ZANESVILLE — It was not the start Strasburg expected.
But, the fifth-seeded Tigers battled through early-game adversity and delivered in the clutch, scoring the game’s final eight points in a 43-39 victory over second-seed Rosecrans in a Division VII tournament tilt on Feb. 27 at Rogge Gymnasium.
Strasburg (13-10), which advanced to face Inter-Valley Conference foe Malvern, trailed 9-0 and 12-2 in the first quarter, but rallied to take a 22-21 halftime lead despite one of their top players, Gage Moore, playing limited minutes after picking up two early fouls.
The Bishops failed to take advantage of that and could not pull away in the second half. They led by four points twice in the second half, including 39-35 midway through the fourth.
Yet, Moore brought the Tigers back. He found Ryan Becker to tie the game at 39 then scored on the team’s final two possessions — each following key defensive stops to secure the win.
Becker finished with 16 points and Moore added nine, as all six Tigers who played contributed at least four points.
Coach Bob Niedenthal credited his team’s poise against a tough Bishops’ defense. His team also benefited from 18 offensive rebounds and a 38-22 edge on the glass.
“(Rosecrans) did a nice job pressuring our point guard. It was hard for us to get into our sets so we had to run a lot of 5-out and motion,” Niedenthal noted. “We asked our guys to stay consistent coming into this game. Our guys moved the ball and shared it well.”
Strasburg was 19-of-52 shooting, including just 2-of-16 behind the arc, but the Bishops weren’t any better against the lengthy Tigers.
They made 14 of 39 field goals and 3 of 12 3s, but an 8-of-11 showing at the line gave Rosecrans a chance. Strasburg was only 3 of 6 at the stripe.
All-Ohioan Tyler Bernett, Rosecrans’ leading scorer, was limited to six points. Brody Boothe led the Bishops with 11 and Owen Lambert chipped in 10.
“We dug in on (Bernett) and stayed solid on the rest,” Niedenthal noted. “Especially after that start, we had to step up on defense and get stops. Our guys stayed fundamentally sound. We needed to play our best game to get out of here with a win, and to our guys credit, they did.”
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Strasburg dominates glass, finishes strong in tourney win at Rosecrans
