DIVISION IV BOYS Badger, Bloomfield eliminated

Ledgemont will play Fairport Harbor Friday night.
By DOUG CHAPIN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- Two members of the Northeastern Athletic Conference were eliminated Monday night from the Division IV boys sectional tournament at Harding High.
Badger (4-17) gave Ledgemont (16-5) all it could handle before falling 63-52. Bloomfield, meanwhile, lost 60-17 to Fairport Harbor in a game pitting two winless teams.
With just one senior on the roster, Badger stayed right with a physical, athletic, senior-laden Ledgemont team. The Braves held a 33-31 lead midway through period three, trailed 37-36 at the end of the quarter, and were tied with the Redskins at 39-39 with 6:49 remaining in the game.
Recent meeting
Just last week, Ledgemont defeated Badger, 57-47, on the Braves' home floor. Badger coach Cody Betts said he thought that experience helped Monday night.
"It helped us prepare for their pressure. We were able to make adjustments and were much more effective agianst their press," he said. "Now over 32 minutes their press wears on you and you're going to have some turnovers, but we were real proud of how our young guards handled it."
Ledgemont has five seniors in its seven-man rotation and the Redskins press at every opportunity, not just made baskets. Opponents are forced to incorporate press-breaker concepts into their fast break. The Redskins even get into an organized press after turnovers.
The Braves had trouble with the pressure in the first half, especially as Ledgemont put together a 10-0 run to end the half. The Redskins held a 26-18 advantage at the break.
"We were able to stay a little more patient against the press in the second half," Betts said. "The long pass on the opposite side was open and we didn't exploit it in the first half. We did in the second half with some nice diagonal passes."
Technical help
Two technical fouls called on the Redskins early in the third quarter helped Badger get back into the game quickly. But it also revealed another negative in the Braves' game, at least on Monday night. Badger made just two of six free throws on three technicals called against Ledgemont and was just 15-of-28 from the line for the game.
Ledgemont was worse, at 15-of-30, but the Redskins made 10-of-13 in the final 6:49, compared to four-of-nine for Badger.
"We stayed aggressive and got to the line," Betts said. "We started out four-of-four, then went 11-of-24 the rest of the way. If we shoot 70 percent or so, it's a different game.
Badger was led offensively by sophomore Brad Bates with 13 points, junior Ty Brothers with 12 and sophomore Mike Diehl with 10. Junior Nick Landis added eight points inside. Brothers led Badger on the boards with seven rebounds.
Mark Warmeling had 16 points and eight rebounds for Ledgemont before fouling out. Joe O'Donnell added 14 points and Matt Moskowski had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Redskins, much bigger and stronger, held a 33-28 rebounding edge.
Turnover damage
"They probably scored 95 percent of their points off our turnovers or off offensive rebounds," Betts said about the Redskins. "They do a great job rebounding in the transition game, they send four guys at the glass."
Ledgemont will play Fairport Harbor Friday night in the second game of a doubleheader. Fairport led Bloomfield by scores of 9-3, 31-6 and 46-11 at the quarter breaks.
Alex Jacob with 11 points and Danny Ward with 10 led the Skippers. The Cardinals were led by Lester Byler with nine points.