“We tried. We just didn’t play very well,” MCS coach Eric Gwinn said. “That’s the third week of three games in a row on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday. Maybe we ran out of gas, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. We had a tough game last night against Dayton Christian, and we just didn’t respond tonight like we could have.”
Middletown Christian led only once (5-3) all night. The visiting Rams converted nine 3-pointers and gradually flattened the Eagles, who are 9-11 overall and 3-7 in the Metro Buckeye Conference.
“We didn’t have any intensity and turned the ball over a lot and didn’t play good defense. That’s most of it,” said junior forward Jarod Hamlin, who led MCS with 11 points and four rebounds. “I think guys are still up and doing the best they can. We just didn’t click tonight.”
Just two weeks ago, Miami Valley fought off the Eagles 42-41.
“We had a lot of unforced turnovers and allowed them to stay in the game and eventually almost win the game last time,” Rams coach Greg Felder said. “Tonight, I feel like we played a lot better overall defense, and we did a lot better job of taking care of the basketball.”
Casey Gossett, a 6-foot-5 senior, fired in three 3-pointers and 19 points for Miami Valley (8-12, 5-5). He also grabbed 17 rebounds.
“When he shows up to play, he’s something else,” Felder said.
Chase Harlan had four treys and 14 points for the winners, and Alec Martin added 12 points. Harlan and Marc Williams both collected five boards.
“You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Miami Valley,” Gwinn said. “They did a good job of executing their game plan. They did a good job in their zone, getting big, getting wide. And they knocked down a lot of shots.”
The weekend proved to be fruitful for the Rams, who defeated Ross 55-49 on Friday to end a four-game losing streak.
“The last two nights we’ve taken care of the ball, and we’ve won both games,” Felder said. “When we take care of the ball, we’re pretty good. Our goal was to be playing well at the end of the season. It seems like we’re moving in that direction.”
Jackson Ottke (seven points, six rebounds), Ronin Koeller (six points) and Cameron Russell (five points, five boards) were among the top contributors for MCS.
The Eagles have been without junior guard Dre Shores for about a month because of a foot injury. Gwinn is hoping he’ll be able to return to action by the time Middletown Christian begins Division IV sectional play.
MCS made it to the district finals for the first time in school history last year.
“I don’t think tonight’s going to define us. I think the next couple games we’re going to come ready to play and get ready for the tournament. I’m confident of that,” Gwinn said. “I feel like this team has showed a lot of heart throughout the season. We’ve had two or three injuries that have hurt, but the kids have given a lot of great effort. It’s kept us in a lot of games and helped us win several close games.”
Both teams will play Tuesday. The Eagles will travel to Emmanuel Christian, while Miami Valley hosts Dayton Christian.
Miami Valley 16-18-16-8—58
Middletown Christian 11-10-8-6—35
MIAMI VALLEY (8-12, 5-5 MBC): Chase Harlan 4 2 14, Alec Martin 4 3 12, Lennox Roberts 1 2 4, Marc Williams 1 0 2, Mark Kokoropoulos 3 0 7, Casey Gossett 8 0 19. Totals: 21-7-58
MIDDLETOWN CHRISTIAN (9-11, 3-7 MBC): Cameron Russell 2 0 5, Ronin Koeller 2 0 6, Noah Lovely 1 0 2, Jackson Ottke 3 0 7, C.J. Money 1 0 3, Koen Yee 0 1 1, Jarod Hamlin 3 4 11. Totals: 12-5-35
3-pointers: MV 9 (Harlan 4, Gossett 3, Martin, Kokoropoulos), MC 6 (Koeller 2, Russell, Ottke, Money, Hamlin)
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