Norwalk shoots past Monroeville

MONROEVILLE — Shooting the way Norwalk did in the first half was a game changer. The Truckers came out on fire from the three-point line early, hitting seven of the eight triples they attempted in the first half. That built a sizable lead at the break and Norwalk cruised in the second half, topping Monroeville, 54-32, in non-league action Saturday inside the Monroeville Athletic Complex. "We got real quality shots though," Norwalk coach Adam Kreischer said. "They went zone pretty much the entire first half. We were very unselfish with the basketball. We made the extra pass. We got into gaps and kicked out to guys for open 3s. "They were really, really good three-point looks from guys that can shoot the basketball." The Truckers (12-9) got three 3s from Dalton Chapin, two from Garrett Demuth, and one each from Landon Ferkel and Jordan Parriott. "Hindsight is 20/20," Monroeville coach Paul Roeder said. "We felt they were stronger inside than we were. We felt we had to go zone to protect the paint. We really focused on getting out on their shooters. They shot lights out." Norwalk was able to speed up the Eagles (6-15) to the tune of 16 turnovers. It was a showcase of the different level of play in the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division for Norwalk against Monroeville's in the Firelands Conference. "We didn't do anything really super out of the ordinary," Kreischer said. "We weren't in a 1-2-1-1 full-court or weren't running and trapping. We just sat down and guarded, but in the full-court. We had Ferkel pick up their point guard full-court. He did a great job of speeding their guards up." Up 6-4 early, the Truckers turned the turbo jets on the final three minutes of the first quarter. Demuth scored before Mason Gamble tallied a three-point play. From there, 3-pointers by Chapin and Parriott staked Norwalk to a 17-4 lead after one quarter. The margin ballooned to 21-4 in the second quarter following a 3 by Chapin. Maverick Myers hit a triple for Monroeville, but consecutive scores from Ben Rothhaar and five straight points by Demuth gave Norwalk a 30-7 lead. The Truckers were up 35-13 at halftime. Norwalk was able to open a lead as big as 41-14 in the third quarter following two free throws by Gamble. The Truckers focused in on Gabe Howell. The lone senior for the Eagles finished with 13 points, garnering a lot of attention from the Norwalk defense. Howell entered the weekend averaging 17 points per game. "That was the thought for us — limit his touches," Kreischer said. "Dalton, as he usually does, did a nice job of chasing him. I think he did a really nice job on him in the first half." Despite a putrid first half, the Eagles played even in the second half with Norwalk. It's a positive to take from what was an overall rough night. "The second half we came out in man," Roeder said. "It's a different game. We're down. They're up big and probably weren't playing as intense, but we played them even in the second half. Our kids didn't quit. They fought. I started four sophomores tonight." Monroeville has one more regular-season game — against Mapleton on Friday — before beginning tournament play in the Division IV Willard district on Feb. 28 at Sandusky St. Mary. "Norwalk is almost four times bigger than Monroeville," Roeder said. "Division I against Division IV. We have a young Division IV team. I knew this year was going to be a tough year. "It turned out tougher than I thought it would be. The guys are growing and getting better. It just takes time." Chapin led Norwalk with 13 points while Demuth added 12 points. Rothhaar tallied nine points and six rebounds and Gamble added eight points. With the win, Norwalk clinches a winning record for the 11th time over the last 14 seasons and 16th time over the previous 21 years. "We needed to go get that win No. 12," Kreischer said. "No matter who you're playing, you have to come out with the same energy and effort and passion for playing the game of basketball. We want to play together and grow together as a team." The Truckers will get a nice test in their regular season finale against Lake champion and Division I Sandusky (19-1) on Friday. They will visit Sylvania Southview (15-5) as the No. 11 seed in a sectional championship on March 1. "That definitely is good preparation for the tournament," Kreischer said. "It's time for our guys to step up with some confidence in themselves to play against Sandusky. We've played in some close games over the past couple years. "No one in the league has beat them yet. They return everybody next year. If we're going to play with them, we have to start doing it now." NORWALK (12-9) Mason Gamble 1-6—8, Landon Ferkel 1-0—3, Dalton Chapin 4-2—13, Garrett Demuth 5-0—12, Ben Rothhaar 4-1—9, Jordan Parriott 1-2—5, Brock Kuhl 0-2—2, Anthony Sanger 1-0—2. TOTALS 17-13—54. MONROEVILLE (6-15) Maverick Myers 2-0—5, Gabe Howell 6-1—13, Blake Ackerman 1-0—2, Derek Ackerman 1-0—3, Nathaniel Kradlak 2-0—4, Link Schaffer-Paull 1-1—4, Jaxson Hedrick 0-1—1. TOTALS 13-3—34. Norwalk 17 18 8 11 — 54 Monroeville 4 9 7 12 — 32 3-point FGs: (N) Chapin 3, Demuth 2, Ferkel, Patriot; (M) Myers, D. Ackerman, Schaffer-Paull