“I think we’re relying too heavily on our defense,” Middletown coach Darnell Hoskins said. “Defensively, for the most part, we’ve done what we’re supposed to do. But we can’t put the ball in the basket right now. You’ve got to confront the brutal facts, and that’s just the brutal facts.
“It’s no time to panic, but at the same time, we have to have a heightened sense of urgency about preparing ourselves and getting better. We should be getting better at this point in the season. Right now, we’re kind of just treading water. We’re kind of stuck in the mud.
“We’ve got to provide some TLC to the offensive end of the floor and get that to work in unison with our defense. I believe we’ll get there. We’ll figure it out.”
The Middies shot 34.3 percent from the floor against the Panthers (7-4) and made 1 of 12 shots from beyond the arc.
Jomar Bailey and Cliff Snow paced Middletown with 10 points apiece. Christian Strother had six points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bailey gave the visitors their only basket in the final eight minutes as Springboro, which trailed 29-26 at the third stop, stamped its victory with a 17-2 fourth period.
“We’re just in a funk right now,” said Bailey, a senior center who added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. “I don’t think we had enough movement in the fourth quarter. They came out ready to go, and we really didn’t. I can see us winning games as we go on, but we’ve got to learn how to get through adversity when it hits us.”
Hoskins said the Middies must do a better job of utilizing their size offensively. They need to get the ball inside more, and they need to finish once they get it there.
“As a coach, you have to best position your team to make the game as easy as possible for them,” Hoskins said. “We had a chance tonight to really turn the tide and change our fate in the game, and we missed point-blank layups right at the rim.
“For us being as big as we are and not as well-versed handling the ball, our advantage is inside. So nine times out of 10, it’s going to be a very low-possession game, and we’ve got to capitalize on our opportunities. It’s going to come down to some toughness drills, footwork stuff and just coaching the confidence so they play with a sense of pride. We’ve got to figure out a way to get mentally tougher.”
Snow only scored 29 points this week, dropping him from the top position on the Greater Miami Conference scoring list. Hoskins said it’s important to get him back in a groove and boost his confidence.
Middletown has a pair of home games in the coming week, facing Lakota West on Tuesday and Hamilton on Friday.
“The guys feel like right now it’s the end of the world, which it’s not,” Hoskins said. “It looks all gloom, but don’t overreact. I certainly don’t down any player, but at some point, you’ve got to play with a sense of pride.
“I thought as a group we played very uninspired for the course of the game. I don’t know if it had to do with us spending a ton of emotion last night (at Oak Hills) and then coming in here, but I’m never an excuse maker. That’s not valid for me. They were both winnable games. We need to get better.”
Springboro savored a satisfying weekend after dropping two games to Indiana teams (Indianapolis North Central and Evansville Bosse) last week.
The Panthers hammered Miamisburg 78-57 on Friday, then buried Middletown in the fourth period.
Sophomore Connor Grevey — the son of former Hamilton High School and University of Dayton standout Norm Grevey, a Springboro assistant — scored a team-high nine points on three treys against the Middies. Christian James marked eight points, Nick Pluta and Thomas Arrington both added seven, and Kaleb Tabor tallied six.
Middletown outscored the Panthers 12-4 in the third quarter to move ahead for the first time since opening the game with a Strother basket.
“Clearly we didn’t play well in the third quarter, but Middletown had quite a bit to do with that,” Springboro coach Mike Holweger said. “They’re long, extremely well coached and tough to score against. Their zone is difficult to navigate. Yet I thought the fourth quarter was as good a quarter as we’ve played. Our first half against Miamisburg last night and now that quarter.
“I’m really happy for our guys. I told them they deserved this because our week of preparation was absolutely fantastic. Last night we scored 78 and tonight we scored 43, but the one constant was our defense.”
Arrington grabbed 12 rebounds and Trey Varinsky passed out seven assists for the Panthers. Pluta played through a leg injury and earned Holweger’s praise for his toughness.
“I’m very pleased with where we are right now,” the SHS coach said. “Fairmont threw one in at the buzzer to beat us … we’re that play away from being 8-1 in Ohio. The thing I’m really excited about is we are improving. Our practices have been off the charts.”
Springboro has been playing without senior guard Alec Holtrey, who suffered a broken ankle in the season opener. Holweger said he might return to action in early February.
“Alec is as dedicated a player as I’ve ever coached,” Holweger said. “The job that he’s doing to try to get back so that he can play this year is exactly how he attacked basketball. So he’s got a shot. If anyone can do it, it’s Alec.”
The Panthers will travel to Tippecanoe on Tuesday and host Northmont on Wednesday.
Middletown 7-10-12-2—31
Springboro 8-14-4-17—43
MIDDLETOWN (3-5): Nelson Rutledge 2 0 4, Cliff Snow 3 3 10, Christian Strother 3 0 6, Jomar Bailey 4 2 10, Chris Stallworth 0 1 1. Totals: 12-6-31
SPRINGBORO (7-4): Christian James 3 0 8, Andrew Wiedeman 2 0 4, Nick Pluta 3 1 7, Kaleb Tabor 3 0 6, Connor Grevey 3 0 9, Trey Varinsky 1 0 2, Thomas Arrington 2 3 7. Totals: 17-4-43
3-pointers: M 1 (Snow), S 5 (Grevey 3, James 2)
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