The Nevada Tigers were able to get the second half of their season going on Tuesday, back in Wynn Gym for the first time since December 1st. The Tigers came out hot out of the gate with a 20-point 1st quarter, looking like they might put the Cardinals away early. Gabe Smith would put the first points on the board with a nice cut through the middle of the paint and a perfectly-timed jump shot. Clinton would take the ball back down the court on the next possession and even things up. Nevada’s full-court pressure gave the Cardinals some fits and provided multiple opportunities for scoring opportunities for the Tigers. Mason Majors would come in off of the bench and hit 1 of his 2 threes for the quarter helping to give the Tigers some separation on the scoreboard with just over 2 minutes to go in the 1st causing a quick Clinton time-out. The 1st quarter would end with the Tigers up 20-8.
Clinton would strike first to open the second quarter as they continuously chipped away, proving they would not be handing the game to the Tigers. They also fought for all of the 50/50 balls and battled hard on the offensive and defensive boards keeping the game within their reach. Nevada would take a lead of 30-17 with a no-look pass from Brice Budd to Jack Cheaney for an open 3, but they would go cold after that with just over 1:30 left in the half. The Cardinals took advantage of the cold spell from Nevada and went on their own 6-0 run closing out the quarter at the buzzer with an intercepted pass and quick bucket to make the score 30-23 going into the locker room and riding the wave of momentum that felt like it was shifting their way.
Adding some pressure to their momentum the Cardinals opened up the second half with some pressure of their own causing a quick Nevada turnover and a Clinton basket. Clinton switched up their defense to a zone and Nevada failed to find openings, instead settling for perimeter shots that refused to fall. Clinton would tie the game up at 30 all with just under 6 minutes to go in the 3rd. It took Nevada halfway through the quarter before Jack Cheaney was able to find the bottom of the bucket with a dribble and drive lay-in as he tried to will his Tigers to keep fighting back. The Cardinals continued to battle and would lead by as many as 7 in the quarter with just under a minute remaining. The Tigers then came roaring back scoring 5 quick points from a downtown Jack Cheaney 3, and an Alex Ast jumper at the buzzer to signal 8 final minutes of game time, closing the gap between the two teams to 2 at 38-40.
As they had done in the previous 2 quarters, Clinton would find the basket 1st and extend their lead back to 4, but Riddick Shook proved that he wasn’t just a charge-taker (although he did take 4 in this game alone), but could also provide an offensive spark with back-to-back 3’s that would give the Tigers back the lead and they wouldn’t let it go this time. Gabe Smith would add a 3 of his own to extend the lead out to 51-46. Clinton would score on an inbound play and that would be the last of their point tally for the night. Brice Budd would bring the ball down the court on the next play and quickly recognize that the defense wasn’t going to pick him up so he went all the way to the basket to add 2 more. A pair of Jack Cheaney free throws and a fastbreak lay-up by Budd would finish up the scoring and the Tigers would take the game at 57-48.
While it wasn’t the prettiest of games for the Tigers it is a big win when it comes to district standings at the end of the regular season, and a great opportunity to learn about not giving up and continuing to play through adversity. Coach Shaun Gray felt his team’s “defense was solid early, but as the game wore on we began to react rather than anticipate and we got beat too often off the dribble and on back cuts”, but was “proud of our guys' grit to not allow the big Clinton run in the 3rd quarter to do us in… we stayed together and finally got some inside buckets from Alex Ast and Jack Cheaney which in turn opened up the outside scoring.” He felt that “it wasn’t a complete 4-quarter game like we want on a nightly basis, but we stayed the course and got better in the 4th quarter which is the one you have to win to close out games. We hope to be sharper with the ball and more locked in defensively on Friday when we host Butler (7-2) in a rematch Friday night in Wynn Gym.”
Jack Cheaney led the way for the Tigers with 20 points, while Riddick Shook and Brice Budd each tallied 8 a piece, Gabe Smith chipped in 7, Mason Majors added a spark with 6, Alex Ast had 4, Uche Mba had 3, and Kellen Braden added in a free throw for the total score of 57.
As Coach Gray mentioned the Tigers will be right back at Wynn Gym on Friday evening for a rematch with the Butler Bears. The Tigers lost in a close one at the Butler tournament in December and felt that they had more to give in that game. Come out and support the Tigers and bring the noise and excitement that makes high school basketball one of the best sports to watch!
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