey Van Natta had four points, four boards and four assists.

The Rams overcame 33.3-percent shooting with a strong defensive performance. The hosts' field-goal percentage was a meager 27.0.

"It was kind of an ugly win, but we're sitting here at 4-1 going into Christmas, and if you looked at the schedule before the season, I doubt many people would've said we'd be much better than that," Badin coach Nick Argentati said. "We were shooting over 50 percent from the floor coming into this game, but the shots weren't falling tonight. You have nights like this. It's still a win."

Purcell Marian, a 56-49 winner over Elder on Dec. 12, got six points apiece from Greg Davis, David Anderson and Curtis Burks.

The Cavaliers (2-3, 1-2) committed 19 turnovers and made their last field goal with 25.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"We talked about being patient and strong, and we were neither," Purcell Marian coach Dave Campbell said. "Badin does a very good job of executing, and we didn't match that. For us, it's a matter of playing together. You can't play five games of 1-on-1."

The Rams led 26-13 at halftime, powered by the scoring of Franks and Staarmann. All 19 of their points came in the opening two periods.

Purcell collected all eight of his points after the break for the Rams, who only had nine turnovers.

"Franks and Staarmann stepped up and made some shots when other people didn't, and that was really the key to the game," Argentati said. "After that, we were really just playing defense and rebounding their misses."

Motley's showing was aided by the fact that he was finally able to play without the protective mask he's been wearing because of a nose injury.

"I finally had some peripheral vision," said Motley, who also notched two steals. "Before, I'd have to shoot my head all around to see. Getting rid of the mask helped a lot."

Said Argentati, "Ben just leads for us. He defends. He talks. He gets everybody in the right spot. And he rebounds."

Badin visits Edgewood on Saturday.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2194 or rcassano@coxohio.com.