SPORTS

Ross falters in second half, loses eighth of last nine

Josh Morgret
Correspondent

FREMONT - Fremont Ross led Toledo Whitmer by 11 points late in the second quarter when Jarren Hampton grabbed a steal and drove for a layup. Hampton was ultimately called for an offensive foul.

The Panthers took advantage of the turnover and turned that into a common theme.

Whitmer stormed back and scored 22 of 24 points in a stretch during the third quarter to top the Little Giants, 60-46, in Three Rivers Athletic Conference action on Friday.

“I thought the first 14 minutes were some of the best basketball we’ve played all year,” Ross coach Mark Gedeon said. “We played slower and we got some post touches which allowed us some open shots outside.”

Nick Witcher scored and two free throws drew the Panthers (14-5 overall, 8-4 TRAC) within 25-19 at halftime and the momentum for Whitmer slowly carried into the third quarter. Brandon Trolio hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game for a 28-21 lead and a score by Hampton made it 30-23, with 6:17 left in the third quarter.

“Our defensive rotations were spot on and I thought we were executing the way we wanted to,” Gedeon said.

That’s when Whitmer took over.

The Panthers scored 10 points in a row, prompting a second timeout from Gedeon in the quarter. The Little Giants (6-14, 1-11) committed turnover after turnover, leading to many easy buckets for the Panthers.

“We preach to the kids the value of the basketball,” Gedeon said. “I think Whitmer was able to speed us up a bit and when that happens, you have to rely on the fundamentals and we faltered in that tonight.”

Steven Blodgett scored off of an offensive rebound to stop the Whitmer run, but only for a moment. The Panthers reeled off 12 more points in a row, thanks in part to the ability to get to the rim for either easy shots, or free throws after getting fouled. Whitmer made 16-of-24 free throws on the night, compared to 4-of-12 for Ross.

“In the first half, we did a better job of containing their driving lanes,” said Gedeon. “We eventually started to drop our hands and fouled them and they made some free throws.”

The Little Giants played their “best first quarter of the season,” according to Gedeon. Ross scored the first five points and Trolio’s second 3-pointer made it 11-2 and another 3-pointer blossomed the lead to 16-4.

Ross continued to hold its own in the second quarter, as a bucket by Hampton and a free throw by Jermani Holmer opened the 25-14 lead. Ross committed four turnovers in the final two minutes of the quarter to allow Whitmer to get back into the game. The Little Giants turned the ball over 25 times on the evening.

“We competed,” said Gedeon on what he’d take from the evening. “That’s something at times this season that we haven’t done. We have to develop consistency. We show flashes at times, but inconsistencies hurt us. We wanted to compete and we wanted to win. That’s always good to see out of your team.”

Ross hit eight 3s on the night and Trolio’s 12 points led the team. Ross has now lost eight of its last nine games.

“If you look at those eight teams, just about all of them were around 11-6 or better going into the night,” Gedeon said. “We’re playing the top teams in Northwest Ohio and eventually talent dictates a lot. Right now, we’ll focus on facing Clay next Friday.”

Stat Book

Whitmer 7-12-26-15 - 60

Ross 16-9-10-11 - 46

Whitmer: 20-47 FG, 16-24 FT, 4-13 3pt (Hickey 3, Reaster), 27 rebounds (Smith 6), 12 turnovers. Scoring: Mason Durden 1 2-2 4, Sam Hickey 7 1-3 18, Montrece Collins 1 0-2 2, Derrick Rayford Jr. 2 2-2 6, Travis Sanders 1 0-0 2, Devon Beale 2 0-3 4, Nick Witcher 2 3-4 7, Zack Smith 3 8-8 14, Avion Franklin 0 0-0 0, Garrett Reaster 1 0-0 3.

Ross: 17-34 FG, 4-12 FT, 8-16 3pt (Trolio 4, Chudzinski 2, Hampton, Homler), 24 rebounds (Homler 7), 25 turnovers. Scoring: Taylor Druckenmiller 1 1-2 3, Jarren Hampton 3 1-4 8, Brandon Trolio 4 0-0 12, Tavarius Simms 2 1-2 5, Steven Blodgett 3 0-0 6, Jermani Homler 2 1-4 6, Brody Chudzinski 2 0-0 6, Trey Bulger 0 0-0 0, Roger Burling 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Young 0 0-0 0.