Newark boys staying course during early rounds
NEWARK - The Wildcats recently concluded a three-week stretch of games filled with postseason intensity.
In that span, Newark rallied for a victory against Olentangy Liberty, split knock-down, drag-out fights with Westerville South and Pickerington Central and completed a season sweep of Groveport to win the Ohio Capital Conference-Ohio Division. It now is coach Jeff Quackenbush's job to ensure the Wildcats keep their edge.
For the third consecutive game, the outcome was never in doubt as Newark (22-1) cruised past visiting Whetstone (4-19) 84-38 on Thursday in a Division I first-round game. The Wildcats forced 14 turnovers and hit seven 3-pointers in the first half, and the starters never saw the floor in the fourth quarter.
"Coach told us we need to stay disciplined and make sure we do what we are good at and not get too off track," said senior point guard Hunter Dennison, who had six steals against the Braves.
Newark hosts Columbus West at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a second-round game. It likely will be the Wildcats' last rout before the real fun begins in the district semifinals.
The Wildcats appear to have it all with B.J. Duling providing a dominant force inside, J.T. Shumate, Kobe Long-Weber and Dennison hitting 3-pointers at an efficient rate and a relentless defense that can turn over teams at will. They simply have to guarantee they are clicking on all cylinders unlike a season ago when they were upset in the district semifinals by Hilliard Davidson.
"It's a little bit of everything," Quackenbush said. "You have to remind your kids how hard we worked earlier this season when we had a little practice time. That's No. 1. No. 2, you have to add some wrinkles because everyone has more time to scout you and pay attention to what you are running."
Duling did not have to work too hard inside Thursday, attempting only four shots from the field, but finishing with 14 points after hitting eight of 10 free throws to bump his season mark to 65 percent. He is just 63 points away from 1,000 for his short Newark career.
Dennison and Justin Carter each were a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and Shumate and Long-Weber, who each are around the 50 percent mark, hit two apiece. The Wildcats were 11-for-20 from behind the arc, driving the ball to at least the foul line and forcing the defense to collapse before hitting open shooters.
"It was easy because I would get into the paint and they'd have extra help so there was always a guy open," Dennison said. "All five guys on the court can shoot. We do about 20 to 30 minutes of shooting every day."
As has become commonplace in recent weeks, the fourth quarter belonged to the bench and junior varsity players. Jakim Murphy finished with 11 points and KeShawn Heard 10. Senior Jed Quackenbush punctuated the victory with a surprising dunk in transition.
The games have been a lot of fun for Newark, but in practice it is back to business.
"What we wrote on the board to start the game was habits," Jeff Quackenbush said. "Don't get yourself in bad habits. I thought we struggled with that last year at this time of year. It's kids having enough discipline to make sure that they are not trying to do too much."
ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com
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Twitter: @newarkurt
Stat Book
Whetstone 4-12-7-15 — 38
Newark 22-21-25-16 — 84
Whetstone: 15-43 FG, 6-10 FT, 2-12 3pt. (Jones 1, Boozer 1), 24 Rebounds (Jones 5), 6 Assists (Jones 2), 26 Turnovers. Scoring: Reynolds 3 3-3 9, Staggs 3 0-0 6, R. Walker 2 1-1 5, Maye 0 1-2 1, Jones 1 0-0 3, Mullins 1 0-0 2, Kamara 0 0-2 0, Boozer 2 0-0 5, Kotomwa 3 1-2 7..
Newark: 27-52 FG, 19-26 FT, 11-20 3pt. Carter 3, Dennison 3, Long-Weber 2, Shumate 2, Heard 1), 34 Rebounds (Duling 6), 14 Assists (Heard 3), 14 Turnovers. Scoring: Carter 3 0-0 9, Murphy 3 5-8 11, Quackenbush 2 0-0 4, Long-Weber 2 2-2 8, Shumate 6 0-1 14, Heard 4 1-1 10, Dennison 3 0-0 9, Duling 3 8-10 14, Workman 1 0-0 2, Deckard 0 2-2 2, Jones 0 1-2 1.