“Now we’ve got to start winning the second-round game,” said Badin coach Gerry Weisgerber, with the Rams going 1-1 in the tournament the last three years. “As long as we keep on playing together, we’ll be fine. We can make a run. We’re strong enough offensively that people have got to be wary of us, but at the same time, we can play defense on people.”
FRIDAY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT COVERAGE
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Fourth-seeded Badin advanced with true balance in a contest that featured no double-digit scorers. Alex DeLong and Justin Pappas both scored nine points, Zach Switzer had eight, and Josh Hegemann and Donovan Watkins added seven apiece to the winning effort.
“We all worked together to get this one,” said Switzer, a junior forward. “Now that we have 15 guys, we have a solid rotation and solid practices where everybody’s getting reps. We really banged it out, and I’m proud of our guys.”
The Rams (16-6) will be back at Trent Arena on Tuesday to meet No. 9 seed Oakwood (11-11) at 6 p.m.
“Oh yeah, this team can definitely make a run,” said Switzer, who also grabbed seven rebounds. “You can’t overlook anybody, but we know we’ve got a chance to get to (the University of Dayton), and that’s our goal right now.”
Ponitz, the 10th seed, held the lead twice (2-0 and 8-7) before falling off. Badin closed the first quarter with an eight-point surge in the last two minutes, getting four points from Hegemann in the final 4.2 seconds.
That 15-8 advantage at the first stop grew to 32-19 by halftime.
“I think we played all four quarters. That was something we’ve kind of struggled with this whole year,” DeLong said. “We knew they were a fast team and we knew we had to keep up with them, but once we knew we could do that, we were fine. Our defensive skill is pretty up top.”
Weisgerber was concerned about the Golden Panthers’ athleticism and guard tandem of Darrion Mosley and Malik Pooler, who scored nine and six points, respectively.
“I thought defensively we played very well,” Weisgerber said. “That’s what we hang our hats on right now. I thought we really got after it tonight. In the second half, we did a much better job on the glass. They got a lot of second-chance points (in the first half), and we kind of eliminated those in the second half.
“Offensively, we’ve still got to make some better decisions at times, but I like the energy. I like when we can throw six guys out there who can score eight to nine points a game, even more than that probably.”
Badin did pile up 19 turnovers, while Ponitz had 21. The Golden Panthers finished 5-18 in Allen Spears’ first season at the helm.
“It’s the culmination of a tough year,” Spears said. “We’ve got a group of seniors … I don’t know how many people know about this, but I’m their third coach in their high school careers. I don’t care what sport you play, whether it’s high school or college or professional sports. It’s difficult to have success with that kind of transition.
“Young people these days, it takes time for them to trust you. It’s a lot different than when I was a young player where you just trust your coach and your teachers. You’ve got to earn their trust, and it’s taken all year for that to happen. I just saw it starting to turn the corner over the last couple weeks.
“I didn’t expect to come in here and have a life-changing season or anything, but the talent is there. We’ve just got a lot of hard work to do to get the Ponitz basketball program moving in the right direction. I love our kids … today you just saw a lot of years of dysfunction, and then you see an established basketball team. Everybody understands the (Greater Catholic League) and what you’re up against. That’s hard to beat, especially in a tournament situation.”
Stanley Shrivers and Joseph James both had eight rebounds for Ponitz. Pappas paced the Rams with 11 boards, while Watkins notched six and DeLong had five. Hegemann chipped in three assists.
DeLong brought a 1.8 scoring average into the game, though he’s had his two best point totals in the last two contests. He scored 13 in the regular-season finale against Roger Bacon after senior Seth Hargis went down with a season-ending knee injury.
“It’s hard with Hargis out, but Alex DeLong has done a great job,” Switzer said. “He’s stepped up really big for us. We think Alex is capable of everything Seth is capable of, so we’re just going ahead with a full head of steam.”
DeLong, a 5-foot-11 junior, said he’ll fill whatever role he’s given.
“If they need me for defense, I’ll go in on defense,” he said. “If they need me for offense, I’ll go in on offense. It’s whatever they need. I’ll step up to the challenge and get it done as best I can.”
Badin is on a five-game winning streak. The Rams have never lost to Oakwood in the postseason, earning tournament wins over the Lumberjacks in 1988, 1990 and 1991.
Ponitz 8-11-9-5—33
Badin 15-17-11-11—54
PONITZ (5-18): Darrion Mosley 4 0 9; Malik Pooler 2 1 6; Stanley Shrivers 3 0 6; Joseph James 1 1 4; Damonte Bailey 1 2 4; Max Scott 0 1 1; Michael Adams 1 0 2; Sherman Moncrief 0 1 1. Totals: 12-6-33
BADIN (16-6): Joseph Walsh 0 2 2; Justin Pappas 4 1 9; Nathan Hegemann 1 0 3; Zach Switzer 3 2 8; Alex DeLong 4 0 9; Easton Scowden 1 0 2; Donovan Watkins 3 0 7; Spencer Giesting 1 0 2; Bobby Young 1 0 2; John Berg 1 1 3; Josh Hegemann 3 1 7. Totals: 22-7-54
3-pointers: P 3 (Mosley, Pooler, James), B 3 (N. Hegemann, Watkins, DeLong)
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