Martins Ferry Pulls Off Hard-Earned Triumph
Purple Riders Slip By Indian Creek
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MARTINS FERRY -- Martins Ferry has found itself in a handful of tight games in the early portion of the season, so Friday's nip-and-tuck affair with Indian Creek was nothing new.
The fact that Purple Riders had to play a large portion of the first half without their floor general -- senior Denali Jackson -- due to foul trouble was completely new territory.
After keeping themselves afloat in the first half and trailing by only seven at halftime, Jackson got back into the flow of the game and the Purple Riders proceeded to look like the team head coach Derek Edwards had been accustomed to seeing as they pulled out a hard-earned 54-50 victory against the Redskins.
"We faced a lot of adversity (Friday)," a relieved Edwards said. "We responded well when we had to (in the first half) and then we were able to play more to our expectations in the second half."
The Riders (5-0) were able to stay close in the first half thanks to sophomore Alex Reese, who scored 10, but also sophomore Tev'n Williams and Anthony Booth. Each scored their five points in the game in the first half.
Jackson was saddled with three fouls, all of which came on player control calls as he attacked the basket.
He didn't pick up another foul the remainder of the game and played all 16 minutes of the second half, scoring all 19 of his points.
"We knew Indian Creek liked to take charges, so we coached in practice to be prepared to play off two feet," Edwards explained. "That's out of our control, but we can control how we play and our response to things. Without our senior point guard, we did just enough to hang in and hang in and hang in."
Jackson's scoring was one part of what he brings to the table for the Riders. As is the case with most good players, he raises the level of play of all the guys around him.
His presence on the court created more chances to 6-5 sophomore Alex Reese, who was once again a handful on both ends of the court.
The Jackson and Reese combination scored 18 of the Riders' 19 points in the fourth quarter. Included was a 12 of 16 effort at the foul line, which allowed Ferry to hold the Redskins (3-3) off.
While those two scoring the ball was an issue, Martins Ferry's overall length and size were a factor, too. Quite simply, the Riders made life tough on the Redskins on the offensive end, altering numerous shots in the paint.
"Sometimes when you're missing some of those shots, you simply have to give the other team credit for bumping and grinding in there, so give Martins Ferry credit," veteran Indian Creek head coach Joe Dunlevy said. "They had a lot to do with us missing shots."
The defensive end, however, is where Edwards pointed to as to how his team was able to erase the deficit in the opening three-plus minutes of the third quarter and take the lead on a Jackson leaner with exactly four minutes to go in the third.
"In order to get leads, you have to get stops," Edwards pointed out. "That started right off the rip in the second half when we got vital stops, which allowed us to get over the hump and get some momentum. Being where we are supposed to be (defensively) was a big factor for us. Our players are buying into that, and I thought we rebounded well, too."
All told, the Riders outscored the Redskins 15-5 in the third.
In the fourth, the Redskins got as close as one just once and that came early in the period when Logan Schaffer tallied one of his three, fourth-quarter field goals. The Riders responded, however, and eventually made it a free-throw shooting affair, which was to their liking.
"Ferry has a lot of kids who do what they're coached to do and they play really, really hard," Dunlevy said. "I always point at the little things. You don't lose a game because of what happens late in a game. You lose because of not boxing out in the first quarter or something like that. We have to be more fundamental and that's what we're working on daily. We'll get back it."
The Riders were led by Jackson and Reese's production. Reese ripped down 12 rebounds to go along with his 19 points. Williams finished with seven points and a like number of rebounds.
The Redskins, meanwhile, were led by steady senior point guard Logan Kuczykowski, who scored 12. Junior Drake Freshwater added 11 in top support. Senior Lucca Morelli and Schaffer evenly split 16.
Both teams are in action, on their home boards, on Tuesday. Martins Ferry welcomes Shadyside, while Indian Creek hosts St. Clairsville.