Field flourishes in second half to pick up third win

BRIMFIELD TWP. — As the Falcons fight through the second half of their league schedule, Derek Widuck has preached positivity.

The second-year head coach noted that Field beat a Springfield team it lost to earlier in the season and played Cloverleaf, Ravenna and Woodridge tight after double-digit losses the first time around.

Still, few things replace the feel of winning, and on Tuesday, Field reaped the benefits of its improved play with a 61-50 non-conference victory over visiting Rootstown.

"It feels great to get a third win of the season because the season's been hard," Falcons senior Cole Muncy said. "We haven't been playing the best and doing the best this season, but when we come together like this and win, it feels great."

Playing in front of a lively home student section, the Falcons (3-13) didn't just win.

They looked darn good doing it, erupting for 40 points in the second half.

A Field team that has leaned heavily on its talented post play but struggled to shoot at times this year went an absurd 5-of-8 from deep over the final 16 minutes.

"Really what we're trying to do on offense is get the ball inside to [Brayden] Cadwell and [Xander] Rorrer, and when teams zone, it makes it a lot more difficult to do that," Widuck said. "If we can get them out of that zone, with a couple jump shots here and there just to keep things honest, that helps a lot."

After draining a 3-pointer to give the Falcons the halftime lead, junior guard Joe Crawford swished both of his third-quarter 3-point tries.

Muncy had a similar eruption.

After not taking a shot in the first half, the senior took five and made five, including a pair of 3-pointers, in the second half.

Cole Muncy helps Field run away with the lead

Muncy's torrid second half included arguably the biggest shot of the night with Rootstown still within three points after three quarters.

After the Rovers turned it over on their first possession of the fourth, the Falcons found Muncy in the corner to double their lead to 40-34.

"It happened so fast," Muncy said. "Always when I'm in the corner, I try to be ready, so when I get it, I can just shoot it and I was ready and he passed it right to me."

After Field flummoxed Rootstown during a marathon possession that resulted in a step-back 3 that drew iron, Falcons junior Braxton Baumberger raced the rebound down the court and drew a foul.

Baumberger hit the first and missed the second, but fellow Field junior Will Yount was there for the offensive board and then he, too, earned a trip to the line and split his free throws for a 42-34 lead.

The Falcons pushed their lead to double digits when Yount found senior post Brayden Cadwell (12 points, 11 rebounds) cutting to the basket for a layup and Baumberger, who led a balanced Field attack with 14 points, hit a pair of free throws with 4:40 left.

From there, the Falcons had an answer every time the Rovers rallied.

After Rovers star Nick Wancik, who led all scorers with 27 points Tuesday, stepped behind a screen for a 3-pointer to draw within eight (46-38) with 4:22 left, Cadwell kept the ensuing Falcons' possession alive with an offensive board and senior guard Jimmy Cultrona capitalized by driving and dishing to Muncy for a layup.

After Wancik knocked down a pull-up jumper from the elbow to close within seven (48-41) with 3:42 remaining, Cadwell again made a key play in the post, this time kicking out to Cultrona for a 3-pointer.

"We just try to work it into our big man down the floor every time because they open up a lot of opportunities," Muncy said. "When we pass it in and pass it out, it opens up a lot."

Once more, the Rovers drew close, as Wancik converted a rare 4-point play, hitting a trey against contact, and then took a pass from Branden Bobbs for a layup to draw within six (56-50) with 1:35 left.

"He gets the attention of every defense every game," Rootstown coach Cody Calhoun said. "He still shot 40 percent from the floor tonight with that full attention of the defense."

Cultrona and Muncy came up clutch once again in response with the former finding the latter driving baseline for a layup.

"Obviously, their size inside is tough," Calhoun said. "They got a couple big guys that can do a lot of different things. They can score around the rim, they handle the ball a little bit, they can definitely go rebound, but I thought really their biggest thing, they had some of those other guys come in and make some shots."

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Field flourishes in second half to pick up third win