By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Two boys basketball teams seemingly headed in different directions met on Tuesday night at Peebles High School as the host Indians, looking to reach the .500 mark for their season, entertained the West Union Dragons, who were just looking for some way to scrape out a second win on the season. On a night where the Peebles Pee-Wee players and cheerleaders were recognized as well as the senior cheerleaders, the results were all Indians.
After taking the JV game handily by a score of 63-25, the varsity result was much of the same for the beleaguered Dragons. A total domination of the second half by the Indians, outscoring West Union 36-4, led the home team to a convincing 66-21 victory that brought them to the .500 mark for the season at 9-9, while the Dragons dropped to 1-16.
“Any time you can move the basketball with everyone getting a touch, it makes baskets come easier,” said Peebles head coach Josh Arey after the win. “More guys get in the flow and the kids are having fun and you’re able to hit some shots like we did tonight.”
The theme of the varsity contest was set when the Indians cored on their first four possessions of the game, taking a 9-0 lead on a combined nine points form the senior guard duo of Cory Reed and Mason Sims. That forced an early timeout by Dragons; coach Jeff Stricklett, but after the break another basket by Reed made it 11-0 before the visitors finally got on the board at the 3:30 mark of the first quarter on a Colby Harover three-pointer.
That Harover trey seemed to give the Dragons a spark as a 7-2 run pulled them to within 13-7, but the Indians responded by scoring again on four consecutive possessions, an 8-0 run sparked by Reed and Gage Grooms, to lead 21-7 as the first period ended.
The scoring pace slowed down in the opening minutes of the second stanza, and a three-point play by West Union’s Isaac Harding left the Peebles lead at 25-15. Again, the Indians answered with free throws from Reed and Zane Knechtly and a bucket by Sims. The final points of the first half came from Harover on a pre-designed out of bounds play and though they hadn’t played well, the Dragons were still in the game with the home team up 30-17 at the half.
If the second half of a basketball game could ever be described as a “total disaster”, that would fit the final 16 minutes of Tuesday night for the Dragons, who only managed four points in the entire half as the Indians pulled away. Taking advantage of numerous West Union mistakes, the Tribe opened the second half with a huge 17-0 run, getting scoring contributions from Reed, Knechtly, Sims, and Dallas Wilkinson to balloon their lead out to a commanding 47-17.
A put back bucket by Gavin Jarvis with 2:20 left in the third quarter was the only West Union score of the quarter, but following baskets by Knechtly and Grooms put the home side on top 51-19 after three.
To add insult to injury, the Indians tallied the first 15 points of the fourth quarter, even as the OHSAA running clock rule went into effect. Again, the Tribe got a multitude of scoring contributions with Coach Arey emptying his bench and the reserves providing baskets from Remington Beckham, Jayce West, Carson Reed and Hayden Countryman. The only West Union points of the final period came on a pair of Harding free throws as the running clock expired, bringing an anti-climactic end to a dominating Peebles victory.
Ten different Indians dented the scoring column in their win, led by 25 points from Cory Reed, with Zane Knechtly also hitting double figures with 10. Mason Sims added 8 and Gage Grooms 7.
Isaac Harding’s 9 points paced the Dragons.
The Indians were slated to be back in conference play on Friday, January 27 with a conference road trip to face the Fayetteville Rockets, who sit atop the small school division of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Peebles will renew their rivalry with North Adams on Tuesday, January 31 when they will host the Green Devils.
“We told the kids they have gotten back to .500 by hard work and being selfless,” added Coach Arey. ‘Hopefully we can continue that on Friday night and then with North Adams, two of the better teams in the league back-to-back. It’s good for us moving forward and hopefully we can go out there and give both of them a game.”
West Union will host Whiteoak in SHAC action on January 27 and then entertain Fayetteville on January 31.
West Union
7 10 2 2 —21
Peebles
21 9 21 15 —66
W. Union (21): Harover 2 0-0 5, Harding 3 3-3 9, Knox 1 0-0 3, Jarvis 2 0-0 4, Team 8 3-3 21.
Peebles (66): Carson Reed 2 0-0 4, Beckham 1 0-0 2, Sims 3 2-2 8, Wilkinson 1 0-0 2, Grooms 3 1-2 7, Cory Reed 9 6-9 25, Browning 2 0-0 4, West 1 0-1 2, Knechtly 4 2-4 10, Countryman 1 0-0 2, Team 27 11-18 66.
Three-Point Goals:
West Union (2)- Harover 1, Knox 1
Peebles ( 1)- Cory Reed 1