BG’s Jabari Conway passes the ball while driving through the lane against Madison Wednesday night.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
ROSSFORD — It is almost as if Bowling Green gets to play in the Ohio Cardinal Conference for one week — and the Bobcats’ plan is to go 2-0 against Cardinal Conference opponents.
Wednesday at Rossford’s George G. Wolfe Fieldhouse, BG 6-foot-8 junior Jabari Conway scored 17 points to lead the Bobcats to a 55-45 Division I sectional tournament win over Cardinal Conference member Mansfield Madison.
On Friday, back on the same fieldhouse’s Joe Stalma Court, the Bobcats will take on another Cardinal Conference member, Ashland, at 5:30 p.m. for a sectional title.
BG improves to 13-10 while Madison sees its season end at 11-11. The Bobcats and Rams not only had similar records. They had a similar playing style.
“I was really worried about these guys because watching these guys, they look very similar to us. They are physical, they guard you, and they create a lot of problems,” BG coach Mason Roth said.
Conway added, “We expected them to play a lot like us, our tempo, and we handled their pressure pretty well.”
“I’m happy with how our guards handled their pressure, we did not have that many turnovers and we took care of business.”
The Bobcats shot 44% (17-for-39) from the field, made 17-of-26 (65%) from the free throw line, and had just seven turnovers.
In the first half against Madison, BG’s long-range shots were not falling, so Conway had to take over in the paint, scoring eight points in the second quarter.
“I like it when my teammates keep me in check. They elevated me so I owe it all to them,” Conway said.
Conway is also beginning to hit paydirt consistently with his 15-foot jumpers, elevating to a point that no one can touch him.
“He does a good job with that,” Roth said. “His game is more than back to the basket.
“He can extend it a little bit. Early in the season, he was struggling with his shooting and still getting a feel for things but he’s becoming really comfortable now.
“It’s what I’ve been telling people — that what you see on day one is going to be completely different from the last day of the season. I give him credit — he works hard,” Roth continued.
The Bobcats held the lead for most of the game, but it was mostly by one or two possessions as the Rams stayed on BG’s heels.
In the fourth, BG sophomore guard Brayden Freyman scored in transition on a feed from senior guard Ryan Jackson, putting the Bobcats up, 44-35, with four minutes remaining.
Madison went on a 7-0 run as senior guard Ethan Spillman got a steal and was fouled while missing a layup. He made one of two free throws to make it a one possession game again, 45-42, with 3:06 remaining.
Jackson followed by scoring in the paint on a no-look pass from junior guard Evan Brandt, and Freyman followed with a steal and a layup as the Bobcats began pulling away in the final minutes.
Freyman and Brandt scored eight points apiece, Jackson and senior guard Zach Furnas scored six apiece, and sophomore guard Jake Amspoker added three points. Jackson had a team-high five rebounds.
The Bobcats held the Rams to 33% shooting (14-for-42) and forced 10 turnovers, including two steals apiece by Brandt and Jackson. The Rams were 11-for-19 from the line and outrebounded BG, 30-26.
Senior guard Levi Zehner led the Rams with 14 points, six rebounds and two steals, junior forward Jayden Jeffries scored nine points, and senior guard Isaac Brooks scored seven points.
Spillman and junior forward Tatum Turcott scored six apiece and junior guard Carson Garrett added three points. Turcott had a team high seven rebounds.
Against Ashland (13-8) Friday night, Roth is expecting a different kind of opponent.
“We get Ashland Friday night, and it is going to be completely different,” Roth said.
“They have one of the leading and most efficient scorers in the state and they have another kid who can just shoot the lights out of it, so hopefully it plays more to our pace Friday night. But we’re just happy to be there.”
In Cardinal Conference play, Ashland beat Madison twice, 61-42 and 77-70 in overtime, which means the Rams found a way to play with the Arrows the second time around.
“I’ve watched a good amount of film on them. We actually played them in the summer, so we have an idea what is going on,” Roth said.
“Obviously, we were missing a bunch of guys, but they’ll give us different looks. On makes they will go with a little matchup zone, and they will go with some man, and they will try to junk it up. “
