Sunday, March 21, 1999
Madeira earns trip to state
Early lead stands up vs. Finneytown
BY DAVE SCHUTTE
Enquirer contributor
FAIRBORN — Offense has been the strength of the Madeira boys basketball team, but it was defense that was the difference Saturday in a Division III regional championship game.
The Mustangs held Finneytown to 18 first-half points on their way to a 77-62 victory at Wright State's Nutter Center.
The victory advanced Madeira to the state semifinals 11a.m. Thursday at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Mustangs play Coldwater, a 68-57 winner over Huron.
“We dug too deep a hole in the first half,” Finneytown coach Chuck Grosser said. “Our spacing was the biggest problem in the first half, and we didn't get many good shots.”
Madeira coach Jim Reynolds also pointed to the Mustangs' defense in the first half as crucial.
“We not only played great defense but also rebounded well in the first half,” Reynolds said. “We told the guys at half that we were on a 110-52 run since falling behind 17-2 in the semifinals and not to lose focus.”
The Mustangs trailed Bloom-Carroll 17-2 before rallying for the easy victory Thursday in the semifinals.
During the first 16 minutes Saturday, Madeira made 19-of-34 from the field, with Todd Schlensker scoring 12 points, all during the second quarter when the Mustangs went on a 26-10 run.
Madeira's aggressive man-to-man defense forced 14 Finneytown turnovers to put the Wildcats behind 40-18 at halftime.
“We were told at halftime to keep our composure and not allow them to make a run,” Schlensker said. “But Finneytown played hard and made a run, but I was never worried.”
Lionel Calhoun scored 11 points and Phil Sweet eight in the third quarter when the Wildcats cut into the Madeira lead, narrowing the deficit to 14 at 56-42.
Finneytown kept coming in the fourth quarter. A three-point field goal by Jason Gardner with 5:29 remaining cut the deficit to eight at 62-54.
That's when Madeira switched to a 3-2 zone that seemed to confuse the Wildcats.
“I forgot that we used a 3-2 the second time we played them,” Reynolds said of Madeira's 77-73 victory at Finneytown. “It was pretty effective, and that's why we decided to go back to it, and I think it was big for us.”
During the fourth quarter, Madeira was perfect on 12 free throw attempts, eight by senior guard Ken Fields. The Mustangs were 16-for-16 in the game.
“When they got it down to eight points, I wasn't worried,” Fields said. “We're a good free-throw shooting team, and the right guys were shooting them.”
Jon Newberry said he was excited for the seniors.
“Three years ago, we were one point away from going to state,” Newberry said. “We lost to Springfield Central Catholic by one point in the (regional) semifinals, but we'll now get our chance.”
“This means so much because Madeira lacks tradition in sports,” said forward Nate Parkhouse. “Everyone at the school has rallied behind us, and we're seeing a lot of new faces at the games.”
FINNEYTOWN (62) — Calhoun 6-11 0-0 12, Meitrott 0-3 1-2 1, Thompson 8-10 3- 4 19, Sweet 7-13 5-8 20, Gardner 1-10 3-4 6, Monterosso 2-7 0-0 4, Veser 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 24-55 12-18 62.
MADEIRA (77) — Parkhouse 4-7 2-2 10, Newberry 2-5 0-0 4, Dinsmore 4-6 2-2 10, Schlensker 8-11 4-4 20, Cohen 1-6 0-0 2, Dooley 1-2 0-0 2, Fields 6-15 8-8 21, Underwood 4-4 0-0 8. Totals: 30-56 16-16 77.
Finneytown ....... 8 10 24 20— 62
Madeira ....... 14 26 16 21— 77
Three-point field goals: M 1-10 (Fields). F 2-11 (Sweet, Gardner). Records: Madeira 25-1, Finneytown 18-7.
Sports Stories
Bullpen battle tightens
White Sox have interest in Fordyce
REDS NOTEBOOK
Rangers 5, Reds 4
