Tigers wear down Northeastern

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WEST LIBERTY – WL-S used a tenacious effort and wore down Northeastern to beat the Jets, 59-35, in OHC boys basketball on Friday.

“The first quarter, we had several guys up delivering pressure, but not everybody was. And that kinda put everybody back on our heels a little bit. But once we got our wind and the energy picked up, we were a headache there for a while,” WL-S Coach Darrin Leichty said.

WL-S trailed, 12-9, after a quarter, but started the second on a 7-0 run and pulled away for a 30-20 lead at intermission.

“We got a lot of transition buckets and that’s kind of how we score. We struggled with zone all year, and you don’t want to give the other team a sense that the zone is working,” Leichty said. “It started with defensive effort – getting stops and defensive rebounds. And then we were able to get out and run a little bit.”

The Tigers (11-6, 9-4) crashed the glass and jumped passing lanes with a certain ruthlessness, savagely stifling any hope the Jets had as the game wore on.

Holden Nease scored 22 points for the Tigers, with Eli McGill and Jack Eggleston adding 10 each.

“It took us a while to kind of get everyone’s roles figured out, but I feel like we’re getting there. We’ve got room to grow yet, which I think is a good thing. I don’t think we’ve peaked yet,” Leichty said.

In the jayvee game, WL-S won, 46-35. Tanner LeVan had 12 points and Gavin Harrison added 9 for the Tigers.

In the freshman game, WL-S won, 50-16. Logan Saylor had 19 points and Isaac Brown scored 13 for the Tigers.

WL-S hosts Graham today.

West Liberty-Salem’s Holden Nease (23) barrels through a pair of Jets defenders in transition on Friday.
https://www.urbanacitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2019/02/web1_HoldenNease020119_ne201921202914437.jpgWest Liberty-Salem’s Holden Nease (23) barrels through a pair of Jets defenders in transition on Friday.

By Justin Miller

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Reach Justin Miller at 652-1331 (ext. 1776) or on Twitter @UDC_Miller.

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