Ultra-aggressive Newark blitzes long-time rival Lancaster, 69-40

On Jan 17, 2023

Newark's Steele Meister (3) goes in for a lay up knocking over a Lancaster defender in varsity boys basketball action on Jan. 13, 2023 at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Ohio.

LANCASTER – The Newark-Lancaster boys basketball rivalry is restored.

A year ago, the Golden Gales snapped a 27-game losing streak by beating the Wildcats for the first time since 2006, and in the process, Lancaster denied Newark a share of the Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division title, which made the loss even more disheartening for the Wildcats.

On Friday, the visiting Wildcats gained some revenge, and it started from the opening tip. It was obvious the Wildcats were playing with a purpose and had plenty of motivation after losing last season. They were aggressive and made things hard for the Gales at both ends of the court.

Newark jumped out to a 17-3 in the first five minutes of the game and had a big lead at halftime. Once the Gales settled in, they were able to make a run in the second half and finished the third quarter on a 16-4 run after trailing by 23 points.

Lancaster cut the deficit to single digits in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, and then had a chance to cut the margin to seven, but an inside shot rolled in and out. From there, Newark dominated the rest of the way to come away with a 69-40 victory.

Lancaster's Tyler Carpenter (30) tries to get around a Newark defender in varsity boys basketball action on Jan. 13, 2023 at Lancaster High School in Lancaster, Ohio.

It was obvious by the way the Wildcats (10-4) carried themselves before and during the game, they were motivated, and it started with Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush.

“Absolutely, them beating us last year was a motivating factor for us tonight,” Quackenbush said. “The Lancaster-Newark rivalry for a guy like me that played in the 90s, that was the biggest game every year and that fell off a little bit, but I think (Lancaster coach Kent) Riggs has brought it back. For us, as Newark coaches, who played, this was always a big game.

“It was tough last year losing the league title here, so our kids and coaches were excited to get back here and play. I thought our kids played with a ton of energy and emotion, and this time of year, that’s how you win games.”

Leading the way for the Wildcats in the first quarter was senior guard Grant Burkholder, who was ultra-aggressive on both ends of the court. He scored nine points in the first quarter and finished with 18 points, including four 3-pointers, three assists and five steals.

“We had a lot of aggression because of what happened last year, and played with a lot of passion,” Burkholder said. “We were ready to go from the jump. We played mad. From the start to the end, we played hard, and we played together. Last year really hurt and we didn’t want to have that same feeling. My only thought was to come out and pressure the ball as much as I could, and cause problems and I think I did that. There is no doubt the rivalry got restored after what happened last year.”

Burkholder had plenty of help from his teammates. Ethan Stare finished with a team-high 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting, and he had five rebounds and two assists. Steele Meister finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists and Drew Olberholtzer added eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

“Newark plays hard every game, and we knew they would have a little extra from last year, which was a good win for us,” Riggs said. “It’s good to see Newark and Lancaster battling again. We had it down to nine and had a little shot in the lane, which could have cut it down to seven, spin out, and that’s when we went the other way after that. Give them credit, they are well-coached, they move the ball well, and defensively, they play as hard as anybody we will see.

“It’s hard to get down early against a team like that who is not going to turn the ball over very much. We told our kids that every pass and every dribble is going to be contested so you have to be strong with the ball. When you don’t shoot it well and turn it over, that’s not a good combination.”

Newark led 21-8 at the end of the first quarter and pushed its lead to 26-8 early in the second before the Gales responded with a 9-2 run. Burkholder and Meister missed a big portion of the second quarter with two fouls each, but the Wildcats were able to withstand Lancaster’s run and led 37-18 at halftime.

Newark began the third quarter with four quick points by forcing back-to-back turnovers as the Wildcats; lead ballooned to 41-18, but the Gales had one last run in them to make things interesting.