MECHANICSBURG – The Indians came from behind to beat Greeneview, 49-38, in OHC boys basketball on Tuesday.
Greeneview watched as a nine-point lead evaporated throughout the third quarter.
That lead disappeared when Mechanicsburg’s Chris Taylor hit a three early in the fourth quarter to give the home team its first lead since the early going.
Greeneview’s zone had done a good job preventing Mechanicsburg from getting inside in the first half, but had to play much more honestly as the Indians heated up from the outside down the stretch, giving the home squad a bit of room to work down low.
“Being able to go inside out is huge for us. We want to get the post as many touches as possible. Kick it back out, one extra pass, and then we make a shot,” MHS Coach Michael Cantrell said. “I was happy with the way the kids played. That was a good win for us.”
Things only got worse for the Rams (5-10) down the stretch, as the competitive Indians pushed the advantage into a large lead the other way.
“In the second half, we made some adjustments. And that I was happy to see. Our execution was so much better,” Cantrell said. “We finally settled in and defensively, we didn’t play our best game, but it was a tough game. One thing we can always improve upon and amp up is our defense, so that we can pressure them and force them into some bad decisions.”
The Indians (5-8) had looked better than the Rams early in the first, but couldn’t knock down a shot and fell into an 8-5 hole, which grew to 21-12 at halftime.
“I think it was somewhat due to our shot selection early on. It kinda got us into some trouble early,” Cantrell said. “That happens. You get a bad shot, a defensive rebound, and they’re in transition. We looked frantic. And kudos to them, because they really pressured us.”
Taylor led the Indians with 11 points. Kyle Smith had 10 and Joey Mascadri added 8.
In the jayvee game, Mechanicsburg routed the Rams, 43-23. Keith Bebout scored 18 points in that contest for the Indians.
Mechanicsburg plays at Northeastern on Friday.
