Red Dragons making timely turnaround

February 15, 2014 at 12:06a.m.

By Steve ruman

NILES

After a three-week period which included a number of postponed games and a six-game losing streak, the Niles McKinley boys basketball team may have picked their best time of the year to find stride.

The Red Dragons defeated All-American Conference foe Hubbard, 65-56, on Friday night to lift their record to 8-11. The victory was the Dragons’ third in four games, and it was their second win over the Eagles this season.

More importantly, the Dragons should feel good about their future as they head down the home stretch of the regular season and toward the tournament trail.

In just 11 days, Niles and Hubbard will meet for a third time this year. The game will be at Niles, and will be the first round of the sectional tournament for both clubs. The Red Dragons earned the right to host the game by landing a No. 6 seed in the Warren district.

Niles continued its upward trend on Friday thanks to a well-balanced attack which saw four players score in double figures. Cameron Kane and Marcus Hill led the way with 16 points each. James Tate added 15 for the Dragons, while Kyle Paden chipped in with 10.

Derek Kopanic led Hubbard with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Rocco Jones added 14 for the Eagles, who saw their record fall to 5-13.

“We’ve been chipping away and playing better the past few weeks,” said Niles coach Ron Price. “We’re moving the ball better, making better passes and that is opening us up for some better shots.

“We came out in the first half and we were a bit lethargic, but we found a way to hang around. Earlier this year, if we came out like that, we’d find ourselves down by 15. We’re now finding ways to fight through our rough stretches.”

Niles and Hubbard spent most of the first half trading leads. The Dragons led 15-11 after one period of play, then the Eagles took a 27-26 advantage into intermission.

Niles outscored Hubbard 16-7 in the decisive third quarter, then staved off several late surges by the visitors.

Each time Hubbard managed to close the gap in the final period, Niles distanced itself at the free-throw line. The Dragons converted 29 of 35 foul shots on the night, including 16 of 18 in the final eight minutes. Kane and Hill were a combined 10-of-10 in the final six minutes.

“We got in some early foul trouble, and that kind of set the tone for the night,” said Hubbard coach Rick Fox. “We battled throughout the night and had some good individual performances, but overall we just didn’t get it done from start to finish.”

Despite the pair of wins over the Eagles, Price said the competitive nature of both games will serve as a warning to his players when the two teams meet Feb. 26.

“We know that their record is very deceiving, and we know that both of the games we’ve played could have gone either way,” Price said. “No way will our guys take Hubbard lightly.”

The Eagles return to action tonight at Struthers. Niles travels to Canfield.