HOLMES TOWNSHIP — For three quarters, Wynford star Jaron Filliater had a quiet night offensively.
Filliater hit two 3-point shots in the first quarter and scored eight points but was shut out for two quarters. Late in the game, however, he made his presence felt.
With his team trailing 51-49 with 1:53 left in the game, the Wynford post hit a huge 3, giving the Royals a 52-51 lead. Then, after Wynford guard Cainen Allen canned two free throws, it was Filliater who made a crucial steal with 3.9 seconds left in the game to seal the win.
With the 54-51 win, the Royals improved to 2-4 in the Northern 10 Athletic Conference, 3-6 overall. Buckeye Central fell to 2-4 in the league, 3-7 overall.
“This is win number three and we won three games all last year,” Wynford coach Mike Smith said. “So, we’ve done it in nine games. The kids are pretty pumped about that. Hopefully, we can get a few more along the way.
“I think the deer in the headlights is gone now for most of these kids,” Smith added. “The game has slowed down for them. They’re all looking like varsity basketball players now.”
Buckeye Central overcame a Wynford onslaught in the first quarter. The Royals hit seven 3s in the frame and led by as many as 10, 26-16, early in the second period.
The Bucks, however, came storming back, taking a 27-26 lead in the second period on an Alex Kanney 3, before getting 3s from Kanney and Manny Mullins at the end of the third period to take a 42-41 lead, entering the final frame.
“We gave up 24 points in the first quarter, there was something we were trying to do defensively, it backfired a little bit,” Buckeye Central coach Tom Howell said. “But we battled back and took the lead. We just couldn’t finish.”
After BC guard Stephen Sostakowski canned a free throw with 5:48 left in the game, tying it at 46-46, teammate Logan Niese hit a 3, giving BC a 49-46 lead.
After Wynford’s James Schiefer drove the lane for a layup to cut the lead to one, Sostakowski scored again, increasing the lead to three.
From there, Grant McGuire dropped a free throw, setting up Filliater’s heroics.
Wynford held a 24-16 lead after one, hitting nine of 11 shots from the floor. Wynford held a 34-30 lead at the break, as Sam McMillan scored 12 points in the first half.
“I thought we were a little passive in the second quarter,” Smith said. “But in the first quarter, we hit seven 3s. I don’t know when the last time that happened.
“Then I thought we got a little three-happy and we rushed a few shots,” Smith added. “It was the same kind of scenario as the Bucyrus game. Luckily, this turned out a little different.”
In the middle two periods, however, Wynford made just six of its next 27 shots.
“We wanted to push the ball, just like we did in the first quarter,” Smith said. “They did a good job of running their half-court trap and that slowed us down a little bit. I thought we executed really well in the fourth quarter, down the stretch especially. I thought our kids showed a lot of poise.
“Buckeye helped us a little bit by getting a couple of quick shots that let us get the lead,” Smith added.
Conversely, Kanney hit four 3s and led the Bucks with 16 points. Aiden McDougal added 11.
“We were playing way too fast,” Howell said. “It was actually a one and two-point game, we were actually winning in the game, but we were playing like we were losing. We just gotta make some plays.
“We didn’t make free throws,” he added. “We missed eight free throws and I think three of those were the front ends of one-and-ones. It’s not good.”
Wynford was more balanced on the offensive end. Allen led the Royals with 15 points and McMillan added 14. Filliater finished with 11 and guard James Schiefer dropped in 10.
Smith felt that his team played defense well at times.
“It’s not where it needs to be but, over the last nine games, we’ve improved a heck of a lot defensively,” Smith said. “That’s how you win high school basketball games. You have to defend first.”
Both teams finished with nine 3s in the game. Buckeye Central hit 19 of 41 shots from the floor while Wynford made 18 of 49. BC, however, hit just four of 12 shots from the stripe.
“It’s the little things,” Howell said. “We had a good week of practice and I thought we were getting some of that stuff done. They showed up again.”
Box score
Buckeye Central 16 14 12 9 — 51
Wynford 24 10 7 13 — 54
Buckeye Central (3-7, 2-4 N10): Shots 19-41; 3-pt. shots 9 (Alex Kanney 4, Logan Niese 2, Casey Geissman, Aiden McDougal, Manny Mullins); Free throws 4-12; Rebounds 29; Turnovers 19. Scoring: Logan Niese 3 0 8, Drew Rose 0 1 1, Stephen Sostakowski 2 1 5, Casey Geissman 1 0 3, Aiden McDougal 4 2 11, Damian Dean 2 0 4, Alex Kanney 6 0 16, Manny Mullins 1 0 3.
Wynford (3-6, 2-4 N10): Shots 18-49; 3-pt. shots 9 (Jaron Filliater 3, Sam McMillan 2, Cainen Allen 2, Grant McGuire, James Schiefer); Free throws 9-14; Rebounds 28; Turnovers 13. Scoring: Cainen Allen 4 5 15, Grant McGuire 0 1 4, James Schiefer 3 3 10, Sam McMillan 6 0 14, Jaron Filliater 4 0 11.