Zebras hold Biggs to 15, but Western’s transition game leads to another loss

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Carson Paulik

Western lead guard Carter Biggs came into Tuesday’s game against Rochester at the RHS gym averaging 26 points per game.

The Zebras held him to 15, but Biggs also had 10 rebounds and set up 6-5 big man teammate Levi Shoemaker for 15 points of his own as the Panthers went on to win 57-44.

Eli Roe hit three 3-pointers and added 12 points for Western, a new addition to the schedule who improved to 11-11.

Carson Paulik led Rochester (8-12) with 16 points, and Jonas Kiser and Brady Coleman added 10 points each. The Zebras have lost three in a row and five of their last six.

Success is tied into scoring for Rochester, who is 7-0 when they score 50 or more points in a game and 1-12 when they score fewer than 50.

“We did a lot of things pretty well tonight actually,” Rochester first-year coach Luke Smith said. “That third quarter really got away from us, where they got transition buckets and easy layups, and then they hit a couple 3s to go with it. It took the wind out of our sails a little bit. We had a nice second quarter. We fought back. We got it within three at halftime. … I think my guys competed hard tonight. Showed no quit.”

Rochester took a 5-0 lead on their first two possessions on a Kiser post layup and a Paulik 3-pointer. Coleman assisted on both baskets.

But Western hit three 3-pointers as part of a 16-2 run, and they never trailed again.

A Kiser 3-pointer and a Grant Clark power layup got Rochester within 25-22 at halftime. Smith said he told the team at halftime that the first two minutes of the second half would be the most important two minutes of the game, but Western started the third quarter on an 8-2 run that Biggs capped off with a 3 from the top of the key to make it 33-24.

Rochester would fight back to within 38-31 on a driving leaner in the lane from senior reserve Jack Reffett, but Shoemaker went on a personal 9-0 run, and he had Biggs’ passes to thank. A Biggs hit-ahead pass after a made opponent’s bucket found Shoemaker, who dropped it over the front of the rim for two.

Reffett missed a 3, and Biggs charged into the frontcourt and fed Shoemaker for another transition layup. 

Reffett missed a floater off the glass, and Biggs rebounded and charged again into the frontcourt and fed Shoemaker to his right for another layup.

A Biggs lob to the rim that Shoemaker finished for a 3-point play capped the run and gave Western their biggest lead at 47-31.

“He ran the floor really well, and he got behind us, and they just threw it up at the corner of the backboard, and he went and got it, and he put a layup in,” Smith said. “That’s pretty easy basketball, and that just killed us in the third quarter. … I called timeout and said, ‘Guys, you’ve got to get your butts back.’”

Western coach Cameron Bennington said that while Biggs’ scoring average stands out that his playmaking is also vital.

“He’s done a really nice job all year of doing that, and everyone sees the points and him scoring 25, 26 points every night, but he doesn’t get credit for his passing ability enough,” Bennington said. “And I thought tonight, he didn’t hit as many shots as he’d probably like, but he made up for it with some really nice passing.”

Rochester would go on an 8-0 run covering the third and fourth quarters – a Paulik back door layup and a Paulik pullup banker started the run – and would get back within 47-39 on a pass from Mitchell Clark, celebrating his 16th birthday, to Kiser for a hoop after an offensive rebound.

Western called timeout with 6:18 left. They called another timeout with 6:07 left after a Rochester trap left Brett Kallio with nowhere to go in the forecourt. 

Mitchell Clark stole a crosscourt pass and drove in on Biggs and missed. And this time Biggs passed out of a double team, returned to get the ball and then whistled a no-look pass to Maddox Williams for a layup. 

A Miller trey followed a missed five-foot banker from Mitchell Clark, and the lead was back up to 13.

Defensively, Bennington wanted his players to be physical with Kiser.

“Not that he’s not a good 3-point shooter because he certainly is, but he does a lot of his damage in the paint, so we really put an emphasis on trying to be physical with him and keep him on the perimeter,” Bennington said. “I think we did a good job for the most part, but he still got us a couple times, and they had other guys take advantage of the way we were guarding them with some good slips to the basket and stuff. They play really hard, and coach Smith has done a good job with them, and they run their offense really well.”

Rochester won the JV game 43-33 behind Van Kiser’s 11 points.

Western 57, Rochester 44

WESTERN (57) (11-11)

Grayson Miller 2 0-0 6, Carter Biggs 6 1-2 15, Brett Kallio 1 0-0 3, Eli Roe 4 1-2 12, Levi Shoemaker 7 1-1 15, Kasyn Messner 0 0-0 0, Gavyn Hartzler 0 0-0 0, Maddox Williams 3 0-0 6

TEAM: 23 3-5 57

ROCHESTER (44) (8-12)

Carson Paulik 7 0-0 16, Brady Coleman 4 0-0 10, Jonas Kiser 4 1-4 10, Liam Spence 1 0-0 2, Grant Clark 2 0-0 4, Mitchell Clark 0 0-2 0, Parker Casper 0 0-0 0, Alex Chapman 0 0-0 0, Conner Dunfee 0 0-0 0, Jack Reffett 1 0-0 2

TEAM: 19 1-6 44

Three-point field goals:

Western 8 (Roe 3, Biggs 2, Miller 2, Kallio),

Rochester 5 (Paulik 2, Coleman 2, Kiser)

Total fouls: Western 11, Rochester 10

Turnovers: Western 10, Rochester 11

Score by quarters

Western 16 9 22 10 – 57

Rochester 7 15 11 11 – 44

JV: Rochester 43, Western 33