Newark hands Jeff Quackenbush 400th win with triumph at Mount Vernon
MOUNT VERNON — Steele Meister’s shots from the paint had not been falling, so the Newark boys basketball team’s bruising junior stepped a few feet farther from the basket.
Meister’s shot from just inside of mid-court to beat the first-quarter buzzer certainly was a highlight Saturday. When the Wildcats needed it, however, Meister was back in trenches, scoring twice through contact in the fourth quarter to help lift Newark to a 52-45 victory at Mount Vernon, the 400th in the outstanding career of coach Jeff Quackenbush.
“It’s just coach’s confidence in me. Moving onto the next play is the big focus, and I try to keep that mentality and not let it get to me,” said Meister, who made just 3 of 11 shots in Friday’s victory against Groveport and had just two baskets through three quarters on Saturday.
“If I have good energy, it is going to spread to everyone,” Meister added. “If my shot’s not falling, maybe someone else’s will.”
Newark (9-3) never trailed during the second half, but the Wildcats never could quite shake Mount Vernon (5-7) until junior Ethan Stare and senior Drew Oberholtzer each hit a pair of foul shots during the final minute.
Newark took a one-point lead to the fourth quarter Friday before pulling away for a 15-point victory. The Wildcats led just 40-38 early in the fourth Saturday when Meister powered a layup from the left block through contact, and his 3-point play from the left block with a smaller defender behind him gave the Wildcats a 45-40 lead with about two minutes left.
“It’s a lot harder for him to score on the block than it was a year ago because people didn’t know who he was,” Quackenbush said. “Now that they do, there are double teams coming pretty quick. He’s learning every day how to catch and score in there. … The way they let you guard the post, it’s hard to score around the basket.”
Meister’s 11 points gave him his eighth double-digit scoring game, including five in the last six. His scoring is down from 12 per game during last season’s breakout sophomore campaign to 10 this season, but the attention he draws has led to more scoring on the perimeter for senior Grant Burkholder, Stare and sophomore sharpshooter Braylon Morris.
“The biggest thing is when they are so focused on me, it gives an opportunity for the other guys to get shots off, and when my time comes, I have to work on counter moves because my go-to move isn’t there anymore because they have scouted it,” Meister said. “It brings the attention to me and Burk, and other guys are able to score. It gives other guys a chance to succeed.”
Burkholder’s 18 points and four assists led the way for Newark, and he went shot-for-shot with Hudson Rohler, who totaled a game-high 19 points. Rohler missed last season because of injury when the Wildcats twice beat the Yellow Jackets by healthy margins.
Newark shot 52% from the field to Mount Vernon’s 44%, and each team committed just five turnovers. Meister grabbed eight rebounds, a night after totaling 16.
“Recently, my shots haven’t been falling, so I have just been looking for another way to impact the team and help the guys the best way I can,” Meister said. “‘How much does it mean to you?’ is what coach always says. I take that personally.”
Newark was forced to grind out two victories to begin a busy month of January. The Wildcats host once-beaten Pickerington North on Tuesday in a game that carries implications for Division I seeding next month.
Quackenbush joked after Saturday’s game his focus is just on getting his 401st win. The Wildcats were not looking for style points this weekend.
“This is how games are in January and February, and we have to get used to playing in games like that,” Quackenbush said. “I don’t think we had a turnover the entire fourth quarter, and we had the lead whether it was one possession or two possessions.”
740-973-4541
Twitter: @newark_sports
Read More: Newark hands Jeff Quackenbush 400th win with triumph at Mount Vernon