Hilliard Bradley boys bury Newark under avalanche of 3-pointers

On Feb 12, 2023

HILLIARD ― By now, most everyone in the Central District knows about Cade Norris.

Hilliard Bradley’s 6-foot-5 junior guard, already a 1,000-point scorer, was true to form Saturday against visiting Newark, riding a 13-point third-quarter explosion to a 22-point game. But it was his lesser-known teammates who delivered the crushing blow to the Wildcats. The Jaguars drilled 11-of-19 3s for 57 percent and Norris made only two of them as they pulled away late to a 60-47 victory.

“They had guys making shots who normally don’t make them,” Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush said after Andrew Lamb made 4-of-7 3s and scored 14 points, while Ian Abrass hit both of his attempts and finished with 10. With the Wildcats doubling and even tripling Norris at times, he assisted on four of the 3s and did most of his damage at the line, canning 10-of-13 free throws and making just five field goals.

“We wanted to make him give the ball up, and I think we did a pretty job of it,” said Newark senior Grant Burkholder. “The difference was their role guys.”

Lost in the setback was a stellar 25-point performance by Burkholder, who hit shots from every angle imaginable, including 6-of-9 3s. Steele Meister muscled in 14 of his 16 points in the first half, but it was literally a two-man show for the Wildcats (14-7) who got only six points from everyone else. Meister also handed out four assists.

Still, Newark bolted ahead 11-4 to start the game as Meister had eight points, including a 3-pointer and driving 3-point play. But Bradley (15-5) quickly worked its way back behind the arc. Norris hit a 3 and Justin Brown came off the bench to hit two in a row ending the first quarter. Then, Lamb cashed in a pair in the second and Garrett Sever added another as the Jaguars grabbed a 24-23 halftime despite Norris being held to five points.

Coming off an impressive 11-point win Friday at third-seeded Olentangy Orange, which included a 30-point outburst by Norris, the underrated Jaguars (only an eighth seed) let their star take over in the third quarter. Burkholder gave Newark its last lead of 25-24 on a layup, off a nice pass from Meister. Then, Norris went to work. He had two 3-point plays, a 3-pointer and four foul shots as Bradley stormed ahead 43-33 before freshman Ty Gilbert had a four-point play for the Wildcats. He knocked down a 3 from the corner, was fouled and converted the free throw.

“Knowing they were going to go to him (Norris) was one thing. Stopping it was another,” Quackenbush said. “He’s a hard matchup for us.”

Newark hung around, trailing just 46-41 with 6:55 left after Burkholder’s tough fadeway 3 on the left wing, from NBA range. But the Jaguars were in the double bonus and salted the win away at the line, although they made just 8-of-14 over the final 6:21.

Junior-dominated Bradley, with only one senior on the roster, also went 5-of-7 on 2s and finished 16-of-26 overall for 57 percent in the low possession game, which included just four turnovers by each team. They were 17-of-23 at the stripe for 73 percent.

Burkholder was 8-of-11 from the floor and Meister 6-of-9, but the rest of the team was only 1-of-12 as the Wildcats went 15-of-32 overall for 46 percent and 8-of-21 on 3s for 38 percent. They were an excellent 9-of-10 at the line.

“We can’t have just two guys scoring. We have to have other guys contributing if we’re going to win,” Quackenbush said. “But the problem tonight wasn’t offense. We gave up 35 points in the second half. We weren’t getting stops, weren’t getting rebounds, and we have to be tougher. Offense will not win you games in late February and into March. You have to find a way to get stops.”

Newark has responded well after its eye-opening 29-point drubbing at 14th seed Westerville Central last Saturday. The Wildcats won by 29 on Friday at Groveport.

“Compared to last Saturday, at least we competed,” Quackenbush said. “To take the next step, we need to beat a team with the caliber of talent like we faced tonight.”

Burkholder is confident the Wildcats can still make a tournament run.

“Midway through the season, our four losses were to the top four seeds in the district,” he said. “A game like tonight will help us prepare for the district. We need to get stops in the second half of games, and be tougher as individuals, tougher as a team.”