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’Cats top Redskins

Mike Mathison R-E-B-O-U-N-D — Edison’s Dom Rogers (left) and Joey Nave battle Indian Creek’s Austin Judson for a rebound during the second half of Saturday afternoon’s game in Richmond. The Wildcats won, 61-42.

RICHMOND — Zone defenses can be quite effective when done right.

The Edison boys’ basketball team used its 1-3-1 zone defense effectively against Indian Creek, limiting the Redskins to single digits in the first and fourth quarter en route to a 61-42 victory Saturday afternoon at home.

“We played back-to-back, and they played back-to-back,” Edison (3-0) head coach Nate Moses said. “Today was an opportunity for us. We did not have legs that we had last night, and we did not have the energy. The one thing is, we have played consistent defense. Defense is something we have to consistently get better at. We need to continue to get better at the end of the floor.”

Indian Creek went almost five minutes without scoring to start the game.

“To be honest, we can win when we score in the 40s, but we have to guard people,” Indian Creek (2-2) head coach Joe Dunlevy said. “No. 12 (Joey Nave) killed us. He is a real nice player. He played like a senior veteran player. You can hang in there if you guard, but our shots were not going in.

“Edison went on some runs. They hit some big shots. Nave is crafty, and he hit some big shots for them. They went on some runs, and every time we would start to reel them in, they hit a couple big shots.”

Nave netted a game-high 20 points to lead the way, while Bryce Piatt tallied 11 points.

“We had eight guys score today, and I think we have six or seven guys who can get double digits in any game,” Moses said. “We are not a one-man team. We have a lot of depth this season.”

Greg Wade delivered a team-high 12 points for Creek, while Austin Judson collected nine points.

The hosts scored the first six points of the game, and the visitors did not score until a basket by Derrick Eakle with 3:09 left to play in the first quarter. The victors extended their advantage to 12-2, but the Redskins fought back and pulled within three before Edison took a 14-9 lead at the end of the quarter.

The Wildcats extended their lead in the second quarter. A 3-pointer by Anthony Sinicropi gave Edison a 30-18 lead, and the boys in white led 35-24 at halftime.

“They were able to get shots because their execution was good,” Dunlevy said. “I can’t say they scored 60 points because we lacked effort. They made big shots.

“This is four out of five games they have beaten us.

“Nate is doing a great job. That is obvious by how his kids play and how they respond to what he is doing.”

Both teams scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Wildcats took a 49-38 lead into the fourth.

Edison outscored Indian Creek, 12-4, in the fourth to account for the final score.

“This was the first game we played zone,” Moses said. “I liked how the zone looked in the preseason. It comes down to the matchup and to the game. It is just a feeling. We went to the 1-3-1 zone. We were active on defense, and we have a lot of length with (Zac) Kramarich at the top and Joey running the baseline. You have to talk, and you have to have a good guy in the middle.

“When you play a zone defense, one thing you have to do is box out. We did a better job at the end than we did in the beginning.”

Both teams are scheduled to play Tuesday on the road. Indian Creek heads to Jefferson County and Buckeye 8 North Division rival Buckeye Local, while Edison visits East Liverpool inside Potter Fieldhouse.

“It is a good early season game,” Moses said. “Anytime you go up to East Liverpool, you know it is going to be a dogfight.”

Edison 61, Indian Creek 42

Indian Creek                                      9  15  14   4  —  42

Edison                                              14  21  13  12  —  61

INDIAN CREEK (2-2): Wade 3 6-7 12, Norris 1 1-1 3, Freshwater 2 0-0 4, Eakle 1 0-0 2, Yaich 0 0-0 0, Judson 3 2-2 9, Crawford 3 0-0 8, Fante 0 0-0 0, Lucas 0 0-0 0, Pugh 1 0-1 2, Waggoner 1 0-0 2, D. Brown 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 16 9-11 42. 3-Pointers: Crawford 2, Judson.

EDISON (3-0): Sinicropi 1 0-0 3, Piatt 5 0-0 11, Speedy 2 1-2 6, Easter 0 0-0 0, Hyndman 4 0-1 9, Rogers 2 1-1 5, Nave 8 1-2 20, Kramarich 0 6-11 6, McAfoose 0 0-0 0, Hanchin 0 0-0 0, McBane 0 1-2 1, McAfoose 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 22 10-23 61. 3-Pointers: Nave 3, Sinicropi, Piatt, Speedy, Hyndman.

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