CAREY — Most coaches aren’t happy with moral victories. But when one is trying to turn a program around, that kind of effort is a sign of progress.
So, while Bucyrus coach Barry Egan is in no way satisfied with another loss, he is pleased with much of his team’s performance at Carey Saturday night.
After falling behind by 12 points in the first quarter, the Redmen played the Blue Devils virtually even the rest of the way in dropping an 83-69 Northern 10 Athletic Conference decision.
Compared to the lopsided 85-47 score in the teams’ first meeting at Bucyrus in December, it was a giant leap forward.
“We fought back, it was a great effort,” Egan said. “Still, it’s the same thing. We’ve got to make layups; we’ve got to check off and we’ve got to play defense.”
Carey coach Jamie Young was impressed with the difference a month has made in the Redmen.
“They gave us all we could handle tonight,” Young said. “I think we had a 20-point lead and they still battled back. That says a lot about what Coach Egan is doing over there. The kids never quit fighting.”
It looked like the same old same old to start the game as Carey (7-3, 5-3 N10) jumped out to a 20-8 by hitting nine of 20 shots and forcing eight Bucyrus (2-10, 1-8) turnovers with its full-court defensive pressure.
But from there, the Redmen went toe-to-toe with the athletic Blue Devils. Each team scored 22 points in the second quarter to keep Carey’s lead at 42-30 at intermission.
The side story that was developing was the coming out party of Bucyrus freshman Malachi Bayless, who came off the bench to score a game-high 27 points, a Redmen freshman single-game record.
“For Malachi, the fact that he worked so much in practice really paid off for him,” Egan said. “Hopefully, it will rub off on a few others.”
Bucyrus trailed by as many as 20 in the second period before going on a 10-2 run to end the half.
“We got the lead and I think we got content and we just never got out of being content,” Young said. “And then, down the stretch, we just played bad basketball. We turned the ball over — seniors were turning the ball over. We weren’t playing smart basketball.”
To Young’s point, the Blue Devils committed 11 second-half turnovers, 17 for the game.
The Redmen took advantage enough to cut their deficit to eight points several times throughout the third and fourth quarters. The last was at 77-69 when Bayless drilled a 3-point shot with 1:44 remaining. Bayless scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter.
“It’s good for Malachi, but hand it to the other guys for getting him in the right position to score,” Egan said. “In reality we need that from four other guys on the floor at the same time.”
Carey’s balance was the difference in the game. Cade Crawford led the Blue Devils with 22 points and 10 rebounds, Hayden Nash added 12 points and Landen Kemerley finished with 10. But Bryce Conti and Ian Yeater had nine each and Derek Lonsway and Anthony Bell had eight apiece.
“We are one of the most athletic teams in the league,” Young said. “We may not be the best basketball players, but we have some good competitors, and their athleticism is top-notch for our league, so we get away with some things in transition.”
Nick Middleton seconded Bayless’ 27 with 12 points for Bucyrus. Mike Wise had nine points and eight rebounds and Karson Kimmel added eight points.
“I think our bench came in, along with Malachi, and gave us a nice little lift,” Egan said. “I thought Kolton Middleton came in and gave us a lift — he hit a big 3 — and Eddie Dagher came in and made a basket for us.”
“(Bayless) just took advantage of his opportunity and that’s what it’s all about,” Young said. “We talk about opportunities and every game is an opportunity. He took advantage of his.”
“Everybody’s got to be on board for us to be successful,” Egan said. “We’re showing glimpses. We’ve got to get that consistency.
“That’s my job to make sure we’re better prepared and we’re really trying as a staff,” Egan continued. “Our kids are trying too, and the effort shows.”
“We knew what they were going to do tonight but we just didn’t adjust,” Young said. “We got the lead and we got content. Good for them. They took advantage of it.”
Carey also won the junior varsity game, 74-26. Bryce Young led the Blue Devils wit 13 points. Alex Putnam and Jordan Vallejo had 11 each. Blayne Stewart-Barto and Kolton Middleton had eight each to lead Bucyrus.
Box score
Bucyrus 8 22 18 21 — 69
Carey 20 22 17 24 — 83
Bucyrus (2-10, 1-8 N10): Shots 30-54; 3-pt. shots 4-13 (Nick Middleton 2, Kolton Bayless, Malachi Bayless); Free throws 5-5; Rebounds 27 (Mike Wise 8); Turnovers 28. Scoring: Joe Rager 1 0 2, Karson Kimmel 4 0 8, Mike Wise 4 1 9, Grady Jackson 3 0 6, Nick Middleton 5 0 12, Kolton Middleton 1 0 3, Malachi Bayless 11 4 27, Eddie Dagher 1 0 2.
Carey (7-3, 5-3 N10): Shots 32-55; 3-pt. shots 5 (Hayden Nash 2, Bryce Conti, Ashton Hill, Cade Crawford); Free throws 14-16; Rebounds 36 (Cade Crawford 10); Turnovers 17. Scoring: Hayden Nash 5 0 12, Derek Lonsway 2 4 8, Bryce Conti 3 2 9, Anthony Bell 4 0 8, Ashton Hill 1 0 3, Landen Kemerley 5 0 10, Cade Crawford 7 7 22, Ian Yeater 4 1 9, Brayden Young 1 0 2.
JV: Carey 74-26.