HOLMES TOWNSHIP — Hopewell-Loudon displayed its size and athleticism in abundance. Wynford showed resilience, but in the end the visiting Chieftains secured a 63-54 non-league win here Tuesday night.
Royals head coach Mike Smith acknowledged the difference.
“Their physicality really hurt us. Almost every kid on their team plays football, I think. Their two big guys play football. We’ve been in the weight room, and it may not look it, but we have gotten stronger,” Smith said. “That’s the first team we’ve played that has out-physicalled us.”
The Royals (1-1) had a balanced attack, with sophomore Wes Prenger scoring 19 points and juniors Grant McGuire and Sam McMillan adding 13 and 11, respectively.
“We had 4 in double figures the other night. If you can get 3 or 4, that’s good. I think we are capable of getting 5. A lot of our guys are capable of scoring,” Smith said. “We were a little sluggish in our movement tonight.”
The visitors took a 16-7 lead after one quarter with juniors Carter Yarbrough and Evan Kreais getting 6 apiece. The lead swelled to 34-20 at halftime.
“I thought we battled our rear ends off in the second half. That second quarter (they were outscored 18-10) is what killed us. We got it down to 5 in the second half. We hit a three. We lose a guy, and they go down and drain a 3 and that was the game. Then we had to foul at the end.”
The Chieftains (2-0) were paced by Kreais with a game-high 20 and Yarbrough added 15 and sophomore Braylon Martinez had a dozen.
Foul shooting — particularly down the stretch — hurt the Royals. Overall Wynford was 5-of-15 from the charity stripe, and just 2-of-9 in the fourth quarter.
“Our foul shooting — struggled the other night against Monroeville,” Smith said. “It’s just something we told the kids you gotta just step up. There’s no one guarding you.”
Hopewell-Loudon also hit 8-of-13 3-point attempts and got a lot of loose ball rebounds taking advantage of the 6-foot-4 Kreais and 6-foot-5 junior Donovan Elmore. The pair combined for 9 rebounds.
McMillan collared 5 boards for Wynford.
Wynford’s lone senior starter is 6-foot guard Cainen Allen.
“I thought he had a little trouble tonight with their physicality. He had 17 the other night. He didn’t shoot the ball a whole lot tonight,” Smith said.
Allen finished with 7 points and 3 assists.
“Wes is a sophomore, but that’s what we expect. Last year in the tournament I put him in, and he had 5 threes. I didn’t think he was ready last year physically. I think it’s benefitted him to have a year of jayvee and you’re seeing the results.”
Smith said H-L might be one of the top two defensive teams Wynford will face this season.
Head coach Roger Jury saw a lot from both squads.
“We are athletic and have a really good mix of guards and a couple strong kids. The length allows us to play a little better. I got three kids that can handle the ball. Tonight (Blake) Berrier played point guard.”
Sharing the ball and ball movement are hallmarks for Hopewell-Loudon, Jury said.
“We pride ourselves in that; assists, making extra passes. Kreais and Elmore are both huge factors in a game. Evan has played since he was a freshman and Donovan played as a freshman as well. They’re both continuing to improve.
“I thought tonight was one of Donovan’s most active nights, especially early. I just told him in the locker room that he actually wanted to go and get a couple rebounds 4-5 feet away from the basket.”
Jury, a veteran coach who has been at Marion Harding and Cardington, praised the efforts of Wynford.
“They’re improved. Last year it was an ugly game. I saw them against Monroeville, and we were nervous and scared. Coach Smith, he has done a great job with those guys. They’re going to be really good and surprise people.”
Despite the loss, Smith sees growth in his team.
“I think we’ve made a heck of a lot of progress. I think people in the stands should see that. Coming from last year where we won 5 games. These kids have worked hard this summer. We tell them, one game doesn’t define your season.”
The Royals host Upper Sandusky on Saturday.
“We want to be 1-0 to start the league. They lost a couple kids who played last year. But you know what you’re going to get from them. They’re going to defend you.
“We got a lot of opportunity ahead of us; 20 more games, tournament games. I think we’re going to be a really good team by the end of the year and can make some noise in Division III,” Smith said.
Wynford won the junior varsity contest, 61-53. K.J. Kotalik had 17 points and Anthony Evans 15 for the Royals. Wade Kreais scored 16 for H-L.
Box score
Hopewell-Loudon 16 18 13 16 — 63
Wynford 10 10 16 18 — 54
Hopewell-Loudon (2-0): Shots 22-38; 3-pt shots 8-13 (Braylon Martinez 4, Carter Yarbrough 2, Tyler Agaba, Evan Kreais); Free throws 11-15; Rebounds 19 (Kreais 6); Turnovers 12. Scoring: Blake Berrier 0 5 5, Tyler Agaba 1 0 3, Carter Yarbrough 5 3 15, Donovan Elmore 3 0 6, Braylon Martinez 4 0 12, Evan Kreais 8 3 20, Will Nutter 1 0 2.
Wynford (1-1): Shots 21-37; 3-pt. shots 6-9 (Wes Prenger 4, Cainen Allen, Grant McGuire); Free throws 5-15; Rebounds 18 (Sam McMillan 5); Turnovers 14. Scoring: Ashton Warren 1 1 3, Wes Prenger 7 1 19, Cainen Allen 3 0 7, Grant McGuire 6 0 13, Sam McMillan 4 3 11.
JV: Wynford 61-53.