Watkins Memorial basketball drops Granville into first-place tie

On Feb 8, 2023

PATASKALA ― The Watkins Memorial boys basketball team breathed a sigh of relief when it reached overtime Tuesday. The Warriors then finished the job.

After visiting Granville missed two free throws and a putback in the final seconds of regulation, Watkins took an immediate lead in overtime and never trailed. When junior Jude Wise’s hustle play helped secure a final rebound, the Warriors milked the final seconds off the clock and celebrated a 40-38 victory amongst a wave of their fellow students, who immediately rushed the floor.

“I knew once we got that second chance, it was game over,” senior Ethan Ryan said. “I have grown up with all of these kids, playing basketball when we younger since third grade against Granville It’s always been tough competition. It feels great. Working competitively with each other and getting the team win is all that matters.”

Watkins (11-9, 6-7) denied Granville (11-9, 9-4) an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the Licking County League-Buckeye Division title. The Blue Aces, who host Zanesville (6-13, 5-8) on Friday, now reach the final game of the season tied with Licking Heights (11-10, 9-4), which visits Watkins.

The Warriors have business of their own to settle. They beat Granville for first time since the 2019-20 season, and they now have a chance to sweep the rival Hornets.

“We wanted to get these guys tonight, but let’s help them out on Friday,” Watkins coach Jamie Caudill said. “Great effort by all. It was kind of crazy we didn’t have one double-digit scorer, but execution on defense was almost exactly what we wanted. They took a lot of time off the clock to limit possessions. Last time we got into a race with them.”

Watkins, which fell 50-30 in the earlier meeting, forced Granville into five consecutive turnovers to start the game, and five quick points from senior Sam Johnson helped shoot the Warriors into leads of 7-0 and 12-4. The Blue Aces, however, worked their way back into the game and outscored the Warriors 10-4 in the third quarter to take a 26-24 lead to the fourth.

Senior Dylan Niedermeyer scored inside off an assist from junior Jase Becker to give the Blue Aces a 30-28 lead with 2:32 left in regulation. They however, did not score again until they trailed 35-30 in overtime after they were unable to convert on multiple opportunities in the final seconds of regulation.

“We’ve played some good teams on the road, and that’s tough,” said Granville coach Chris Powell, whose team has lost three consecutive game after a seven-game winning streak. The Blue Aces still can secure back-to-back championships with a home win Friday.

“It was a hostile environment,” Powell added. “They packed the gym tonight. It was loud.”

That crowd got louder after a Watkins trap forced an errant pass to Ryan on the first possession of overtime. Ryan scored in transition and hit the following free throw for a 3-point play.

“I will give that to my team,” Ryan said. “They put very high pressure on the ball, and I just happened to rotate to the ball. When I got the ball, I looked ahead, and I went and took it and finished. It’s just teamwork and passion.”

Watkins’ defense never budged. Junior Chase Massie later blocked a shot at the rim, and Wise took a charge that wiped out a potential tying 3-point play opportunity.

“Everybody’s feeling the squeeze,” Caudill said. “They just didn’t get to the rim as much as they have in the past, and that really fed into what we were trying to do.”

After Becker’s layup cut Watkins’ lead to 38-37, Johnson hit two pressure foul shots. The Warriors elected to intentionally foul Becker with six seconds left, and he hit both free throws before Ryan hit his first at the other end and Wise batted the rebound on the missed second to junior Cole Massie.

Becker led the Blue Aces with 15 points, and junior Colt Shaw added nine. Sophomores Carson Murphy, who scored four points, and Dylan Layne came off the bench early in each half and made hustle plays at both ends to spark their team.

“You have some guys that want to play and want to play now,” Powell said. “They have an opportunity, and they are doing a really good job. It’s tough to throw them into the fire at the end of the season when you are fighting for a league championship. The deck is stacked against those young guys, but they are handling it really well.”

Cole Massie scored nine points to lead seven Watkins scorers with Ryan adding eight and Johnson seven. Junior Lamar Glenn came of the bench to score twice in the second quarter, and he assisted freshman Ray Hardiman on a basket in the fourth.

The Warriors with a win Friday can clinch the program’s third winning season in four after going three decades without one. Bragging rights also continue to be on the line.