INTER-COUNTY LEAGUE DeJane reigns at Springfield

Zach DeJane had 28 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Tigers' 72-49 win.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW MIDDLETOWN -- Prior to the his team's game with South Range, Springfield High's Zach DeJane was honored with selection as an attendant on the homecoming court, the same court that selected teammate Jeremy Russell as homecoming king.
Once the game started, however, DeJane left no doubt as to why he is the king of his court, scoring 28 points and hauling in 14 rebounds to lead the Tigers to a 72-49 victory over the Raiders in an Inter-County League game Friday night.
"I really felt like I was on right from the start. Our guards found me all night; at the right time and in the right places," DeJane said. "We moved the ball great and had excellent looks. The whole team really played well tonight."
Schuler also sparkles
Andrew Schuler also registered a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) as the Tigers won for the fifth straight time, improving to 10-3 overall and 7-1 in the ICL.
The Raiders (3-9, 1-6), outrebounded, 42-16, lost for the second time this season to the Tigers.
"The last time we played they jumped out on us and we had to play catch-up. We didn't want that to happen again tonight, so to take the early lead was important to us," Springfield coach Grant Spaite said.
"DeJane had a great game at both ends of the court. He not only scored, but blocked several shots, altered some other shots with his presence in the lane and kept the ball alive offensively for some second chance opportunities.
"They were giving us the outside shots so [David] McClearn, with four buckets from beyond the arc was able to stretch their defense," he added.
The early going
DeJane scored the first three points of the game and had nine of his team's first quarter points as Springfield raced to a 13-7 lead.
The Raiders then scored six of the first eight points of the second period to cut the Tiger lead to 15-13.
Dane Dobson's bucket and 3-point goal keyed a 10-0 run by Springfield as the Tigers built a 25-13 lead, and when Schuler added three buckets in the final 2:25 of the frame, Springfield had a 34-18 halftime margin.
"DeJane is a nice luxury to have. It was no secret that we tried to keep him away from the bucket," said South Range Jeff Hammond.
Holloway, Maxwell jell
"The crowd was pumped and both teams were ready to play. [Dan] Holloway and [David] Maxwell both had nice games for us tonight," added Hammond. "Holloway is a senior who leaves everything on the floor, every game while Maxwell's consistency has been a key for us all season."
Holloway led the Raiders with 16 points and Maxwell added 14.
DeJane's 10 points and three buckets from beyond the arc by McClearn helped the Tigers open a 53-31 advantage after three periods, while DeJane added six fourth quarter points.
The Tigers were 26-of-65 from the field while the Raiders could manage just 18-of-55. Springfield was 6-of-20 from beyond the arc while the Raiders connected on just 4-of-22 3-point attempts.
DeJane added four blocks while McClearn hauled in seven rebounds from his guard position.