By John Bombatch
(Tuesday’s game was delayed one hour when Dayton Meadowdale’s freshman team initially didn’t have a bus driver to transport the team to Xenia High School. This is a run down from the first half of Tuesday night’s varsity game. An update will run in Thursday’s paper. — JB)
XENIA — A slow first-quarter start put host Xenia behind Dayton Meadowdale early, but a solid second quarter gave the Buccaneers some promise, after the first half of Tuesday’s non-league contest at Xenia High School.
From when Meadowdale’s Brandon McCoy drained a 3-pointer from the left corner for the game’s first points, Xenia (0-1) trailed the entire first half. Meechi Harris scored on a jump shot to pull within 3-2, but that would be as close as Xenia would get in the first half.
The Lions went on a subsequent 10-3 run to get out in front 13-5, with a Ricky Williams 3-pointer being the only Buccaneer points during that early Meadowdale run.
Junior wing Jay Evans appeared to be finding his range for the Bucs. The six-footer pumped his fist after sinking a 3-pointer from the left corner right before time expired in the half to pull Xenia within seven points.
Evans scored nine points in the first half, Williams had six, Onoriode Uloho muscled inside for five points, Harris had four, Te’Andre Adams had a second-quarter trey, Johnzel Gray scored two points and Ronnie Molitor converted a free throw.
Xenia outscored Meadowdale by a 20-16 margin in the second quarter.
Unofficially, Adren Wilkerson led the Lions with eight first-half points, while Ronald Thornton and Rayvon McClendon scored six each. Five other Lions combined to score the other 17 first-half points.
They might’ve been trailing at the half, but Xenia appeared to be in good shape in terms of personal fouls against the Bucs. Xenia committed three fouls (two by Uloho and another by Jamille Henderson) while Meadowdale had been whistled for 11. The Lions’ Brandon McCoy, Thornton, Travis Mitchell and Wilkerson each had two; while three other players had been called for one each.
In the junior varsity game, Meadowdale claimed a 47-44 win.
Tuesday’s game tipped off one hour and 10 minutes later than scheduled. The game was still going on as of our presstime deadline.
