South long ball downs PS

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WEST ALEXANDRIA — Twin Valley South hit, rather uncharacteristically, 12 threes and scored 63 points en route to a 63-53 victory over Preble Shawnee on Friday, Jan. 15.

“We’re going to have to replace the scoreboard lights,” joked South head coach Tony Augspurger after the game. “One of the things I talked to before the game is that we don’t have to be a horrible offensive team. My guys are better offensive basketball players than they’ve played.”

Shawnee started the game on an 8-0 run before the Panthers slowly clawed their way back into contention, rallying to head into the second quarter down 16-11.

The Arrows were unable to get much separation after their hot start, and South hit three three-pointers in the frame, outscoring Shawnee 17-10 and taking a 28-27 lead into the half.

Out of the break, South’s Mike Meyers went off. He hit four of his five threes in the second half, including three in the third quarter. He was able to keep the Panthers ahead, as the team responded every time Shawnee took the lead.

“The thing about tonight is that we answered every one of Shawnee’s runs. They gapped us early but we didn’t fall. We fought back,” said Augspurger. “We managed to have a much better second quarter and come back to take the lead.”

The third quarter saw seven lead changes before South pushed ahead 45-41.

“Twelve threes pretty much sums it up,” said Shawnee head coach Jason Crider. “Out of the 12 they hit, seven of them we did a decent job closing out. The biggest thing we have to be better at is that, if a guy is that hot, you don’t let him catch the ball. It’s not a matter of how well you close or how poor you close out, you simply don’t let him have the ball.”

South added three more triples in the final frame and never lost the lead again, outscoring the Arrows 16-12.

Overall, Shawnee had 26 points in the paint while South had 26 from behind the arc.

“Usually when you have those numbers, you win the game,” said Crider.

Leading South was Meyers, who had 22 points. JJ Utz added 14 while Jacob Bassler chipped in 10 points. Jared Cottingim had eight points while Winston Crosier had five.

Shawnee also faced off against Monroe the night before, losing 79-54. They remain third in the SWBL, sitting at 3-2 in the conference.

South had two other games on the week, losing 43-30 to Tri-Village on Tuesday, Jan. 12 before putting up 58 points on Newton to win by 10.

“If we start scoring with a little more consistency and we don’t lose our defensive nastiness, we’re going to start having fun. We defend well enough to be good but we haven’t been consistent enough offensively to be good,” said Augspurger. “We have four weeks, five weeks to get ready for tournament basketball and a chance to get some momentum and go.”

South is scheduled to travel to Mississinawa Valley on Friday, Jan. 22 for a 6 p.m. tip before heading to Brookville on Saturday, Jan. 23 for a 6 p.m. contest.

Shawnee also jumped back into league play, as they were scheduled to face Milton-Union on Tuesday, Jan. 19. They will hit the road and head to Carlisle on Friday, Jan. 22 for a 7:15 p.m. tip-off before heading to Tri-County North on Saturday, Jan. 23. That game will be at 7:30 p.m.

South’s Andrew Augspurger boxes out Shawnee’s Thomas Buell during their game on Saturday, Jan. 16. South hit 12 threes on their way to a 63-53 victory over the county rival.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/01/web1_TVS-vs-PS-4-.jpgSouth’s Andrew Augspurger boxes out Shawnee’s Thomas Buell during their game on Saturday, Jan. 16. South hit 12 threes on their way to a 63-53 victory over the county rival. Austin Schmidt | The Register-Herald

Levi Lewis attempts a runner during Twin Valley South during their game on Saturday, Jan. 16.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2016/01/web1_TVS-vs-PS-5-.jpgLevi Lewis attempts a runner during Twin Valley South during their game on Saturday, Jan. 16. Austin Schmidt | The Register-Herald

By Jeremy Erskine

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Reach Jeremy at 937-683-4061 or on Twitter @jerskine_RH.

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