BUCYRUS — In this installment in the long-standing rivalry between Wynford and Bucyrus, the Royals held the trump card.
Wynford’s Josh Crall, who came in averaging 23 points per game, dropped 25 on the Redmen as the Royals pulled away to a 65-41 Northern 10 Athletic Conference win at Alex Kish Memorial Gymnasium.
Wynford coach Steve Mohr expected Crall’s performance, but the veteran mentor thought it was a team effort.
“We had a lot of other guys scoring tonight,” Mohr said. “We’re starting to develop that we are not so Josh Crall oriented. He’s going to score, and he’s got to score for us. But if we can get other guys stepping up and hitting shots, I think that’s going to be crucial for us down the road.”
Nine players scored in all for Wynford (3-1, 2-0 N10), but Crall led the way, as usual, especially in the first quarter when he scored eight of the Royals’ 14 points.
Bucyrus (0-4, 0-2) was able to match Wynford shot for shot in the first eight minutes, even going out to an early 12-6 midway through the quarter on a basket by Mike Wise. The score was tied 14-14 by period’s end.
Wise started a little slow offensively but finished with a team-high 19 points and looked more comfortable as the game progressed.
“Michael is one of those guys who is trying to buy into what we are trying to sell,” Bucyrus coach Barry Egan said. “He is always giving a great effort and to see him turn the corner, we kind of expect that of Mike. That’s his role and it is a new role for him. Hopefully, this is the start of something good for Mike to take on the rest of the year.”
But only six Bucyrus players were able to dent the scoreboard for the Redmen and that was critical. Particularly in the middle two quarters, Wynford’s defense allowed the Royals to create separation from the early close game.
“We take a lot of pride in our defense this year,” Mohr said. “We say our offense starts with our defense. We held them to six points in the second quarter and in the third quarter, they throw in a 3-pointer at the end of the quarter to score seven. So, over those two quarters, we were pretty good defensively.”
In those same quarters, Wynford was able to score 18 and 14 points, respectively, increasing the Royals’ lead to 32-20 at halftime and 46-27 after three.
“Our ability to get back and match in transition was exceptionally poor during a four-minute stretch,” Egan said. “If you let them set their feet, they’re going to make shots, and they’ve shown that all year. I was disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get back and match.”
The other key factor was Wynford’s decided advantage on the boards. The Royals outrebounded the Redmen 39-22, including 18 offensive boards. Crall grabbed 10 and Dustin Brady had nine.
“Dustin struggled a little bit shooting but he got to the offensive glass and was able to score off the offensive glass,” Mohr said. “I think that was a real key.”
Nick Middleton pulled down six rebounds for Bucyrus, but the Royals’ size and length took its toll.
“We do have some size mismatches, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that we should be in the right defensive position,” Egan said. “We’ve just got to try to find a way. You’ve got to put your body on them. I don’t even care if you foul at this point. It’s better than giving up a basket. We’re giving away too many easy baskets.”
Middleton seconded Wise’s 19 points with nine for Bucyrus. Brady had 10 in support of Crall’s 25 for Wynford.
“What I liked about the game was sustaining momentum and taking a six-point lead to a 12-point lead and a 12-point lead to a 20-point lead,” Mohr said. “And we played a lot of kids there in that fourth quarter.”
“We can control our attitude and we can control our effort,” Egan said. “Some guys are just better, and we get that. But attitude and effort make up for a lot of misgivings.”
Bucyrus gained a split on the night by taking the junior varsity game, 52-41. Karson Kimmel had 11 points for the Redmen, and Brady Rankins added nine.
Trent Greene had a game-high 21 points in the losing cause for Wynford.
Box score
Wynford 14 18 14 19 — 65
Bucyrus 14 6 7 14 — 41
Wynford (3-1, 2-0 N10): Shots 26-55; 3-pt. shots 4-11 (James Schiefer 2, Matt McBride, Josh Crall); Free throws 9-14; Rebounds 39 (Josh Crall 10); Turnovers 16. Scoring: Matt McBride 1 0 3, Gunnar Coffman 1 0 2, Jordan Robinette 1 0 2, Isaac Sterrett 3 0 6, Dustin Brady 3 4 10, Josh Crall 11 2 25, James Schiefer 2 0 6, Jaron Filliater 2 0 4, Gavin Leffler 2 3 7.
Bucyrus (0-4, 0-2 N10): Shots 15-43; 3-pt. shots 4-14 (Mike Wise, Grady Jackson, Nick Middleton, Gabe Higginbotham); Free throws 7-9; Rebounds 22 (Mike Wise 6); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Joe Rager 1 1 3, Mike Wise 8 2 19, Grady Jackson 1 1 5, Nick Middleton 2 4 9, Skylar Lucio 1 0 2, Gabe Higginbotham 1 0 3.
JV: Bucyrus 52-41.