PLYMOUTH — So close and yet so far.
The Bucyrus Redmen are at the halfway point of the season and still seeking their first win.
At Plymouth on Wednesday, they let an opportunity slip from their grasp.
The Redmen took a five-point lead to the locker room at halftime and still had a lead late in the game. But they could not sustain it.
The Big Red got back in the game in the third quarter, then weathered two ties and five lead changes in the second half to come away with a 41-38 non-league victory.
“We found a way to win, which was a positive,” Plymouth coach Eric Pickelsimer said. “Looking back, I think we shot somewhere around 35 percent from the line. I don’t know if we were 20 percent in the fourth. I can count at least four layups we missed in the fourth. We’ve got to clean some of that up, obviously. But if we come away with a win, we’ll take it any way we can get it.”
Pickelsimer was close on his assessment of his team’s free throws — 36 percent for the game and 26 percent, four of 15, in the fourth quarter. But Bucyrus (0-10) could not take full advantage.
After taking a 26-21 lead at halftime on the strength of a 15-point second quarter, the Redmen totaled only 12 points the entire second half. Once cause was 15 of 51 shooting from the field — including four of 19 from 3-point range — and were three of eight from the line in the critical fourth quarter.
“I was proud of our defensive effort,” Bucyrus coach Brian Hargis said. “But it’s still four out of five on certain possessions, wanting to sit down and guard. The fifth guy is oleing and it comes down to free throws and layups.”
Plymouth (5-5) grabbed the momentum to start the second half, scoring the first four points of the third quarter. The Redmen didn’t score until Da’Shawn Cosey hit a stick back at the 4:30 mark.
“We didn’t score the first three minutes of the (second) half,” Hargis said. “Coach (Nate) Smith preaches 3-minute increments. We fail to win most of those 3-minute increments and they’re huge swings.”
The Big Red held a slim 33-32 advantage after three and never led by more than the final 3-point margin.
Bucyrus had its final lead at 38-37 on a pair of free throws by Demaris Munn-Page with 2:37 remaining. However, the Redmen went into another scoring drought to finish the game, missing four free throws and three shots from the field.
Plymouth did just enough to eke out the win. The hosts took back the lead on a basket by Eli Keefe with 1:30 left, then a pair of free throws by Jackson Bays set the final score with 48 ticks left.
“We went into a little trapping there in the third and then in the fourth got some turnovers and were able to sustain it,” Pickelsimer said.
Seven of the Redmen’s 15 turnovers came in the final eight minutes.
Jarrett Burrer had a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Big Red.
“They missed 16 free throws. You should beat a team if they miss 16 free throws,” Hargis said. “We played not to lose. That was the message coming out at halftime — play free, just play free. When you’ve got a younger team without a bunch of experience, these things happen.”
Georgie Floyd topped Bucyrus with 16 points, with 10 coming in the second quarter. Demaris Munn-Page added 12. Dylan Coppler grabbed 11 rebounds.
“He’s quick. We kept trying to push him to his left,” Pickelsimer said of Floyd. “He kept getting back to his right. We made a change and got one of our better defenders to push him to his left and made him work a little harder.”
“We haven’t been in any close games, and it showed tonight,” Hargis said. “It comes down to the easy stuff. It’s the same story, different game.”
Plymouth also won the junior varsity game, 43-39 in overtime. Jacob Tackett had 12 points for the Big Red and Jeric Page added nine.
Da’Shawn Cosey led Bucyrus with 12 points and Ivan Pirnstill finished with eight.
Box score
Bucyrus 11 15 6 6 — 38
Plymouth 10 11 12 8 — 41
Stats
Bucyrus (0-10): Shots 15-51; 3-pt. shots 4-19 (Georgie Floyd 4); Free throws 4-10; Rebounds 37 (Dylan Coppler 11); Turnovers 15. Scoring: Demarius Munn-Page 4 4 12, Georgie Floyd 6 0 16, Dylan Coppler 3 0 6, Carson Witten 1 0 2, DeShawn Cosey 1 0 2.
Plymouth (5-5): Shots 16-40; 3-pt. shots 0-9; Free throws 9-25; Rebounds 34 (Jarrett Burrer 10); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Jarrett Burrer 6 6 18, Jackson Bays 0 2 2, Lex Grose 2 1 5, Eli Keefe 3 0 6, Cainan Sundstrom 2 0 4, Colton Kilgore 3 0 6.
JV: Plymouth 43-39 (OT).