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Minster's James Niemeyer takes a shot over Botkins forward Jordan Herzog at Wildcat Gymnasium on Tuesday.
MINSTER - As the fourth quarter opened and Minster held an eight-point lead over Botkins, Wildcats coach Michael McClurg had reasons to be apprehensive. Late lead have had the tendency to evaporate in the past few weeks and eventually morph into a loss.
When the final seconds slipped from the clock, though, McClurg and the Wildcats exhaled a sigh of relief, as they hit 8-of-11 3-pointers on the night and dominated the fourth quarter to pick up an impressive 70-56 win in Tuesday night non-conference boys basketball action.
"Botkins is a top-25 team and we played them well tonight. We shot well obviously, but I also feel that we shared the ball very well," said coach McClurg. "One thing that we talked about was how we played together and we did that well tonight, especially in transition."
The first quarter wasn't one with which coach McClurg was all that impressed, as the high-paced period was highlighted with five lead changes before ending with the scoreboard knotted at 16 points apiece. Botkins grabbed the lead again at the onset of the second quarter, but a three-ball from junior Kole Richard gave Minster the lead back at 19-18, and from there, the Wildcats never looked back.
An explosive stint midway through the second, starting with a Connor Schmiesing 3-pointer followed by a bunny from Ian Homan and a driving layup by Kole Richard, gave Minster a 28-20 command, which it turned into a 35-26 advantage at the halftime break.
"I thought the first quarter was a bit of a struggle, but after that I feel us getting big stops is what helped us the rest of the game," coach McClurg said. "We knew coming in that their three guards all shot about 50% from beyond the arc, so as the game moved on, we knew we couldn't let them get hot."
Minster's Brogan Stephey shoots over Botkins' Collin Doseck.
The Wildcats maintained their cushion through the third quarter, thanks in part to an explosive eight minutes from Brogan Stephey. The junior, who led all scorers on the night with 21 points, scorched the Trojans for nine points in the third to give Minster a 49-41 lead heading into the final quarter.
A pair of 3-pointers from sophomore Cole McClurg to start the last stanza gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the night, and from there they rolled to the 14-point triumph, logging their most productive offensive night of the season.
"We went back and watched the tape of our St. Henry game, and we talked about needing to get good shots and not turn the ball over, and we did a good job with that tonight," coach McClurg concluded.
Stephey was joined in double digits by Richard with 14 and Cole McClurg with 12. McClurg added a team-high six rebounds, along with five from Cole Albers.
Minster is back in action Friday night at home against MAC co-leader Versailles as the Wildcats look for their first conference win of the season.
Minster's Connor Schmiesing defends as Botkins' Jordan Herzog tries to drive at Wildcat Gymnasium on Tuesday.
