Maysville stymies John Glenn to close in on MVL crown
NEWTON TOWNSHIP — Maysville is known for its offensive outbursts.
Yet, its defense shined through on Friday night.
The Panthers held visiting John Glenn to 5-of-23 shooting in the second half to pull away for a 53-33 victory in a Muskingum Valley League-Big School Division contest.
The win, along with Tri-Valley's loss at Sheridan, guaranteed Maysville (18-1, 13-1 MVL-Big) a share of the division crown for the first time in 27 years. The Panthers, also bidding for the top seed in Sunday's Division II East District tournament draw, can the Big School outright on Tuesday at Crooksville.
"Our defense is what gets us going, and we defended much better in the second half," Maysville coach Dave Brown said. "It helped our offense out. We were able to hit some shots to pull away. Now, we'll look to wrap up the league on Tuesday."
A competitive first half ended when Hayden Jarrett found Cole Roberts for a corner 3 before the horn to put the Panthers ahead, 24-19, at the break.
Their advantage grew to 35-25 midway through the third on an 11-4 stretch, which included four points from Jarrett and a 3 by Alex Bobb.
John Glenn (11-9, 9-5) chipped away. Bexlee Woodard hit a 3 late in the third to get the Muskies within 35-28 going to the fourth, while Nathan Walker scored on the opening possession to trim the deficit to five.
But, seven straight empty possessions by John Glenn allowed Maysville to put the game out of reach. Bobb and Jarrett scored on back-to-back possessions then Wesley Armstead knocked down a corner 3 and a Bobb steal turned into a layup and a 44-30 advantage midway through the fourth.
John Glenn coach Eric Sheck was pleased with his team's effort, but also credited Maysville for having an answer each time his Muskies got close.
"I thought the game was closer than the final score. Our guys came out and played hard, and I thought they had a strong performance," Sheck said. "Maysville seemed to go on a lot of 6-0, 7-0 runs. It felt like every time we got close, they hit some shots and made some plays."
Maysville forced four turnovers in the fourth quarter and held a 13-10 edge on the boards in the second half.
Bobb collected 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including 10 points in the fourth, while Jarrett scored 11 of his 20 in the final 16 minutes.
Cole Roberts added six points on a pair of 3s for the Panthers, who made 19 of 45 from the field, 11 of 20 in the second half, and 7 of 20 behind the arc. They also had just 10 turnovers.
Jarrett, who is nine points away from passing Lew Sidwell's all-time scoring mark for the boys program, noted an improved defensive effort propelled the Panthers to victory.
"If we're not playing great defense, our offense suffers," Jarrett said. "Coach Brown always says the first three minutes of each half is crucial. We picked up our defensive intensity in the second half. That helped our offense to get going."
Walker led the Muskies with 16 points, as only four players scored in the loss. Kaiden Walls added seven points and Woodard and Caleb Larrick added five points each.
John Glenn only made 12 of 43 from the field and committed 13 turnovers in the loss.
Maysville reserves won, 72-65, as Gator Nichols had 19 points and Jordyn Watson 16. Landon Iden had 15 points as the Maysville freshman won 44-43 in overtime. Brayden Davis had 20 to pace the John Glenn JV, while Cooper Briggs scored 15 for the John Glenn freshman.
bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Maysville stymies John Glenn to close in on MVL crown
