BUCYRUS — In recent weeks, Bucyrus has been looking for a signature win for the season.
On Friday night, the short-handed Redmen made a run at it, but still did not get over the hump.
Bucyrus trailed by just one at halftime and were as close as five points several times before falling to Upper Sandusky, 59-51, in a Northern 10 Athletic Conference game on Phil A. Joseph Court at Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium.
“It doesn’t surprise me because I watched their last three games on film and this is a team that’s gotten a lot better,” Upper Sandusky coach Jeff Winslow said, despite having beaten the Redmen, 86-52, in late December.
The Redmen were able to hang close despite shooting poorly in the early going, as did the Rams. Upper Sandusky took a 10-8 lead after the first quarter and held a slim 23-22 advantage at halftime.
Bucyrus (4-14, 1-11 N10) hit just nine of 29 floor attempts in the first half and Upper Sandusky (11-8, 6-6) was slightly better at 11 of 28. Worse for the Redmen, leading scorer Malachi Bayless — also the leading scorer in the N10 and the highest percentage 3-point shooter in the league — had just six points and was 0-8 from beyond the arc into the third quarter.
“I think (Malachi) was 0-8, 0-9 from 3-point land to start,” Bucyrus coach Brian Hargis said. “Malachi shot bad and Upper shot bad.”
Noah Burke helped keep the Redmen in it. He scored six first-half points and grabbed 10 rebounds, finishing with 17 for the game.
On the Rams’ side, the lifeboat came in the person of Holden Daris, who scored 12 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.
“Their size gives us trouble,” Winslow said. “Holden is comparable in size to them plus he’s got outside-inside ability. If they put a big guy on him, it’s tough to stay with him. Put a small guy on him and he can take him down low.”
Bucyrus’ shooting woes continued into the third quarter, as the Redmen went two for 12 from the field. Bright spots were going seven of eight from the free throw line and Bayless broke through from long range with his first three.
“We got all the shots we wanted,” Hargis said. “I think I’ve said that a few times in our losses. I think the first time I said it, I was happy we got the shots. But now, we’ve got to convert. We’ve got to execute.”
The third quarter lull allowed the Rams to open a lead. It was highlighted at the end of the period when they turned a six-point lead into 10. Kaimen Iles scored as the final 10 seconds were ticking down, then stole the inbounds pass and scored again to give Upper Sandusky a 44-34 after three.
Bucyrus chipped away in the fourth quarter and got to within five on three occasions but could not overcome the 10-point deficit.
“We battled through a tough first half and were pretty solid in the second half,” Winslow said. “You’ve got to give (Bucyrus) some credit for some of the big shots they made to keep it close. We were trying to run away with it and their kids were hitting some threes.”
Bayless ended with two threes and led the Redmen with 20 points. Burke added 13 points to go with his 17 boards, and Georgie Floyd added nine points.
“He had a game earlier in the year with 20 rebounds,” Hargis said of Burke. “He had 17 tonight. He battled on 5,6,7 of the ones he didn’t get. He’s working hard.”
Iles had 14 points to go with Daris’ 24 for the Rams. Brock Montgomery chipped in with 12 points and Daris had 14 rebounds.
“I was worried coming in because I told the kids this team is not the same team we played a month-and-a-half ago,” Winslow said. “Coach Hargis has got them playing pretty well, close games. Our kids are pretty tough, pretty tested in these close games. We found a way to win tonight on a tough shooting night. We guard so well we give ourselves a chance to win when we do that.”
“They fought well and kept us in it. I can’t be mad at the effort,” Hargis said. “We lost by eight and — I don’t know the exact number —I’m gonna say 14 or 15 layups missed. Under duress a little bit, but those are point-blank bunnies. That’s a tough one to swallow tonight.”
“It was a good basketball game,” Winslow said. “One thing I’ve learned — enjoy the win. Not all games are going to be pretty. That wasn’t pretty. But to go on the road, win a game, that’s the goal.”
“They’re a tough team,” Hargis said of the Rams. “They are in sixth place, but they have a winning record, double-digit wins. Coach Winslow just has his team playing hard.”
Upper Sandusky 10 13 21 15 — 59
Bucyrus 8 14 12 17 — 51
Stats
Upper Sandusky (11-8, 6-6 N10): Shots 22-52; 3-pt. shots 3-15 (Holden Daris, Brock Montgomery, Josh Heilman); Free throws 12-18; Rebounds 37 (Holden Daris 14); Turnovers 14. Scoring: Holden Daris 9 5 24, Justin Heilman 0 1 1, Gavin Fry 0 2 2, Brock Montgomery 5 1 12, Josh Heilman 1 1 4, Kaimen Iles 6 2 14, Parker Osborn 1 0 2.
Bucyrus (4-14, 1-11 N10): Shots 18-46; 3-pt. shots 4-16 (Malachi Bayless 2, Georgie Floyd, Demarius Munn-Page); Free throws 11-13; Rebounds 38 (Noah Burke 17); Turnovers 13. Scoring: Georgie Floyd 4 0 9, Demarius Munn-Page 1 2 5, Noah Burke 4 5 13, Dylan Coppler 1 0 2, Jackson Farrar 1 0 2, Malachi Bayless 7 4 20.
JV: Upper Sandusky 29-14 (2 quarters).