Newark boys turn up the heat, rally against Fitch for 9th straight win
COLUMBUS ― Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush always asks his teams, "What are you going to do when the shots don't fall?"
On Sunday, in the Battle In The 614 at Ohio Dominican University, the surging Wildcats gave him the answer he wanted: play intense defense.
Held to just 32% shooting by tall and athletic Austintown Fitch and trailing most of the game, Newark forced 19 turnovers and closed the game on a 17-7 run for a 51-45 comeback victory.
Sophomore Jake Quackenbush missed his first four shots but hit two big 3-pointers in the rally and scored all 8 of his points down the stretch for Newark (12-1), which won its ninth in a row.
"We just told him, 'you can't be afraid,' " said junior Braylon Morris, who scored 13 of his 19 points in the first half and made five 3s. "He spends so much time shooting on the gun, and we trust him."
Jake Quackenbush put his slow start behind him in a game that saw Morris and Steele Meister score all but two of the Wildcats' points through three quarters as they were down 36-31.
"Forget about what happened. Keep going. Keep moving forward," he said. "I spend a lot of time shooting, in the spring, summer and fall, so you just keep shooting."
Sophomore point guard Ty Gilbert had three consecutive assists on 3-pointers to fuel the rally. He found Morris in the right corner, then Quackenbush at the top of the key with an inbounds pass. But Newark was still down 40-37 midway through the fourth when 6-foot-5 sophomore Allen Hill dunked off a lob.
However, Quackenbush swished another 3 from the left corner, after Gilbert drove the baseline, to tie it. Then Gilbert turned a Wildcat steal into two foul shots with 3:10 left, giving them their first lead since the opening minutes at 42-40.
"Ty is playing extremely well, but right now all of our role guys are," Jake Quackenbush said.
As coach Quackenbush acknowledged: "We challenged both of them to play better in the second half."
Newark then salted it away at the foul line by making seven of eight, including five of six by Meister, who was held to just 3-of-11 shooting by Fitch's size and physicality but sank 12 of 16 free throws, scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Deshawn Vaughn, a highly-touted point guard and football quarterback, scored 12 first-half points with two 3s as the Falcons (7-5) chewed up the Wildcats' man-to-man defense with blistering 66% shooting (12 of 18) and opened a 26-14 lead.
The winners cut it to 30-21 at the break but continued to struggle against Fitch's 3-2 zone that employed the 6-5 Hill twins, guards Carter Owens (6-3) and Marcell Finkley (6-2), plus 6-4 Lucas Andino off the bench. Although Newark stepped up its defense, the Falcons still took a five-point lead into the fourth.
"They had a lot of length around the basket, and it was hard for us to score," coach Quackenbush said. "So we had to start getting stops. They're a good team, with guards, quickness and size."
Jake Quackenbush admitted Fitch caught the Wildcats off guard.
"We hadn't seen them in person, only on film, and they were much bigger than we thought. Like, 10 times bigger," he said. "At halftime, we talked about showing some grit and fight. If we didn't, we were going to get embarrassed."
The Wildcats came up with 16 steals, four apiece by Morris and hustling Kalen Winbush off the bench, and dropped in an outstanding 18 of 22 foul shots for 81%. They had only 10 turnovers and had to overcome 13-of-40 shooting for a chilly 32%, including 7 of 24 on 3s for 29%.
But defense saved the day. Newark held Vaughn to just 4 second-half points, finishing with 16 as the only Falcon in double figures, and doubled the score on Fitch 30-15 over the final two quarters. They were just 6 of 17, including 0 for 9 on 3s after the hot start, and finished 18 of 35 for 51%.
"We took it personal," Morris said. "There was no way we shouldn't have been able to stop that team. In the end, we played Newark defense, and we have to win with defense. We're not going to win the big games if we don't get stops."
Added Jake Quackenbush: "We're going to be in a lot of dogfights, which will help get us ready for the tournament. In a district semifinal, or district final or regional semifinal, we're going to be in situations like this."
His coach and father took the blame for Newark's lethargic first half.
"It was a good win, but we have to show up ready to play," Jeff Quackenbush said. "I know it was a Sunday afternoon, and that's on me, to still have them ready. But to win that game when shooting 32 percent, and holding them to 15 points in the second half, says a lot about our kids."
740-704-7973
Instagram: @dfweidig
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Newark boys turn up the heat, rally against Fitch for 9th straight win
