January 20, 2005

sports

Brad Benning-Clark driving to the basket during the Bulldogs’ loss to Metro Buckeye Conference rival Jefferson last Tuesday. Benning-Clark led YSHS with 16 points.

Bulldogs lose big to Broncos

By Lauren Heaton

Last week started off roughly for the Yellow Springs High School boys basketball team, which took a decisive 79–56 loss to Jefferson at home on Tuesday, Jan. 11. It was a long, hard lesson in maintaining ball control for the Bulldogs against a team that played better than they have all year.

By Friday the Bulldogs had picked themselves up to seal a 50–45 win over Miami Valley.

The Bulldogs are now 7–6 over all and 3–4 in the Metro Buckeye Conference.

Yellow Springs may have had a paper-thin lead in the first few minutes of last Tuesday’s game, but that was the last the home team saw of it that night. The Broncos made 4 free throws that gave them an early 12–9 lead, and they followed it up with a steal and easy layup, which would repeat itself 14 times before the end of the game.

Jefferson pulled away to lead 21–11 before Brad Benning-Clark came through with two well-timed breakaway baskets that kept the Bulldogs close in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs developed butterfingers in the second quarter and began making sloppy, desperate passes under huge pressure from an increasingly confident Jefferson press. Down 36–20, YSHS called a timeout to regroup and closed the gap to 44–33 by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.

Under the weight of the solid 10-point lead Jefferson mounted in the first half, YSHS tried to stay in the game. But the Bulldog defense broke down, and Jefferson continued to force the Bulldogs to turn the ball over, jumping out to a 70–45 lead at the end of the third quarter.

With eight minutes to gain back 25 points, the Bulldogs relied heavily on energy from Jerrico Stubblefield, who scored a key 3-pointer and two layups early in the fourth quarter to narrow the gap to 74–51. But YSHS gained just 5 more points before giving possession to the Broncos, who held the ball for the last full minute of the game.

“We clearly have some more work to do,” coach Brad Newsome said. “It was a long evening for us, and a learning experience on why we need to take care of the basketball and hold on to the lead when we get it.”

The Bulldogs went 13 of 20 from the free-throw line, while Jefferson was 12 of 18. Turnovers for both teams were nearly equal, with 21 for Yellow Springs and 19 for Jefferson, but the Broncos converted most of theirs to points.

Benning-Clark scored 16 points, while Issa Walker had 12.

The Bulldogs played a better game on Friday against Miami Valley, taking the lead in the second quarter and maintaining it the rest of the way. YSHS committed 11 turnovers, successfully maneuvering around Miami Valley’s half-court press.

Benning-Clark had 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Cody Johnson had 13 points, 5 rebounds.

Bulldog sports roundup

Compiled by Lauren Heaton

Girls triumph over Miami Valley
In their only game last week, the Yellow Springs High School girls basketball team beat conference foe Miami Valley 52–47 for the second time this season, on Thursday.

Lady Bulldogs are now 6–8 for the season and 3–4 in the Metro Buckeye Conference.

Thursday’s game against Miami Valley was closer than the Lady Bulldogs’ 14-point win over the Rams earlier in the season. YSHS was ahead by 3 at the end of the first quarter and down 36–35 at the half.

But Alisha Lucas played strong defense on Miami Valley’s lead player, Angela Bethel, holding her to 11 points, while adding two 3-pointers on offense. Evin Wimberly, with 5 steals and 7 assists, took charge of the floor, talking to her teammates and keeping them up. And an injured Megan Burrick still drove and hustled on the floor for 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

Swim teams take 2nd, 7th
With two big wins and many supporting performances, the YSHS boys swim team finished 2nd with 188 points out of 10 teams at the Clark County Invitational over the weekend. The Bulldogs were edged out by Tippecanoe with 256 points, while Stebbins came in third with 140 points.

At the same meet, the YSHS girls team scored 60 points for a 7th-place finish out of 11 teams. Springfield Shawnee was first with 306 points, Tipp City came in second with 266 and Springfield Kenton Ridge was third with 144.

Coaches Dave Wishart and Abby Guiler said that both teams are making huge strides thanks to the swimmers’ dedication and drive to improve. The swimmers like the results of their hard work so much that several demanded the teams start two-a-day practices twice a week.

“These kids are really something,” Wishart said. “I’ve never had a group work this hard, and the payoff should be big as the season winds down.”

In the boys finals competition on Sunday, the meet ended with the 400 freestyle relay team (Jacob Wishart, Carey Dixon, Will McCuddy and Evan Gerthoffer) winning in a season-best time of 3:59.93. The team added 14 points. Wishart added another 7 points by winning the 500 freestyle, dropping 18 seconds for a 6:02.18 finish, with McCuddy right behind him in third place.

The boys 200 freestyle relay team (Peter Lovering, Sam Borchers, Brandon Carver-Halley and Dixon) placed second in 1:52.89. The 200 medley relay (Wishart, Carver-Halley, McCuddy and Gerthoffer) placed third with a season-best time.

Wishart and McCuddy swam to third and fifth places, respectively, in the 200 free, with both posting personal best times. Gerthoffer finished seventh in the 50 free, then placed fifth in the 100 frees. Borchers placed fourth in the 100 backstroke. Lovering and Carver-Halley were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 100 breaststroke.

In the girls finals on Sunday, the 200 medley relay team (Seiko Yamashita, Olivia Dixon, Eve GunderKline and Miriam Barcus) placed 10th. The same girls went on to finish sixth in the 400 free relay. Barcus placed fifth in the 200 frees. GunderKline placed fifth in the 100 free and third in the 100 breaststroke. Dixon finished 10th in the 100 breaststroke.

“Abby and I are very proud of our teams’ work ethic,” Wishart said. “It’s the athletes who inspire coaches, and we are truly inspired.”