Zanesville keeps rolling, routs Lakewood

On Feb 1, 2023

ZANESVILLE — Cedric Harris challenged his Zanesville squad on Tuesday.

Zanesville's Mikey Johnson goes up for a shot over Lakewood's Stephen Slocum in Tuesday's game. The Blue Devils won 73-50.

The Blue Devils responded with a 21-8 first quarter and were never threatened in a 73-50 victory over Lakewood in Licking County League action at Winland Memorial Gymnasium.

The Lancers were coming off a win over Newark Catholic last Friday, but Zanesville made it five straight victories, improving to 6-11 with Licking Heights visiting on Friday.

“I told our guys we didn’t want to give them any hope,” Harris said. “Our focus has been there, and you can tell these guys are sensing greatness. The trust is growing, and these guys are having fun.”

Rebounding was critical in the first stanza. Maddox Hayes had six of his 10 points in the opening eight minutes, as all three baskets came off offensive rebounds. Mikey Johnson chipped in five of his team-high 16 points, while Xavier Riley and Rashaud Hampton had four points apiece in the quarter.

Zanesville owned a 9-3 edge on the boards through one and 14-8 at the half. Lakewood coach Dan Shackleford noted the glass allowed the Blue Devils to take control quickly.

“They crashed the boards and took advantage of their second-chance opportunities,” he said. “Our group has been able to bounce back. They’re resilient, and we have to continue to compete and get better.”

The Blue Devils scored 10 of the game’s first 13 points. Hayes opened the scoring with a putback, while Riley followed with a 3 then split a pair of free throws after Lakewood’s Colton Ferry made a 3.

Johnson followed with a short jumper, and a steal led to a Hampton runout for a 10-3 advantage.

Another Ferry hoop for the Lancers cut the deficit to five, but they were scoreless on their next five possessions.

It allowed Zanesville to open the game up for good. Drew Doyle drove the lane for a layup then a Hayes block turned into another Hampton hoop, while Hayes had putbacks on the next two Zanesville possessions for an 18-5 cushion.

Johnson’s first of four 3s put Zanesville up 13 after one quarter, while Doyle scored six of his eight points in the second quarter. He, along with Johnson and Drake Renick, hit 3s to help the Blue Devils build a 37-22 halftime advantage.

They led by as many as 21 in the second quarter, as it came after Doyle and Johnson made their triples for a 34-13 lead.

All 10 Blue Devils who played scored. Hampton finished with 11 points and Riley added nine for Zanesville, which made 30 of 50 field goals and 9 of 14 behind the arc.

The Blue Devils also held a 25-14 edge on the boards and forced 10 turnovers, while committing only four.

Confidence continues to grow for Zanesville, especially after Harris invited a former Blue Devil, Sol Curtis, to speak to the team a few weeks ago. His message was about the team’s motto of T.R.U.E, which stands for Trust, Respect, Understand, Enjoy.

All four of those elements have been on display in the past month for a Zanesville squad which lost 11 of its first 12 games. Seven of those losses were by five points or less and another was 10 to Maysville.