FINDLAY – The end of Lima Senior’s five-game winning streak over its rival Findlay wasn’t the only thing different about the Trojans’ 67-56 boys basketball win over the Spartans on Friday night.
In four of those five wins, Lima Senior had held Findlay under 50 points.
But with 9 of 15 shooting on 3-pointers and a more aggressive approach overall offensively, the Trojans had more than enough offense in a game in which they took the lead late in the third quarter and never were behind again.
Kyle Nunn and Drew Hapner each scored 14 points and Ryan Roth had 11 points for the Trojans (5-3, 3-1 Three Rivers Athletic Conference). Jarius Ward scored 20 points, Jaleel King had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Marquis Coleman scored 11 points to lead Lima Senior (5-3, 3-2 TRAC).
Lima Senior led 17-11 early, with Ward scoring all 11 of those points despite being the target of a triangle-and-two defense.
But, thanks in large part to 8 of 13 shooting from 3-point range in the first half, Findlay took a 35-33 halftime lead. Roth and Miller both hit three 3-pointers by halftime.
Lima Senior went up 40-37 on a 3-pointer by Coleman with 4:03 left in the quarter, but that was the Spartans’ last lead.
Lima Senior was still within two points with just under four minutes to play. But Findlay put the game away at the free throw line.
“We missed free throws, we missed lay-ups when we needed them. When you do those two things, when you don’t finish at the rim and don’t finish at the line on the road, you jeopardize your chances of winning,” Lima Senior coach Quincey Simpson said.
“Individual guys did some good things for us, but if you don’t finish around the rim – that’s the highest percentage shot on the floor – and you make 9 of 21 free throws on the road in this environment — you’re not going to win. We felt good coming in. This was a game we shouldn’t have let get away and we did.
“We were not allowed to be as aggressive as we’ve been and we’re an aggressive team. We didn’t adjust well to the way the game was called and my guys have to know if it’s being called tight, you have to adjust,” he said.
Findlay coach Jim Rucki pointed to turnover stats as another significant factor in his team’s win.
“They force you into so many turnovers usually. We had 15 turnovers. We had 35 down there last year. I can live with 15 turnovers,” he said.
He also liked what his team did after it got through Lima Senior’s pressure defense.
“We’re able to score off that in the open court instead of pulling it out and setting it up every time. We’re a little more capable than in the past when teams press us and speed us up to not just break the pressure but break the pressure and score,” he said.
Findlay shot 53 percent on field goals (18 of 34) and was 22 of 28 on free throws. Lima Senior shot 33 percent (22 of 67) on field goals and was 9 of 21 on free throws. Both teams had 32 rebounds. Findlay had 15 turnovers and Lima Senior had 10.
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