Vs. Maysville (3/11)
The Convocation Center at Ohio University, Athens, hosted one of the biggest MVL games of the season as the Lil’ Muskies faced the Maysville Panthers in the OHSAA Division IV Sweet 16 playoff game. The second matchup of the season for the two teams, the first during regular season play, was a rough battle that ended in a 69 – 57 loss for the Muskies.
From the start of the game, the Panthers went straight to task as they pumped out shots and blocked the Lil’ Muskies to take a 14 – 8 lead at the end of the first quarter. John Glenn didn’t let up, but it was hard to break past the Panthers, and guarding the advances of Gator Nichols was not working as Maysville spent the second period stacking their lead to 33 – 16 by halftime.
Maysville stepped out of the locker room and ran onto the court with a new level of determination as they blasted off, almost doubling their first half score in one quarter as they ended the third up 62 – 27. The Lil’ Muskies were trying to rally, but they couldn’t build enough of an offense to narrow the gap, and in their only second loss of the entire season, Maysville did it again with a 71 – 35 win that shut down the Muskies’ playoff run
Senior Stehl Bates led the charge against the Panthers with 22 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Classmate Brayden Davis scored six points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
Vs. Cambridge (3/6)
Friday night at the Anne Steele Center in New Concord, the Cambridge Bobcats faced off against the John Glenn Lil’ Muskies in the Division IV East 2 District Championship. Spectators lined out to the streets to fill the Steele Center as the two neighboring teams went to battle. The tip-off was heated, as well as the resulting minutes of the first period, as the two teams traded possession of the ball, leading to a Cambridge 13 – 12 advantage at the end of the first quarter. The Lil’ Muskies were not about to let that score rest as they tied up the game in the second period and jumped out to a 32 – 28 lead at halftime.
The Bobcats were not able to reconcile the score gap in the third period despite having the half to discuss and plan, as John Glenn grew their lead to 48 – 39 at the end of the third quarter. With the team and the crowd ignited with excitement, John Glenn continued their charge in the final minutes of the game to take the victory and the District Title with a 66 – 45 win over Cambridge.
CAPTION: John Glenn’s Quentin Yanosik passes the ball to Stehl Bates during the Cambridge playoff game. | CREDIT: Matthew Dotson, The Buzz
