Bath’s Zavier Tickle (12) passes the ball inbounds to his teammate, Dagan Hawkins (0), on Tuesday night during a game against Perry at Bath High School.
Jackelyn Johnson | The Lima News
BATH TOWNSHIP – Bath boys basketball coach Kirk Looser has been looking for consistency from his young team this season.
In Tuesday’s non-league matchup against visiting Perry, Bath delivered a solid offensive performance in its 55-43 victory over the Commodores.
Bath shot 53 percent from the field and had three players score in double figures against Perry.
With the win, Bath improved to 2-12 overall. Perry slipped to 5-10.
Zavier Tickle scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Jaxon Foster had 13 points, including two 3-pointers. Foster also came away with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Trey Crawford had 13 points, including four 3-pointers – three of those 3-pointers coming in the second half. Dagan Hawkins had eight points, six rebounds and six assists for Bath.
Looser, who took over as the head coach for Bath this season, is trying to replace four key varsity players who graduated this past spring. Looser has more than 20 years of coaching experience as a boys basketball junior varsity coach and varsity assistant coach at Delphos Jefferson, Bath, and Wapakoneta.
“We’re just trying to build something,” Looser said. “Trey (Crawford) has been battling all year. He’s been working hard. He hasn’t shot the ball very well this year. He’s had a game or two here and there, where he has shot pretty well. He’s worked really hard, but it just wasn’t happening. Now tonight – he’s capable of doing that. I’ve seen him in practice, just drilling those kinds of shots.
“Tickle has probably played the best for us all year. He’s undersized (6-foot-1), playing that position (forward). He just battles people. He has done such a nice job. Jaxon (Foster) – the kid can shoot it. If you let him (Foster) set his feet, he can shoot it. So he is starting to get into a little bit of a groove.”
Za’mere Daniel led Perry and all scorers on Tuesday with 18 points. Daniel came away with six boards. Jason Thomas had seven points and six rebounds. Brady Shively added seven points for the Commodores.
Perry led 2-0, early on. However, that was the only time the Commodores would lead.
Bath pulled out to a 19-12 advantage by the end of the first quarter. The Wildcats extended their lead to 12, 32-20 by the halftime break.
Bath was 12 of 19 shooting from the field in the first half for 63 percent, while Perry was 8 of 20 for 40 percent shooting.
The Commodores ended the game shooting 43.2 percent.
In the third quarter, Perry cut the deficit to eight points twice and seven points once. However, behind two 3-pointers by Crawford, Bath managed to come away with a 46-37 lead by the third stop.
Looser was especially pleased with the floor play of sophomore guard Dagan Hawkins.
“The first 11 games he (Hawkins) was down on JV (junior varsity),” Looser said. “As a coaching staff, we wanted him to go down there and have a little success. We’re struggling at the guard spot, and everyone knows that. So, he (Hawkins) is a welcomed edition. He has played very well for us.”
Bath turned the ball over 11 times on Tuesday, while Perry committed 10 turnovers.
Bath won the boards 29-21.
“Before the game, we told the kids there were going to be turnovers because they (Perry) were going to pressure us,” Looser said. “So, I thought if we could handle the pressure, we would be all right. … And we did all right.”
Bath 55, Perry 43
Score by Quarters
Perry 12 8 17 6 – 43
Bath 19 13 14 9 – 55
Perry
Marcus Hill 5, Za’mere Daniel 18, Hunter Scott 4, Jason Thomas 7, Brady Shively 7. Dezzmin Cobb 2. Totals: 19-3-43.
Bath
Dagan Hawkins 8, Trey Crawford 13, Logan Markley 5, Zavier Tickle 14, Jaxon Foster 13, Zach Welsch 2. Totals: 19-9-55.
3-pointers made: Bath – Dagan Hawkins 1, Trey Crawford 4, Logan Markley 1, Jaxon Foster 2; Perry – Marcus Hill 1, Brady Shivley 1.
Records: Bath 2-12; Perry 5-10
