| BG’s Max Beattie (11) defends Southview’s Chris Johnson. (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune) |
It could have been a trap, but Bowling Green played through it Tuesday night on its home floor.
The Bobcats downed Southview, 72-58, in a Northern Lakes League makeup game. The makeup game came between
a tough matchup at Springfield last Friday and a home contest with arch-rival Perrysburg this Friday. BG
is 14-2 overall and 11-0 in the NLL. Southview is 9-7, 8-4.
One of the best ways to avoid a trap game is to get a quick start. PHOTO GALLERY
The Bobcats did that,
scoring 26 points in the first quarter, as Max Beattie and Kurt Fairchild each hit two 3-pointers. BG
led 26-14 after eight minutes.
“We needed to have a good start,” Graffin said. “They made runs in the first half, but couldn’t get
closer than 10 or 12.”
The teams combined for 18 points in the second quarter, nine by each team, and BG led 35-23 at the break.
Southview opened the second half on an 11-2 run, cutting BG’s lead to 37-34 with 4:05 left in the third
quarter.
“We got stagnant at the offensive end. We’re weren’t getting touches. We weren’t making them guard,”
Graffin said. “And they (Southview) are fresh. They can just catch it and drive it at us.
“The guys aren’t making v-cuts to get open, guys are just standing. We aren’t trusting the offense and
then all of a sudden you’re on defense again,” Graffin added.
The team exchanged baskets the remainder of the third quarter and BG took a 47-42 lead into the final
eight minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars continued to hang around and were within 62-56 with less than two
minutes left.
Chauncey Orr got a layup off a nice behind-the-back pass from Tyler Dunn, and Beattie finished off
another transition opportunity with a layup to push BG’s lead to 66-56. BG then closed the game on a 6-2
run to seal the win.
Orr scored nine of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter and Xavier Brown scored 12 of his 20
points in the final eight minutes. Brown was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and
Orr was 3-of-4.
“I though ‘Xav’ finished real strong. He had a real good fourth quarter,” Graffin said. “He had struggled
to that point. He started getting to the glass and finishing strong.
“Chauncey had a nice second half, too,” Graffin added.
Beattie added 11 points for the Bobcats, nine coming in the opening quarter, and Fairchild finished with
three 3-pointers, all in the first half.
De’Nard Pinckney led Southview with 19 points, Chris Johnson added 16, the majority coming on slashing
drives to the basket, and Allen Gant contributed 14.
“They are not a great shooting team, but they can drive it on you and they are athletic,” Graffin said
about Southview.
Now the focus changes to Perrysburg, 10-5 overall and 9-2 in the NLL. BG posted a 62-51 win in the first
meeting between the two teams on Dec. 14.
A win Friday would give the Bobcats the outright NLL title.
“It’s nice that we’re playing for something. We’re excited about the opportunity. Dave Boyce does a great
job in getting his guys ready to play,” Graffin said. “We have a long way to go. We need to take care of
business this Friday.
“In all the years that I have coached here, besides one year, we have been in the mix until the last two
or three games always … This year, we have a chance to finish and it’s important to finish strong.”
Southview out-scored BG, 16-4 in the fourth quarter of the junior varsity game on the way to a 59-47
victory. Nate Hall led Southview with 25 points. Adam Foster scored 14 points for BG and Andrew
Herringshaw added 12.
BGHS 72, SOUTHVIEW 58
SOUTHVIEW
Sinram. 0-0—0; Johnson, 8-0—16; Pinckney, 6-1-4—19; Gant, 5-4—14; Renner, 1-1—3; Quinn, 3-0—6; Vermilya,
0-0—0; Hunt, 0-0—0; Sheng, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 23-1-9—58.
BGHS
Beattie, 2-2-1—11; X. Brown, 7-6—20; Fairchild, 0-3-0—9; Orr, 6-1-5—22; V. Brown, 3-0—6; Dunn, 0-0—0;
Augsburger, 2-0—4; Dill, 0-0—0; Peet, 0-0—0; Herringshaw, 0-0—0. TOTALS: 20-6-12—72.
SOUTHVIEW 14 9 19 16 —58
BGHS 26 9 12 25 —72
Junior varsity: Southview, 59-47.
