“You have a large crowd and a very good team, and we’ve just got to learn how to play in those situations,” Badin coach Gerry Weisgerber said. “For us this year, it’s a long journey, and bumps are going to happen in this journey. But as long as we learn and get a little bit better each day, come tournament time, this kind of stuff won’t bother us as much.”
John Marot was the lone Ram to reach double figures with 18 points in the Greater Catholic League Coed Central Division affair, with Badin dropping to 6-5 overall and 1-3 in the Central.
The Rams shot 32.7 percent from the floor and got off to an awful start, committing nine of their 17 turnovers in the first quarter and trailing 32-12 at halftime.
“It was all about the start,” Marot said. “You’ve got to be mentally strong and we weren’t, and we let it get in our heads and then we couldn’t really come back from it. So hopefully we’ll straighten up the next time we face them. One of our goals this year is to end the streak. The next time we come out, we can’t even think about that. We’ve just got to think about the game right there and not the past.”
Bacon’s first-half pressure was relentless, and it didn’t matter whether it was a full-court press or halfcourt man-to-man. The Spartans took a bite out of Badin’s decision-making time all over the floor, forcing the Rams to turn the ball over and rush shots.
“In my mind, the worst start we could have had is what we had tonight,” Weisgerber said. “We missed some early shots, and once we started missing shots, we started pressing. We got it settled down at halftime and came out in the second half and played more like we’re capable of playing.
“There’s no need for yelling and screaming. We have to learn from these type of games that when your mind is going 150 miles an hour, you can’t let your body do the same thing. You’ve got to slow your mind down in order to let your body play like you’re capable of playing. We started doing that in the second half.”
Craig McGee (15), Alec Pfriem (15), Nick Pfriem (10) and Tony Luken (10) all scored in twin digits for Bacon (10-2, 3-1), which played without one of its top players (Justin Johnson) because of a hip injury.
“We have been a very, very good first-half team, and you saw that again tonight at both ends of the floor,” Spartans coach Brian Neal said. “Defensively, when we play with a good deal of effort, we’re pretty hard to score on. (The Rams) screen so much that you have to help your teammate by pressuring the ball because they get open, but if the passer can’t see them open, then we’re still OK. We were able to do that quite a bit in the first half.
“In the second half, obviously Gerry’s a great coach and has been doing this a long time, and they made some adjustments. But we’ve not been a good second-half team. Maybe part of the reason is we’re up by a significant amount and kids are kids. No matter how many times I tell them the score’s 0-0, they have a hard time processing that, and we relaxed a little bit.
“We’ve got to figure out how to be as good in the second half as we are in the first. Tonight, they played better in the second half and we played worse. Unfortunately, that’s what I’ll remember driving home, so I won’t be so happy about it.”
And what about the lengthy dominance of Badin? The Rams’ last win in the series came on Jan. 4, 2008.
“I don’t know,” Neal said. “We’ve been pretty good for nine years. We’ve got a good game plan for those guys, although I’m not looking forward to the second time around (on Feb. 10) because I know how good of a coach Gerry is. I know how much they’ll grow between now and then. But we’ll try to get better too and try to make it 19 in a row.”
Bacon, which led 15-2 after one period, shot 57.5 percent from the field, and that included a 1-of-9 effort from beyond the arc. The Spartans beat the Rams to the rim time and time again and made layups all night.
James Johnson led Bacon with 10 rebounds. Justin Pappas had six for Badin, with Jakob Tipton, Daunte DeCello and Marot adding four apiece. Evan Grawe totaled three assists for the hosts.
The Rams had won five of their last six games before Friday, and Marot believes his team will bounce back.
“I don’t think anyone would’ve thought we’d have a winning record by now,” he said. “So I still think we can win games.”
Badin has a quick turnaround and will host unbeaten Wyoming on Saturday night. The Spartans will face Tipp City Bethel in the Flyin’ to the Hoop showcase event at Fairmont’s Trent Arena on Monday at 4:45 p.m.
Roger Bacon 15-17-14-17—63
Badin 2-10-18-15—45
ROGER BACON (10-2, 3-1 GCLC Central): Trey Salzl 0 2 2, Brandon Bibbs 0 4 4, Alec Pfriem 6 3 15, Craig McGee 7 1 15, James Johnson 1 2 5, Alauntae Sherrer 1 0 2, Nick Pfriem 4 2 10, Tony Luken 4 2 10. Totals: 23-16-63
BADIN (6-5, 1-3 GCLC Central): Jakob Tipton 1 0 2, Evan Grawe 1 0 3, Seth Thompson 1 2 4, Daunte DeCello 1 3 5, Justin Pappas 2 3 7, John Marot 8 0 18, Brian Gerbus 3 0 6. Totals: 17-8-45
3-pointers: RB 1 (Johnson), B 3 (Marot 2, Grawe)
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