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Bishops Defeat the Wildcats, 81-67

By Staff | Jan 13, 2016

McMECHEN – Despite pouring in 14 three-point field goals Tuesday night, the Paden City boys’ basketball team was unable to defeat Bishop Donahue. The Wildcats lost, 81-67, making their record, 4-3.

Paden City set the game’s pace early by scoring five three-pointers in the first quarter. Both teams put up a 2-3 zone defense against their opponents, trying to limit access to the inside. Aaron Heasley helped the Wildcats pull into a 27-23 lead with a barrage of baskets from the three-point arc. By the time the game was done, he had 22 points, including five 3-pointers.

Paden City continued to hold on to its lead into the half with the help of Hayden Hizer’s no-look passes to an open Zach Yeater, Deven Price, Heasley and Logan Carroll. Hizer and Yeater, finished the game with 14 points.

But as the game clock ticked down to the half, the Wildcats seemed to struggle to contain Bishop Donahue’s Taylor Straughn and Koltin Kleeh. The duo seemed to weave their way through the Aden City’s zone at will. At the half, Aden City still held the lead, 44-38, but the game was closer than the score suggested.

In the third quarter, Bishop Donahue started closing the gap. With 4 minutes left, Taylor Straughn scored a basket to close the gap to one point. Straughn went on to score 41 of the Bishops’ points. Bishop Donahue’s Zachary McCoy rebounded an errant Straughn shot to tie the game with a little over two minutes left in the third. By the end of the third, Bishop Donahue was ahead, 56-54.

Aden City attempted to mount a comeback after scoring 10 points in the third quarter, but the shots didn’t fall in the Wildcats’ favor. But the Bishops’ shots made their mark. Straughn opened with quarter with a basket, shortly followed a three-pointer. With a little less than five minutes left, the gap had widened to nine points in the Bishops’ favor.

The Bishops also tightened their pressure on the perimeter, forcing the Wildcats to go inside or throwing the ball. Aden City was limited to 13 points in the fourth.

For Bishop Donahue, Kleeh contributed 26 points.

Paden City Coach Fred King praised Bishop Donahue’s team, but had higher marks for his players.

“They’ve got a very good basketball team, but I’m going to tell you something,” he said. “With all of that, our kids played very well. They went to their two students and we had to back off a little and not get into foul trouble. The five guys I put on the floor tonight, I’m very happy with.”

King also praise his center Luke Cooper, who is out with a separated shoulder but still came to the game.

“He was there encouraging our kids talking them,” he said of the 6 foot 4 inch tall senior. “It was like having a second assistant.

“The kids on the court … every single one of them did something very well more than once,” King continued. “Hayden Hizer probably played the best game of his life. Deven Price played very well. … Logan Carroll had a wonderful game. He runs our defense because he’s the last man standing. He had one heck of a game.

“Zach Yeater had one heck of a game, taking lots of good shots and making them,” he said. “For Heasley, it was lights out. Aaron made a lot of good desicions, a lot of good shots. I can’t say nothing bad about our team. “

While King noted the mistakes and some turnover, he was still proud of the way his team played.

“Yeah, we didn’t win but we became a better basketball team,” he said. “I told the kids to take this game and put it in a can and put in on a shelf. Later in the year, when we get Coop back, and we can remember how well we played without him. Just think of how good we’ll be when we get him back.

“I think tonight, we went to the next level with our team,” King said.

King also noted that the extra time on the court and playing new positions will add versatility to the Wildcats playbook.

“The kids are logging in more time on the court in different positions,” he said. “We’ll be able to move some things around down the road.”

Bishop Donahue 81, Paden City 67

P – Hayden Hizer 5 1-2 14; Price 3 1-2 8; Zach Yeater 4 2-2 14; Aaron Heasley 8 1-1 22; Carroll 4 0-0 9. Totals 24 5-7 67.

B – Robinson 0 0-0 0; Koltin Kleeh 10 2-2 26; Berletch 0 0-0 0; Miller 0 0-0 0; Taylor Straughn 14 9-11 41; Rush 0 0-0 0; Hull 2 2-2 7; Robbins 1 0-0 2; McCoy 2 1-2 5; Whitelatch 0 0-0 0. Totals: 29 14-17.

3-Point Goals: Hizer 3, Price, Yeater 4, Heasley 5, Carroll; Kleeh 4, Straughn 4, Hull.

Paden City 27 17 10 13 – 67

Bishop Donahue 23 15 18 25 – 81