LIMA – Lima Senior is not ready to relinquish its Three Rivers Athletic Conference title just yet. After losing their opener to St. Francis De Sales Friday night, the Spartans came out with a renewed energy that helped them outlast Toledo St. John’s, 65-55, in a physical contest Tuesday night.
Lima Senior evens its overall record at 1-1 and also its TRAC record at 1-1. Toledo St. John’s drops its first game of the season and falls to 3-1 and goes to 1-1 in league play.
Spartan head coach Quincey Simpson credited the win with him getting tough with his players in the practices leading up to this important game.
“They accepted the challenge,” Simpson said. “We were a soft team for the last couple of weeks. I was a soft coach. I was concerned with their feelings. I went back to being who I am, a tough coach, and not carrying about their feelings and I forced them to do things they were not used to doing and I think that is the reason they were up for the challenge tonight.”
Simpson admitted that some of his players got nicked up during practice but it paid off against St. John’s.
“I think they were upset in practice but they knew they had to go hard in practice to leave,” Simpson said. “But they have to understand this is how we have to practice day in and day out if we want to have success.”
Simpson’s hard-nosed approach was evident from the beginning when the Spartans continually put a body on post player Vincent Williams Jr. and the strategy worked when the Titan center found himself in early foul trouble.
Williams, who finished with 15 points, had four points in the first half, and only one field goal in the fourth quarter.
“He is a very tough challenge and probably one of the better players in our conference,” Simpson said. “We just wanted to make it as hard on him as we could and I think we did that.”
Credit Spartans Keaton Upshaw and Dre Williams for not backing down on Williams and frustrating the talented center.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Titans held a 43-42 lead but that was short lived as the Spartans went on a 9-2 run in the first four minutes of the final period to open up a 51-45 and take control of the game. Spartan Jaleel King, who had three huge offensive put backs in the second quarter, stuck one in for two on an offensive board to cap off the pivotal offensive spurt.
“They played a great game,” said Titan head coach Ed Heintschel. “They played tough. They were tougher than us. We had something called the hustle board where we keep track of loose balls and second chances and all that and after the first half it was 26-6 them.”
Spartan standout Jarius Ward was the Spartans’ main offensive weapon and finished with a game-high 23 points, including nine in the fourth quarter when the Spartans made their push to take control of the game.
Without Williams in the middle, the Titans struggled at both ends of the court as the Spartans grabbed important rebounds in the second quarter and St John’s had to rely on the outside shooting of Houston King.
Titan Houston King, who finished with 17 points, was limited to only two points in the second half.
“We struggled offensively and that is a credit to them,” Heintschel said. “My hat’s off to them. They did a great job.”
Even though Lima Senior posted a huge win, Simpson said he is still looking for the right combination of players.
“We are still trying to find personnel. We are still trying to find the right five guys that play good together,” Simpson said. “Guys are having the opportunity to showcase what they can do defensively. I am not concerned offensively because I believe if we pass the ball, move the ball and cut hard we will score. Our concern who is going to give us energy defensively and who is going to rebound the ball and I thought some guys played bigger than they are and that is kind of what we have to do,”
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