Cody Siegfried powers Johnstown past Licking Valley, into second round

On Feb 22, 2023

JOHNSTOWN — Cody Siegfried has been a focal point of the Johnstown boys basketball team’s offense the past two seasons, but defense on Tuesday would determine whether his career continued.

Siegfried, a 6-foot-3 senior, had a block and a steal and held Licking Valley’s post duo to five points, spearheading Johnstown’s defensive charge. The host Johnnies allowed just 10 points in the first half, sending them on their way to a 44-27 victory in a Division II first-round game.

“We really kind of dialed in on how we were to guard, switching guard to guard and in the post being as physical as we could. The guys did an excellent job,” said Johnstown coach Max Shawver, whose team needed a late defensive stop to secure a 53-46 victory during the Licking County League meeting. The Johnnies clinched this one, allowing just two baskets in the fourth quarter.

“(Siegfried) really took a selfless approach, saying, ‘Hey, I might suffer a little bit offensively, but my job is to guard their bigs and keep them off the glass.’ He did exactly that,” Shawver added.

The No. 6 Johnnies (14-9) visit No. 4 Bexley (15-7) at 7 p.m. Friday. The winner meets either No. 5 Bishop Hartley or No. 15 Eastmoor in a district semifinal next week.

Despite his focus on the defensive end, Siegfried still led the offense, too. His 12 points led three double-digit scorers as the Johnnies won handily despite leading scorer senior Caleb Schneider, another key defensive figure, being held without a basket.

“(Shawver) preached all week to make sure we send our seniors out on a good note and finish our last home game with a win,” Siegfried said. “Everyone on the team bought into that.”

Valley (10-13) finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, averaging 59 points per game during that stretch. The Panthers, however, on Tuesday ran into a team still smarting from allowing 62 points to Newark Catholic in its LCL finale on Feb. 10.

Juniors Jacob Wheeler and Jacob Curry hit 3-pointers on two of the Panthers’ first three possessions. They scored just four points the rest of the first half and shot just 32% with 14 turnovers for the game.

“Defensively, I think their physicality got to us especially in the first half,” Valley coach Mikey Flowers said. “We had a hard time getting by them. They kept squaring us up. We had to earn every basket that we got. That threw us off our game a little bit.”

Johnstown also hit from the outside early as senior Drew Brett scored five immediate points on jumpers, and junior Brady Barb added a pair of 3-pointers from the right wing, helping the Johnnies to a 13-8 lead after the first quarter. Wheeler hit three jumpers in the third quarter, but junior Kyle Siegfried’s two scores attacking the basket from the wing helped the Johnnies keep the Panthers at bay.

Barb and Kyle Siegfried totaled 10 points apiece and combined for five assists. Brett added seven points.

“We have five guys on the floor that can shoot anytime, and that really helps open up the offense,” Cody Siegfried said. “It gets everyone moving a little bit.”

Johnstown has reached the district semifinals nine consecutive seasons, but this is the first time the Johnnies have been in Division II since 2017. Bexley beat Heath 68-53 last Friday in its regular season finale, but the Lions were swept by Worthington Christian, who the Johnnies beat in the season opener.