PORTSMOUTH — When a team as deep and talented as the Notre Dame Titans’ boys basketball program is plays with a ball on a string, the results are usually going to be successful.
Matt Mader’s group certainly controlled the pace of play from the second quarter on in an SOC I contest against the Ironton St. Joseph Flyers’ boys basketball program.
Notre Dame placed nine different players in the scoring column and, following an uplifting buzzer-beating heave by sophomore Archie West that broke a 16-all tie at the end of the first quarter, went on a 47-29 run the rest of the way in a convincing 63-45 win over Ironton St. Joseph, moving to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in SOC I competition Tuesday evening in a contest that was held at Notre Dame High School in Portsmouth.
It was yet another compete effort for Mader’s group, who has won four of its five contests by double-figures and won its opening pair of SOC I contests against New Boston Glenwood and Ironton St. Joseph by an average of 28.5 points per game (66 points for while allowing just 38.5 points against).
“I was very happy with our pace of play and how we played, especially on the defensive end of the floor,” Mader said. “You could feel the intensity and the energy that we brought and how connected we were. We were unselfish. Our guys were resilient, got some big stops and got on the glass tonight. The kids executed really well.”
Ironton St. Joseph’s best stretch of basketball all night proved to be the opening three minutes of play, when Carson Willis was his most active. The Flyers’ big man in the middle scored each of Ironton St. Joseph’s first six points as the Flyers jumped out to a 6-2 lead early on.
Notre Dame, however, quickly changed that. Playing at a fast but controlled pace from the get-go, the Titans countered with an 11-0 run that saw five different players — Archie West, Kenady McGraw, Zion Boerger, Garrett Barbarits and Jaxon Stombock — all score as the Titans quickly moved the four-point deficit into a seven-point lead at 13-6. Sawyer Rutman then became the sixth different Notre Dame player to score in the opening quarter alone as his three-pointer from the right wing stretched the Titans’ lead back out to a 16-10 margin after a quick 4-0 run by Ironton St. Joseph.
The Flyers, behind Willis — who scored 10 of his 19 points in the opening quarter — went on a 6-0 run to tie the score at 16 apiece, with Willis’ jumper off-glass with five seconds remaining tying the game.
However, that set the stage for the ultimate momentum-booster.
Receiving a pass toward the far side of the court, West launched a heave in a similar spot, but at the opposite side, of where Rutman launched his successful three-quarters court buzzer-beater against New Boston on the road.
Like Rutman’s successful third-quarter attempt against the Tigers, West’s first quarter prayer against Ironton St. Joseph was answered as the sophomore banked in his own 80-footer off glass at the buzzer, giving Notre Dame a 19-16 lead after the opening quarter of play.
“Those are definitely momentum-builders that take you into that next quarter,” Mader said. “Archie deserves one like that. He’s committed to his teammates, plays an unselfish style of basketball and has really been huge for us in many different facets this season.”
From there on, the contest was all Notre Dame.
In the second quarter, the Titans had five different players reach the scoring column — Barbarits, West, Boerger, Stombock and Bryce McGraw — with McGraw scoring six points in the quarter, West five and Barbarits four as Notre Dame again attacked with relentless precision offensively.
While maintaining its decisive attack offensively, Notre Dame put the clamps on Ironton St. Joseph as the Titan defense held Ironton St. Joseph to just one field goal in the second quarter and four points in all. The talented quartet of Jack Whaley, Eli Whaley, Barrett Waginger and Beckham Waginger combined to score just 19 points in the game as the Flyers struggled to establish any kind of offensive rhythm following the opening eight minutes of play.
By halftime, Notre Dame had taken a 38-20 advantage, and the game, for all intents and purposes, was the Titans’ to lose.
“The guys did an outstanding job,” Mader said. “The Wagingers and Whaleys are good basketball players. They can really shoot it. We were able to extend them outward and keep them from catching the ball in spots where they felt comfortable.”
In the third quarter, Kenady McGraw developed the hot hand.
Getting going from the far corner of the floor, McGraw knocked down back-to-back threes to push Notre Dame’s lead to a game-high 23, 47-24, with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. His game-high three treys helped spread the floor.
And while his outside wasn’t falling, Barbarits continued to enjoy a strong floor game. Posting 12 tallies in the contest, Barbarits tallied two assists in the second half and six points in the fourth quarter as his quickness and ability to knife into the middle of the lane helped Notre Dame’s offensive spacing.
“Garrett is really smooth,” Mader said. “He just knows how to play. He’s got great awareness and plays within the flow of the game. He lets plays develop and never forces the issue. When his outside shot’s falling, he’s really a tough guard.”
With the victory, Notre Dame now sits 5-2 and has established firm command of the SOC I race early with its 2-0 start in league play. Its two losses, which have come to 5-3 Northwest and Oak Hill, have come by a combined 11 points.
“I was proud of how we were able to turn the page, come out here, have good practices and come back out and do what we do here well (after our loss to Oak Hill Saturday),” Mader said. “These guys should never have a bad defensive night, and with the intensity these guys are taking to the court, I feel like we can be a dangerous team.”
