WR tops Plymouth, tightens FC race

COLLINS — Ten seconds told the story. After two straight scores, the Western Reserve basketball team had taken a 31-25 lead over visiting Plymouth. It was the first separation beyond five points for either team after a back-and-forth opening quarter-plus. Hayden Dobias then swished a 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Roughriders a 34-25 lead. Then teammate Chase Hipp stole the ensuing inbound pass, dribbled to his right under heavy pressure, and sank a tough fallaway jumper to cap five points in 10 seconds — and punctuated a 10-0 scoring run to give WR a 37-25 lead it didn't relinquish in the 82-72 victory Monday night in a key Firelands Conference game. For now, it's a race again in the FC. With the win, the Roughriders (9-6, 7-3) are now just one game behind the Big Red (12-5, 8-2) for first place. An even bigger game awaits on Thursday when the 'Riders host Monroeville (8-5, 7-3). "We told the kids our backs were against the wall, and we had to go play with a bunch of energy and effort more than anything if we were going to give ourselves a chance to compete and stay in this league race for another day," Western Reserve head coach Chris Sheldon said. "I thought our kids obviously played like it mattered. That's important, because there are times I'm not sure if it has. So to see us have life and get us back for another huge game here Thursday night is where you want to be in February. We're playing meaningful games in the stretch run." After the big sequence, Western wasn't done in the second quarter. The 'Riders closed the half on an 8-0 run after the Big Red had scored. Cooper Roe swished a 3, while Dobias scored with just 2.2 seconds left for a 45-27 halftime lead. Western shot 8 of 14 in the quarter and hounded Plymouth into five turnovers. "We really sped them up in that second quarter with our full-court pressure and being way more active with our hands and feet defensively," Sheldon said. "When you speed people up, it gets them out of rhythm. That got us going with some easy looks." The game appeared to be a runaway when Western opened the third quarter with the first six points, which capped a 14-0 run dating back to the end of the first half. Hipp scored four of those points as Western went up 51-27 with 5:40 left in the third. But once Plymouth snapped a six-minute scoring drought on a 3 from Keegan Beverly, it found life behind the three-point arc. Despite playing without Jarrett Burrer, the league's top scorer (20.3) and rebounder (10.5), the Big Red shot at an incredible clip from the three-point line. Plymouth had an impressive 12 three-pointers in the second half and 16 for the game. Trailing by 24, the deep range allowed the Big Red to get the lead down to 79-72 with a chance for Izaya Reynolds to cap a four-point play with 38.4 seconds left. However, the Big Red were whistled for a lane violation, and Western was able to put the game away. Hipp punctuated his 29-point night on 7-of-12 shooting (12-of-17 at the foul line) with a layup just before the buzzer. "We thought about going back to the full-court pressure in the second half, but then obviously we didn't, and they got more comfortable," Sheldon said. "And when they got comfortable, the basket clearly looked bigger than it was. And credit to Plymouth for making a lot of tough shots in the second half to make it a more manageable contest. "We made a lot of good plays, but also a lot of plays we need to learn from," he added. "We can't afford to break down offensively with some weak decisions when we're trying to work the clock. But you'd rather learn those lessons in a win as opposed to a loss." In the first quarter, both teams went back-and-forth throughout as Western held a 20-17 lead. The first ten baskets of the game combined saw the lead change hands. Hayden Keith added 17 points and five rebounds for Western, while Tyler Cooper had 12 points. Plymouth got 20 from Reynolds, followed by Jackson Bays with 14, Cainan Kilgore with 13, and Dasean Winfield with 10. Monroeville defeated Western by a 53-43 score back on Dec. 23 at home. Plymouth heads to New London (9-6, 4-5) on Thursday as well. The Roughriders also still face St. Paul Crestview and visit the Big Red yet in the FC. "They are so big and physical and long," Sheldon said of Monroeville. "They do such a great job on both sides of playing to their strengths. They know what their identity is, and they do a really good job of playing to that. "We are going to have to be a lot better with our efficiency on offense, and we have to be able to rebound the basketball. They handled us in all phases of the game over there. Both teams will be excited for the opportunity come Thursday night." PLYMOUTH (12-5, 8-2) Keegan Beverly 1-0—3; Jackson Bays 5-0—14; Izaya Reynolds 6-3—20; Dasean Winfield 3-2—10; Lex Grose 2-0—6; Mason Stine 2-0—4; Cainan Kilgore 4-1—13. WESTERN RESERVE (9-6, 7-3) Hayden Keith 7-0—17; Caleb Pausch 2-0—4; Cooper Roe 2-0—6; Hayden Dobias 2-0—5; Tyler Wood 2-2—6; Chase Hipp 7-12—29; Tyler Cooper 5-2—12. TOTALS 27-16—82. Plymouth 17 10 20 25 — 72 W. Reserve 20 25 16 21 — 82 3-point FGs: (PL) Bays 4, Kilgore 4, Reynolds 3, Grose 2, Winfield 2, Beverly; (WR) Roe 2, Keith, Hipp, Dobias.