Hilliard Bradley puts up roadblock at Newark
NEWARK — Two of the best players in Central Ohio battled Saturday.
Cade Norris, the star senior for the Hilliard Bradley boys basketball team (12-4) and Newark senior star Steele Meister went toe-to-toe inside during the visiting Jaguars' 51-31 win over Meister and the Wildcats (14-3) at Jimmy Allen Gymnasium.
“They have six seniors. That’s the best team we’ve played all year,” Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush said. “Everybody knows their role. They are a great passing team. They ended up with 14 assists. Our kids played really hard. We struggled to score, especially around the basket. Their length bothered us.”
Meister made a driving layup on Newark’s first possession, which lasted a minute and 20 seconds, but had just one basket the rest of the way. He was primarily being guarded by the Division I All-Ohioan Norris, who is headed to Illinois State next season.
Norris also engineered an efficient offensive attack that missed just nine shots from the field. Norris’ 13 points and six assists led the way.
“I don’t love to put (that assignment on) him because he has a lot of responsibilities offensively on a match like that, but Steele is so physical, so big that it’s really the only matchup,” said Cade's father, Brett Norris, who has turned the Jaguars into a perennial power during his decade as coach.
“You need your best players to play both ends of the floor because that’s what makes them your best players,” he added. “I thought (Cade) did a good job. Steele’s had a great year.”
Newark dropped its second consecutive game after having its 11-game winning streak snapped by Reynoldsburg in a 55-43 defeat 24 hours earlier.
The Wildcats, who previously beat Pickerington Central, appeared weary. Junior Braylon Morris eventually caught fire in the third quarter, hitting two 3-pointers, but the Wildcats could never make a sizable cut into a 26-16 halftime deficit.
“It’s a team game,” Quackenbush said. “They shot 68% and we shot 35%. That will get you beat by 20. … They would answer with a 3 or get a layup on us.”
Ben Mirgon’s 10 points and four assists supported Cade Norris. Jeb Bischoff, Garrett Sever and Andrew Lamb added 8 points each as the Jaguars spread seven 3s across four players.
The Jaguars’ two most recent losses were 52-50 to Olentangy Orange, the state’s No. 1 team in Division I in the state media poll, and 48-47 to defending state champion Akron Hoban.
“There is a mutual respect between both programs, and it’s why we play (Newark). You know what you are going to get,” Brett Norris said. “Typically, our games are played in the 40s, so you have to value every possession. If you can land the first punch in these games, it’s key, but you know with a program like theirs, they are going to counter and come back. When they upped the ante physically, I was really pleased with how we embraced that part of the game.”
Morris’ 15 points led the Wildcats, who recorded just three assists. Meister added six points and five rebounds.
The Wildcats will catch their breath. They will also have a rare full week of practice before trips to Central Crossing and Zanesville next weekend.
“It’s been a long week. Our kids are tired,” Quackenbush said. “I liked their effort. We now know all of the things we need to get fixed.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Hilliard Bradley puts up roadblock at Newark Wildcats boys basketball
