W. Reserve rolls to 18th in sectional
The Blue Devils handed Jackson-Milton its 21st setback to advance against Lowellville Friday.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STRUTHERS -- Facing a team that had lost 20 straight games, Western Reserve coach Steve Miller didn't know what to expect in the opening round of the Division IV boys sectional basketball tournament Monday night.
In the end, it really didn't make much of a difference as the Blue Devils jumped out to an 18-4 first quarter lead and rolled easily past Jackson-Milton 70-29.
"We really didn't know just what they would come out doing and they have played pretty good defense which has kept them in quite a few games this year," Miller said.
"I told our kids to just go out and play a good pressure defense and everything would take care of itself," he added.
That defense forced the Bluejays (0-21) into 20 turnovers and the contest was never in doubt from the opening tip.
"We're not a very good basketball team right now," said Bluejays head coach Dan Ewing. "And any time you play a Coach Miller team you had better come in ready to play."
"We've got a long way to go, but the kids have played hard all season long and we've had some good senior leadership, now we've got to start getting ready for next season," Ewing said.
Western Reserve (18-3), which hit 29-for-51 shots for the game, had 12 of its 13 players on the roster get into the scoring column.
Reserve Jerod Barker led the Blue Devils with 14 points and was the only player in double figures.
Nik Kaley topped the Bluejays with 10 points, five of them in the final quarter, which was the only one Jackson-Milton reached double figures in.
Western Reserve vs. Lowellville
Western Reserve advances to a sectional final matchup against Lowellville Friday at 8 p.m.
"Lowellville is playing as good as anybody in this sectional right now and we're going to have our hands full on Friday," said Miller.
"We played pretty sloppy tonight in the first half, but we really broke things open in the third quarter," Miller added.
The Blue Devils scored the first nine points of the contest and walked off with an 18-4 advantage led by Barker and John Porterfield with five points each.
Jackson-Milton scored the first four points of the second quarter to get to within 18-8, but that was as close as the Blue Devils would let them get the rest of the way.
Western Reserve led 31-12 at the intermission.
The Blue Devils scored the first eight points of the third quarter and 17 of the first 18 points to pull into a commanding 48-13 lead.
They held the Bluejays to just three points in the quarter and took a 55-15 into the final eight minutes.
Miller had emptied his bench by the middle of the third quarter and played the final eight minutes with his reserves, but the Blue Jays still couldn't get any closer.
Western Reserve's biggest lead of the game was 48 points (63-15).
Jackson-Milton hit just 12-for-38 attempts from the field.
Lake Center Christian 59,Youngstown Christian 46
STRUTHERS -- In the second game, the Eagles kept it close through three quarters trailing 39-34.
But the Tigers from Hartville made five of their eight 3-point baskets in the second half -- three of them in the last 12 minutes -- as they pulled away from the Eagles with a 20-12 surge.
Toba Olarewaju, who made two 3-point baskets for the Eagles (7-14) and David Colbert each scored 12 points.
Cody Miller, Shane Byler, Evan Ferwerda and Thomas Lawver scored 15, 13, 10 and 10 each for the Tigers.
mollica@vindy.com