Reynoldsburg's rampage halts Newark's streak, ties up OCC-Buckeye
REYNOLDSBURG ― Once Reynoldsburg got visiting Newark into a track meet, it was a race the Wildcats simply were not going to win.
Having previously lost 45-41 at Newark, the tall and athletic Raiders (11-5, 6-1) found themselves down 33-30 midway through the third quarter on Friday. But then they started turning Wildcat turnovers into a full-court dunkathon. Reynoldsburg smelled blood in the water and feasted accordingly during a scorching 25-1 run that carried it to a 55-43 revenge victory.
"It didn't feel real. That was crazy," said 6-foot-6 Raiders' junior Jordan Fisher, who had two slams during the blitz and scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. "We worked extra hard in practice this week, knowing how badly we needed this win. We were one game behind in the league and we hadn't beaten Newark in the last four games, so it was not a normal game for us."
The Wildcats (14-2, 6-1), who saw their 11-game winning streak ended and slipped into a first-place tie with the Raiders in the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division, had the game at the pace they wanted before committing the majority of their 15 turnovers in the second half.
"We didn't become 14-1 by turning it over a lot, and probably eight to 10 of those turned into points for them," coach Jeff Quackenbush said. "You have to control the game with your offense against a team like that, and you can't get behind three or four possessions. They are much better than their record and have played a great schedule."
Fisher, who is being recruited by six Division I schools, sat the entire second quarter with two fouls. But Reynoldsburg held Newark to just 6-of-18 shooting in the first half, senior Noah Smith drilled a pair of 3s and classmate Se'Ron Calloway-White came off the bench for 4 points as the Raiders took a 24-20 halftime lead. They were also without starter Toby Nwokolo due to injury.
"We did not slow down in the second quarter and we had guys step up," Fisher said. "That's what we do. I'm proud of my team tonight."
Ty Gilbert hit two free throws to start the second half, Steele Meister cashed in a 3 and Braylon Morris drilled two from behind the arc, his only points of the game, to push the Wildcats ahead 33-30. Newark then regained possession with a chance to add on but didn't have another field goal until over eight minutes later.
Reynoldsburg's final four baskets of the third quarter came off steals, three of those leading to acrobatic dunks. That allowed the Raiders to go up 45-34. Sophomore Xavier McKinney's slam off yet another giveaway capped the 25-1 blitz midway through the fourth for a 55-34 lead, before Newark subs scored the game's final 9 points including 5 by sophomore Bodie Smith.
Fisher was perfect from the field (7 of 7) and line (5 of 5) as the Raiders hit a blistering 68% from the floor in the second half (11 of 16) and finished 20 of 38 for 52%. They also controlled the backboards 19-13 over the much smaller Wildcats.
Newark was an excellent 8 of 16 on 3s, with Meister, Morris and Jake Quackenbush making two apiece, but went only 5 of 16 on 2s and was just 13 of 32 overall for 40%. Meister scored 16 points and had three assists, but no other player was close to double figures. Gilbert added 7 points and Quackenbush had six rebounds.
"The turnovers are a team thing, not just one person. You have to be able to get yourself open," coach Quackenbush said. "But this will be a good learning experience for us. We'll watch the film, learn how to better handle pressure, and how to run better offense. We still have a chance to win the league, and not many teams can say that this time of year."
In league play, the Wildcats have upcoming games at Central Crossing, host Groveport and visit Lancaster.
Reynoldsburg travels to Lancaster and Central Crossing before hosting Pickerington Central.
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Reynoldsburg's rampage halts Newark's streak, ties up OCC-Buckeye
