Strong start powers Badin to 55-44 win over McNicholas

The pieces are starting to fall more and more into place for Badin High School’s boys basketball team.

Sophomore Justin Pappas scored 18 points Friday night as the host Rams won for the fourth time in five games, handling McNicholas 55-44 in Greater Catholic League Coed Central Division play at Mulcahey Gym.

“We were just thinking it’s McNick, we don’t want to lose,” said Pappas, who hit two 3-pointers and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

“We want to come out and play hard and play smart and play together. We can do anything we put our minds to, I think. We definitely have very good team chemistry.”

John Marot and Seth Thompson collected 10 points apiece for Badin, which improved to 5-4 overall and 1-2 in the Central. Marot had seven boards and three assists, Thompson grabbed six rebounds, and Jakob Tipton contributed seven points and six boards.

The Rams never trailed and jumped to a 19-6 lead in the first eight minutes.

“We talked at the very beginning that we had to set the tone early and go from there,” Badin coach Gerry Weisgerber said. “When we run the offense and are looking for each other, we can get some good looks and make the shots. That’s what we did in the first quarter.

“We were still getting good looks in the third and fourth quarter. We just short-armed a few and were guiding it instead of just shooting. That comes with the pressure of the game. But I was still proud of the way they handled things and were able to keep the lead.”

The Rams shot 45.7 percent from the field and sank 9 of 11 free throws. The Rockets shot 25.5 percent from the floor and made 14 of 24 foul shots, but only 6 of 14 in the fourth quarter.

McNick (5-3, 1-2) narrowed the gap to 21-16 midway through the second period, yet fell behind 42-25 with 2:57 left in the third quarter. The margin was never smaller than nine in the last stanza, though Badin committed seven of its 16 turnovers during that time.

The visitors played without point guard Ryan Reidy (sprained ankle) and got double-digit scoring from Michael Lang (11), Ryan Belmont (10) and Nathan Brunot (10).

“I guess embarrassing is the word I would use,” Rockets coach Tim Monahan said. “We’re in a bad shooting slump, and Badin just absolutely wanted it. They played much harder than us. They were tougher than us.

“Even without Ryan, we’ve got some experience and guys that can play. We’ve just got to have a next-play mentality. I think their student section was really good. I think they got into our guys’ heads.”

The Rams won the battle of the boards, despite Weisgerber’s contention that his squad allowed McNick to get too many offensive rebounds. Cam Haynes (seven) and Brunot (six) led the Rockets on the glass, while Brunot added five steals and Cole Burdick chipped in nine points and four assists.

Monahan said McNick has been in an offensive funk the last four games, starting with three in Hilton Head, S.C.

“It’s early enough that we can move on and learn from it,” Monahan said. “Once we get out of this little shooting slump, we’ll be fine. We’ve got really good shooters. We just can’t hang our heads. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.”

For Badin, the 6-foot-3 Pappas has been in double figures only twice this season, scoring 19 last week against Northwest. He put up nine points in the first quarter Friday.

“I just attacked the glass well, my shot was falling, and I was feeling it,” Pappas said.

“Justin had a couple good days of practice to get ready for this after Tuesday night’s game (against Harrison),” Weisgerber said. “It’s going to be a roller coaster with a sophomore getting his first varsity experience. We’ve just got to get him to mentally realize that he can do this on a regular basis.”

The Rockets had won four straight games in the series with the Rams. All were decided by seven points or less.

“I knew it was not going to be a blowout of any kind against them. Anytime you can win a league game and beat McNick, it feels good,” Weisgerber said. “I see some growth in a lot of our players. I’m not sure yet what we’re capable of. I’m pretty sure we’re capable of being in games no matter who we’re playing, and if we learn how to handle those crucial minutes and not have lapses, we can be dangerous.”

On Saturday, Badin will visit Cincinnati Christian and McNick will travel to Taft.

Weisgerber said he’s looking forward to seeing how his Rams perform against 7-1 CCS.

“It’s going to be a good test for us because they’re big, they’re good, they know they’re good, and they’ve got good quickness,” Weisgerber said. “I want to see us be able to handle the quicker teams. When we get that down, I’ll be really confident going into tournament time.”

McNicholas 6-14-10-14—44

Badin 19-13-12-11—55

MCNICHOLAS (5-3, 1-2 GCLC Central): Cole Burdick 1 6 9, James Ehlers 1 0 2, Michael Lang 3 5 11, Ryan Belmont 4 0 10, Nathan Brunot 4 1 10, Cam Haynes 0 2 2. Totals: 13-14-44

BADIN (5-4, 1-2 GCLC Central): Jakob Tipton 3 1 7, Caleb Meyer 1 0 2, Evan Grawe 0 2 2, Seth Thompson 3 4 10, Daunte DeCello 2 0 4, Justin Pappas 7 2 18, John Marot 4 0 10, Brian Gerbus 1 0 2. Totals: 21-9-55

3-pointers: M 4 (Belmont 2, Brunot, Burdick), B 4 (Pappas 2, Marot 2)

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