2013-4 Season Chapter Seven - Taming Richard Parker - Maumee Valley 63 - North Baltimore 46 - Game Story

December 27, 2013 - at North Baltimore

In Yann Martel's/Ang Lee's wonderful novel/movie Life of Pi, the title character ends up marooned in a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker.  The lost at sea plot segment shows Pi's efforts to coexist with one of the most powerful creatures on the planet. To survive, Pi must use his wits, respond to adversity and impose his will on the Tiger.

Maumee Valley took the 45 minute trip south to visit North Baltimore's one year-old High School complex.  They have a wonderful gym with some throwback features such as 'The Jungle' (a recessed band stand) and banners preserved from their old gym honoring State Champions as far back as 1925.  Although not quite elegant (lots of optic orange will do that to a room) it's a fine space, similar to the new gyms at Fayette, New Riegel, Edon and Lakota.  Property taxes are a school district's best friend.

Now while there was nobody on the North Baltimore lineup named Parker, the Hawks would still face a stern test tonight in this facility in the North Baltimore Tigers.

Hey, I thought this was gonna be an easy road win.

Friday's two hour game sequence clearly paralleled the movie.  MV would initially be pushed around by the Tiger(s), but would focus on their survival and wear down their hosts on the way to a seventeen point victory.

Starters - Marcus Knabbs ('14), Lucas Isaza ('15), Thad Woodard ('14), Nick Towns ('15), Rashad Woodley ('14)

First Quarter - NB 14 - MV 12

It was a sight not yet seen thus far this year as 6' 6" Sophomore(!) Chad Wright stepped into the circle, equal in height to Rashad Woodley, and won the opening tip.  Maumee Valley started in man-to-man defense.

Good defensive posture is essential.

In a portent, North Baltimore's Levi Newcomer was called for a quick player control foul.  Foul trouble would hinder the Tigers throughout the night, forcing them into a defensive shell.

Lucas Isaza opened the scoring for MV with two points and the Hawks opened up pressing on defense.  North Baltimore's senior swing man Jacob Frost answered back with a three.  Nick Towns scored for the Hawks from close range.  After a travel call against the Tigers, Nick hit this two pointer off a Thad Woodard feed...



... to extend the lead to 6-3.  Tyler Trumbull answered back with two, then Frost hit his second trey to put NB back on top 8-6.  Nick maintained his single-handed effort to keep MV in the game with a right-hand base line hook shot.

Juat another Nick Towns wannabe.  At least as far as the haircut is concerned.

Newcomer hit a free throw, then after several misses by both teams Nick Towns scored his eighth point of the quarter assisted by an alert Rashad Woodley...



After more cold shooting by all ten guys on the floor, each team's big guys - Wright and Woodley - exchanged baskets.  Gabe De Los Reys closed out the quarter with a three pointer putting the home team ahead by two.

It was a tight ballgame evidenced by eight lead changes in the quarter.

Yo, these guys are tough.

Second Quarter - MV 18 - NB 16

The Hawks ran their motion offence against the Tigers' 2-3 zone but couldn't convert.  NB's Sean Watson beat the visitors' press for two, then scored again on an and-one.  The home crowd was excited about their team's 19-12 lead at the 6:39 mark.  It would be their high point for the evening.

The Hawks needed to crawl back into the boat.

Keith McClure took the first step on the comeback trail with a sorely needed three pointer, answered in-kind by De Los Reys.  Solomon Collins scored the next three in the old-school fashion, driving down the middle for two and scoring on the bonus.  NB's Trumbull hit a two to back the Tigers lead up to five points.

MV's press began to pay dividends, with Solomon and Thad Woodard scoring the next five points to tie the game at 22 all.  Coach John Eichar sensed his team needed to calm down and took a time out at the half way point in the quarter.  Both teams went cold for a spell, broken by De Los Reys' two free throws.

Rashad tied the game again with a putback off a missed shot.  Jacob Frost said 'so what' and made the Tigers' fifth three pointer to take back the lead then Sean Watson made a free throw to get it back to four.  Marcus Knabbs was fouled going to the hole and made the pair then Danny Hazimah pulled MV to within one with a foul shot.  The Hawks took a 30-28 lead with another Keith McClure three pointer and NB's Wright scored two to knot up the score 30-30 at the half.

The Hawks had taken North Baltimore's best shot of the night and fought back to even.  Half of the home team's points came on three pointers.  MV would be determined to stop that in the second half.

Third Quarter - MV 15 - NB 10

North Baltimore stayed in their 2-3 zone, as three of their starters had three fouls.

North Baltimore's back defensive line.  The guy on the right tended to over rotate..

The Tigers started aggressively on offense with Chad Wright and Levi Newcomer scoring four quick points.  MV bounced back, with leadership from Nick Towns and Thad Woodard, who stole the ball and scored on a breakaway, enhanced by a Newcomer foul - which Thad converted.  Jacob Frost hit a three, and MV answered with a basket.   It would be NB's last three ball of the evening.

Following a Tiger free throw, Danny Hazimah found a seam in the zone to give MV its first lead of the half...



...but Wright scored again to take it back.  Both teams turned the ball over and at 3:32 Josh Arthur called time out to set up another wave of pressure defense.

Maumee Valley's press finally knocked the Tigers for a loop.  Solomon and Thad scored on consecutive NB turnovers.  The Tigers were unable to bring the ball in bounds and MV regained possession.  The Hawks now patiently worked against the zone, ultimately getting the ball in deep where Rashad Woodley was fouled...



He made both shots.  The Hawks ended the quarter on a 6-0 run and held a five point lead, their largest of the evening to date.

Fourth Quarter - MV 18 - NB 6

MV opened with ball to no avail, but Thad cleaned a Tiger forward's clock with a steal up top, which he converted into three points on the and-one.  MV forced another turnover.  Faced with an eight point deficit and a ravenous Hawks defense, Coach Eichar called an early time-out to avoid a full blown collapse.

Coach Arthur now went back to MV basics and ran 35 seconds off the clock.  This forced the Tigers out of their zone, and now it was MV taking the time out to set up a counter.  They did so, in the form of this Solomon Collins pull-up 15 footer...



...the lead was double digits.  Lane Bishop ended the Hawks' 10-0 run with a basket and foul shot.  Then Chad Wright thrilled the home crowd with a mean block, but Solomon came up with the ball and drew a foul, making one of two.

Solomon would be this evening's fourth quarter hero.  He was again fouled and made the pair, upping Maumee Valley's lead to ten.  Solomon kept up the heat, stealing an in-bounds pass and rambling coast to coast for this two pointer...



MV struck again with a Woodard steal and Lucas Isaza basket and with 3:30 left.  Their lead was stretched to 14, and the smell of victory was in the air.

Fortunately there was no smell of rotting fish.

The teams traded baskets, including this Isaza reverse layup...



MV finished with scores from Thad and Rashad, and tripled their opponents score in the fourth quarter.  Solomon would lead the Hawks in scoring this night with 16, seven of which came during the fourth quarter.

Scoring:

Danny Hazimah - 3
Marcus Knabbs - 2
Keith McClure - 6
Lucas Isaza - 6
Nick Towns - 10
Thad Woodard - 14
Solomon Collins - 16
Rashad Woodley - 6

Afterthoughts-

You will forgive your Hawkblogger for sounding repetitive, but the MV formula for victory tonight was again:

• a deep rotation, providing MV with more fouls to give, and less individual foul trouble
• a no-star lineup - any and all Hawks contribute at any given time
• new players ready to step up on offense - actually two this night with Nick Towns early and Solomon Collins late
• never ending pressure which stresses opponents to a breaking point.

Wore you out tonight, Richard Parker.

North Baltimore has an improving squad with an up-tempo style of play.  The Tigers can only get better.  They have an excellent chance at a winning record in MAL play and could do some playoff damage.  Chad Wright has two more years to improve on a solid base and could attract some college recruiting attention.  Better times are ahead for the Tigers.

Finally, without giving the story away, Life of Pi reflects on how we mentally filter life compared with its sometimes harsh reality.  The Hawks are now 6-1 and have a few more games before the grinding three game Ottawa Hills/Toledo Christian/Gibsonburg stretch.  Those three games will go far to determine how high the reality plane lies for these 2013-4 Hawks.

Happy New Year from your Hawkblog.

JV action - NB 32 - MV 28

The Hawk JVs comeback fell just short, and they dropped a four point decision Friday December 27 to North Baltimore.  Here are your video highlights.

Juwaan McGee for three



Hawks on defense



Jeremy Anderson scores on this Magic Johnson-esque hook shot.



Juwaan cleans up a holiday leftover.

Unofficial stats through 2013-14 Game 7

Maumee Valley 63 - (at) North Baltimore 46 - Insightful Internet Commentary

Friday December 27, 2013 - North Baltimore

MV ran its record to 6-1 with a 63-46 victory over the North Baltimore Tigers Friday night.  The game was a back and forth affair through the first half with the teams tied at 30.  The Hawks clamped down in the second half and wore down their hosts.

But why not let Nick Towns, Solomon Collins, Jeremy Anderson and Thad Woodard tell the rest of the story?




Why not indeed?

North Baltimore Preview

MV travels to southern Wood County this evening to take on the North Baltimore Tigers for an out-of-conference holiday test.

North Baltimore is 3-4 on the young season, most recently defeating TAAC member Northwood 58-31. The Hawks defeated the Rangers 67-15 at home on December 10.

The Tigers return seven lettermen, including 6' 2" guard Jacob Frost.  The Tigers can go big in the front court if they so choose with sophomores 6' 5" Chad Wright and 6' 4" Dereck McMahon.

The normally elucidating Midwest Athletic League statistics are not currently available.  But one astounding statistic can be found on the Elmwood basketball site run by those NW Ohio basketball stalwarts at www.davey1.com.  The Tigers were an astounding 42-64 from the free throw line against the Elmwood Royals in their November 30 season opener at NB.

How you get to the stripe 64 times in one game, other than playing against the MVCDS alumni?

See you at the game.

Arcadia game rescheduled for Friday January 3, 2014

Game is at MV.  See you there.

Running the back door cut

Then...



and now.



The more things change...

2013-4 Season Chapter Six - Jackets sing the Blues - Maumee Valley 57 - New Riegel 32 Game Story

December 17, 2013 at New Riegel HS

The New Riegel Blue Jackets are a historical power in the soon to be defunct Midland Athletic League.  New Riegel won at least a share of nine boys basketball titles in a twelve team league over the MAL's 28 year history.  The Jackets reached the sectional semi-final in 2011-12, when they lost to Toledo Christian.  In fact, the Jackets play a similar tough-nosed style to the Eagles.  But New Riegel is rebuilding after two strong seasons and it was not to be this evening for the home team.

As the local paper's headline put it "Jackets can't handle the Truth' - Foreman that is, who scored 15 along with Thad Woodard's 16 on the night.  If it was a two against five game, the Hawks would have come up one point short.  Alas for the hosts, Maumee Valley brought the rest of its deep rotation along on the bus.  Maumee Valley used the press to great effect this evening on the way to defeating the New Riegel Blue Jackets 57-32 on a wintery Tuesday evening.

Starters - Marcus Knabbs ('14), Lucas Isaza ('15), Thad Woodard ('14), Nick Towns ('15), Rashad Woodley ('14)

First Quarter - MV 16 - NR 5

Surveying the 6'6" Rashad Woodley in the jump circle, the Jackets inserted a guard and brought all of their players into the defensive end, conceding the opening tip...

Marcus Knabbs scored the opening points of the game on a Eurostepping drive down the right hand foul lane.  The Jackets foreshadowed their game-long frustration early on, when in their first offensive possession, they pulled four offensive rebounds and could not score in five tries.  Rashad answered with a soft four footer, but NR's Tim Ink scored an old-school three pointer, fouled by Lucas Isaza.  Ink would lead his team with ten points on the night.

New Riegel attempted a press, but Marcus beat everyone to the hoop on a a coast-to-coast layup.  Danny Hazimah entered the game, which meant that MV began their pressure defense.  After a Blue Jacket airball, Maumee Valley's Rashad Woodley scored on a beautiful Danny Hazimah pass



a couple of empty possessions later, Rashad hauled in this rebound and Solomon Collins was hammered on the offensive end...



...in the midst of a 10-3 Hawks and the home team was struggling to keep up in its man-to-man defensive setup. FIrst year head Coach Dave Losey took a time out to switch his team to a 2-3 zone, which is pretty much where they stayed for the rest of the evening.

But NR couldn't hide from the MV press.  Danny Hazimah stole the ball and fed it to Solomon for two points. The Jackets scored back, then Truth Foreman hit this two point twister...



Maumee Valley continued to force the action until the very end of the quarter when Truth picked the pocket of NR's point guard and scored with time running out



MV was off to an 11 point lead.

Second Quarter - MV 14 - NR 12

The Hawks second quarter start reflected the frigid conditions outside, as they committed a turnover and missed on their first two attempts.  New Riegel's Jake Dreyfuse and Tim Ink scored the first four points of the quarter to cut the lead to seven.  Dreyfuse would match his 2012-13 average with eight points in the game.  Truth Foreman answered back with a putback off a rebound.  MV's aggressive play put the hosts in the bonus at 6:41 and NR 2  capitalized on a 1-1, cutting the lead to seven, 18-11.

The teams traded baskets, then Truth Foreman hit a three, then made one of two free throws.  Thad Woodard converted on a steal and the Hawks had run off five quick points.  The teams traded baskets again, then Thad nailed a three-ball with two seconds to go to give MV a 30-17 halftime lead.



Third Quarter - MV 11 - NR 7

Both teams traded two empty possessions to start the second half.  New Riegel was struggling underneath with Rashad's long defensive reach, but the visitors scored the first five points of the frame, deeply cutting into the Hawks' lead.  MV needed 4:15 to get on the board, Thad Woodard hitting two free throws to up the visitors lead to 10.  Coach Arthur put the heat back on after the free throws, and the visitors began to perk up.  Here's a Rashad block / Solomon fast break / Thad score for the Hawks:



Danny Hazimah scored next on a fast break...



... then Thad Woodard sent his defender to the floor on a fake and hit a three to put his team up 14, 39-24.   MV would finish the quarter in style with it's traditional two guard back door cut to the basket with six seconds left.



With eight minutes left, it was Visitors 41 - Home 24

Fourth Quarter MV 16 - NR 8

New Riegel started the quarter off with an 8-3 run and cut the lead to 44-32.  In a critical juncture of the game, MV was called for palming, one of their only unforced errors of the night.  But MV got the ball back and Keith McClure scored a big basket on a coast to coast run.  That play sparked the Hawks.  Thad, Keith and Truth combined for the next five points.  Rashad blocked the next shot, and the Hawks ran clock until he was fouled at the other end.



Truth provided the icer with this three pointer



It was 54-32 Maumee Valley.  The teams combined for an 0-7 stretch until Thad sunk two free throws with 1:24 left to finish off the game.  The bus warmed up for the satisfiying ride home and the Hawks enjoying a 54-32 road victory.

Next up, its those geriatric giants, the MVCDS alumni in the Holiday Hoops Classic on December 28 at the Varsity Gym



Scoring

Truth Foreman 15
Danny Hazimah 2
Marcus Knabbs 4
Keith McClure 7
Nick Towns 1
Thad Woodard 16
Solomon Collins 8
Rashad Woodley 4

The Headlines Write Themselves

From New Riegel's local newspaper

Mr. Foreman, you're a headline writer's dream

MV 57 - New Riegel 32 Insightful Internet Commentary

December 17, 2013 - New Riegel

The Hawks defeat the Blue Jackets of New Riegel of the Midland Athletic League 57-32 with a swarming, pressing defensive effort this evening.  Maumee Valley has now won five straight and move to 5-1.  Thad Woodard (16) and Truth Foreman (15) led the way for MV.

Nick Towns, Zain Bedi and Thad Woodard are on hand to spread the holiday cheer, while Truth Forenan and Rashad Woodley sneak around the back..

Unoffficial stats through five games

No.	Name	G	PPG	Total pts	Hi Score
2	Truth Foreman	5	5.0	25	10
3	Danny Hazimah	5	5.8	29	10
4	Zain Bedi	2	1.0	2	2
5	Marcus Knabbs	5	4.4	22	12
10	Keith McClure	5	4.2	21	11
11	Jack Herrmann	3	2.0	6	6
12	Lucas Isaza	5	6.4	32	10
13	Jeremy Anderson	3	1.7	5	5
14	Nick Towns	5	2.8	14	5
22	Turner Booth	3	2.0	6	6
24	Thad Woodard	5	11.0	55	26
25	Solomon Collins	5	6.2	31	9
33	Rashad Woodley	5	5.0	25	9
	Team total		54.6	273	71
	Opponents score		34.0	170	52

Are you viewing this blog from outside the Toledo area?

Maumee Valley Country Day School is now a boarding facility!

The Dayal House is open and welcoming new students - both international and domestic.  We are over 70% occupied in our first year.

For more information,click right here..

Maumee Valley is the premiere college preparatory school in the region.

Thank you very much

The blog has over 30,000 total page views.

Who'da thunk it??

2013-4 Season Chapter Five - And Down the Stretch They Come!!! - MV 56 - Danbury 45 Game Story

December 13, 2013 - Varsity Gym

One of the greatest calls in broadcast sports belongs to Kentucky Derby broadcaster Dave Johnson.  As the annual Run for the Roses reaches its thrilling climax Johnson's 'and down the stretch they come' call blends excitement, uncertainty, high stakes and anticipation all into one.

Here's a little flavor:




Maumee Valley would probably have been listed as a 4-1 pre-race favorite over the Danbury Lakers.  But coach Drew Davie has a much stronger club than in the past few years.  The Lakers are a young team with only two seniors, but seven returning lettermen.  With increased experience and better athleticism, the visitors from Marblehead have moved away from their traditional 2-3 zone setup to a man-to-man defensive scheme.  Their offense also features more ball movement which seeks to screen for open shots near the key in the 8-15 foot range.  They practice patience and don't give up.

In Friday's action, MV got the Lakers down early, and it looked like it might turn into a walkover after one quarter.  But Danbury fought back in the third quarter and tied the game at 40-all with 3:56 left in the fourth quarter.

Then down the stretch came the Hawks with a sprint to the finish line led by speedster Danny Hazimah.  Danny contributed key steals and points off in-bounds plays in the late action to give Maumee Valley its fourth straight win.

The Hawks are now 4-1 overall and 3-0 in TAAC play.

MV Starters - Marcus Knabbs '14, Lucas Isaza '15, Nick Towns '15, Rashad Woodley '14, Thad Woodard '14

First Quarter - MV 20 - Danbury 11

Danbury took the initiative and a 6-5 early lead on baskets by Hunter Stinchcomb, Kegan Rakosky and Caleb Gerber.  MV got through some opening sluggishness to thke the lead with defensive pressure like this set, which forced a Laker turnover



then another forced turnover led to this Thad Woodard hoop.



Solomon Collins scored next on a beautiful pass Danny Hazimah to make it 14-6 and coach Davie called time out to settle things down.

After a Danbury basket, the Danbury defense couldn't handle the Truth (Foreman) on this Eurostep sliding drive for two



Truth followed this up with another basket, and Solomon ended the quarter scoring to make it 20-11.  The Hawk guards were coming in waves against the visitors on defense, backed up by Rashad Woodley and Nick Towns down low.

Second Quarter - MV 11 - Danbury 9

Thad led off with a steal and basket, answered by a Danbury 6-0 run.  Nick Towns regained Hawk momentum with a score, then Rashad Woodley made one of the plays of the game with a behind the back dribble-drive for two.  Fortunately Channel 11 was there and caught this play in their highlight package.

The Lakers continued to hang in.  Rakosky scored an old-school three pointer to keep it at a six point deficit.  MV struck back with defense, first with a tough tie-up by Keith McClure then this Danny Hazimah steal and basket.



Solomon Collins closed out the first half scoring a muscular clean-up basket after a vintage clock-eating final minute set.



The Blue and White enjoyed a 31-20 half time lead.

Third Quarter - Danbury 16 - MV 7

Lucas Isaza opened things up with a driving reverse layup, but the visitors began a huge comeback.  Six different Danbury players scored in a furious 18-5 run over the remainder of the quarter.  The Hawks could not find the rim from the floor or the line during this stretch, and also committed eight fouls of their own vs. Danbury's three.  This put the guests in the bonus early on, aiding and abetting the Lakers' efforts.

By quarter's end, the Hawks looked up at the scoreboard and found themselves up by only one basket, 38-36

Fourth Quarter - MV 18 - Danbury 9

The frame started off sloppily as both sided committed a pair of turnovers.  But the hero of the evening would begin to emerge.  Danny Hazimah scored first to extend the Hawks lead to four.  More frenzied play ensued, and the Lakers' Caleb Gerber and John Rhodes scored the next four points from the charity stripe.  The game was tied at 40 and Danbury was in the double bonus with 3:56 to play.

That however would be the apex for the Lakers on this evening.  Thad Woodard was fouled shooting and made the pair.  Danny Hazimah stole the ball and Marcus Knabbs, playing in foul trouble all evening, was intentionally fouled himself.  He made one of two and the Hawks did not convert on the resultant in-bounds play.

Danny Hazimah again stole a Danbury pass and got to the basket for two on this play.



With both teams now sensing the balance of the game in hand, the pace quickened with pressing, traded free throws and more end-to-end action.  Danny continued to stretch the lead for MV with this two pointer:



Then after a strong defensive stop by the Hawks, Marcus scored on a free throw and Solomon made an experienced-player steal.  He watched a Danbury break unfold coming downcourt and stepped aside, baiting the visitors to make a pass inside for what they thought would be an easy layup.  But Collins cut in front of the pass and took it back for a score.

Danny got free at the 1:59 mark on this half court play.



And then, with 1:01 remaining, Danny scored again on this long in-bounds play.



The Hawks led 52-41 following a 12-1 run with just over a minute to go.  The teams traded a few late game baskets but the outcome had been decided.

So the Hawks have now won four straight and three in conference.  Saturday's game against Arcadia was snowed out, and so MV will have the weekend to prepare for a Tuesday game in New Riegel, one of the storied D-IV basketball programs.

Scoring:

Truth Foreman - 4
Danny Hazimah - 10
Marcus Knabbs - 3
Keith McClure - 3
Lucas Isaza - 5
Nick Towns - 2
Thad Woodard - 15
Solomon Collins - 6
Rashad Woodley 6

MV JVs 45 - Danbury 19

December 13, 2013 - Varsity Gym

The future of Maumee Valley basketball continues to look brighter.  The JVs' won their second consecutive game, defeating Danbury 45-19 Friday evening.

The young Hawks continue to improve, playing their best all around game of the season.  MV was up 26-17 at half time, then shut out the Lakers for almost the entire second half.

Let's go to the video:

Jack Herrmann steals the ball and Jeremy Anderson is fouled finishing up.



Nick Isaza casually drains a three pointer



Tim Zeller also fires in a trey



And closing things out is Trevor Reed, cleaning up on the offensive boards.

MV 56 - Danbury 45 - Insightful Internet Commentary

Maumee Valley hangs tough in the final minutes to avoid some Friday the 13th bad luck.

Here's Rashad Woodley, Lucas Isaza, Truth Foreman and Johns Hopkins recruit Thad Woodard to do the honors.

Arcadia home game postponed

No reschedule date yet.

2013-4 Season Chapter Four - MV 67 - Northwood 15 - All In - Game Story

December 9, 2013 - Varsity Gym

On an ice cold evening, the Hawks played red hot defense and held an opponent under 20 points for the second time in three games, defeating the Northwood Rangers 67-15.   Coach Josh Arthur has now cemented an'all in' strategy of playing every one of his Hawks as interchangeable parts of all pressure, all the time defense.  Maumee Valley advanced to 3-1 on the season.

Northwood has a new coach in Jimmy Scharer and is rebuilding the Rangers this season.  Nine of the eleven Ranger varsity players are freshmen or sophomores and only one player is listed at over 6'.  Their youth was evident throughout the game as they struggled at times with the speed of the high school game.  Early on, they showed signs of future success with some good shooting. Overall though, the evening would belong to the home team in general and Thad Woodard in particular, who scored a career high 26 points on the evening.

To put the defense in perspective tonight, Northwood scored six points in the first quarter.   That was their high for the evening and each quarter thereafter they scored a lower number of points.

MV Starters - Marcus Knabbs '14, Lucas Isaza '15, Nick Towns '15, Rashad Woodley '14, Thad Woodard '14

First Quarter - MV 16 - Northwood 6

Maumee Valley set the tone immediately, scoring the first basket, then two more quickly off back-court steals.  MV's defense is on display below in a long stretch of frustration for the guests resulting in a turnover on the baseline.



Truth Foreman and Thad both scored three pointers, Thad's shot captured below ended the quarter:



Second quarter - MV 15 - Northwood 4

MV picked up the press early on, hoping to advance its lead, but Northwood fought gamely for the first part of the quarter.  Four minutes into the second quarter, the score was 17-10 MV.  From that point forward, the Hawks took over the game.  MV's press got to the young Rangers, who gave up a series of fast break points off steals and other turnovers.  Lucas Isaza scores here on a breakaway following a steal on the press to make it 27-10 Hawks:



The home team would add four more in the frame and at half time it was Hawks 31 - Northwood 10, with Thad's 19 points accounting for 61.2% of the MV output.

Third Quarter - MV 21 - Northwood 3

Thad Woodard picked up where he left off in the first half, scoring a three poninter to begin the action.  Rashad Woodley scored next on this nice drive down the key from the high post:



More scoring from the quarter included Truth Foreman finishing up a break then more defense from the Hawks:



And lo it came to pass on this December evening that Northwood's Jayson Johnson scored at the 2:37 mark to end a 9:23 scoring drought for the visitors.  Maumee Valley had completed a 30-0 run against their opponents.

The third quarter ended on a Keith McClure three pointer.  He was just getting started...

Fourth Quarter - MV 14 - Northwood 2

Keith would score the first six points of the quarter - here is his third long ball in a row at the 6:46 mark.:



Our final highlight features Danny Hazimah driving to the hoop for two more points:




The Hawks would cruise to the 52 point win.

Scoring:
Truth Foreman - 10
Danny Hazimah - 5
Marcus Knabbs - 2
Keith McClure - 11
Lucas Isaza - 4
Nick Towns - 4
Thad Woodard - 26
Solomon Collins - 3
Rashad Woodley - 2

MV JVs 57 - Northwood 24 Video Highlights

The JVs evened their record at 1-1 with a 57-24 victory over the Northwood JVs (sorry, I'll get the actual score Friday.

The Hawks took control early and went into the locker room up 24-8 at the half.

Here are your video highlights:

Jack Herrmann wearing his varsity #11 jersey scoring from the baseline:



Nick Isaza (don't blink, you'll miss it)



Turner Booth finishing on the break:



Nice give-and-go between Jeremy Anderson and Juwaan McGee.



Michael Jarrell makes a free throw

Maumee Valley 67 - Northwood 15 - Insightful Internet Commentary

December 10, 2013 - Varsity Gym

The Hawks record their second 50 point victory in three games.  Here's Thad Woodard, Keith McClure, Truth Foreman, and Lucas Isaza to tell you all about it.

Tentative date change for New Riegel game - now December 17

The game at New Riegel was originally scheduled for December 28, 2013.  That happens to also be the date of the Alumni game.

New Riegel appears to have graciously allowed a reschedule to Tuesday December 17, 2013.  Please check the school website for official confirmation.

The annual Thrashing of the Geezers will proceed on its originally scheduled date.

2013-4 Season Chapter Three - MV 53 - CS 53 - Growth Spurt - Game Story Part 2 - the final 1:08

Ten pictures are worth 10,000 words at the proverbial exchange rate.

Game re-set:

1:08 left, CS49 - MV48, Hawks at the line. Both teams in the double bonus.


After an MV score, the Cardinals try the home run pass for a quick score but after a mishandle, Danny Hazimah gathers the ball in and scores on a six foot pull-up jumper that stays on the rim for an eternity then rolls in:



Hawks lead 50-49

Now under a minute, CS brings the ball down, but a Cardinal player double dribbles:



Hawks ball with 47.7 seconds to go.

With considerable effort, MV gets the ball in and looks like it's about ready to go into a Jim Robinson-esque deep freeze. Then Marcus Knabbs sees an opening in the zone, drives in and is fouled:



33.2 seconds left - Marcus at the line misses the pair, but Danny Hazimah grabs the long rebound in the Corner.  Coach Arthur calls time out.  The Hawks still lead 50-49 and will bring the ball in-bounds:



30.3 seconds left - Maumee Valley passes the ball in and nearly gets trapped in the corner.  A loooonng cross court pass is completed to Marcus, who is fouled immediately.



18.8 seconds remaining.  Marcus rolls the first shot in...



...then the second - Hawks lead by three, 52-49.  CS brings the ball in to Austin Adams, who looks over at Coach Rieker and flawlessly executes a give-and-go at the top of the key.  Adams drains a three pointer from the wing with 7.2 and a running clock.



It looks like overtime, but wait!  Thad Woodard dribbles into a crowd and is fouled with 0.5 seconds remaining.  The referees, who have called the game close all night send a visiting player to the line with the outcome in the balance.  The home crowd is none too pleased.



Thaddeus misses the first shot long.  As he is ready to shoot the second, Coach Rieker calls not one, but two time outs (Times out?).



Now returning to the line, Thad calmly nails the second shot.  Hawks lead 53-52.  The Cardinals' desperation heave is intercepted by Solomon Collins as the buzzer sounds and the Hawks win a thriller.



In the words of Tom Hamilton - "Ballgame!"

Photo courtesy of Martin Ixaza

Scoring:

Danny Hazimah - 4
Marcus Knabbs - 12
Keith McClure - 3
Lucas Isaza - 10
Nick Towns - 5
Thad Woodard - 7
Solomon Collins - 6
Rashad Woodley - 6

2013-4 Season Chapter Three - MV 53 - (at) Cardinal Stritch 52 - Growth Spurt - Game Story Part 1

December 6, 2013 - Oregon Ohio

A young Hawks Team grew up on a cold Friday evening east of the Maumee River.  Down most of the game, the Blue and White clawed back from eight down in the second half to stun the Cardinal Stritch Cardinals 53-52.  Thad Woodard scored the winning free throw with 0.5 seconds left in a game marked by numerous foul calls on both sides.  It was, however, the Hawks who capitalized on the situation, going 25-31 from the free throw line.  A clutch win which moves MV to 1-0 in the TAAC and 2-1 overall on the young season.

Starting lineup:  Marcus Knabbs, Jeremy Anderson, Solomon Collins, Rashad Woodley, Nick Towns

First quarter MV 10 - CS 7

Stritch tested the Hawks mettle early with a combination full court press and half court trap.  MV achieved relative success early, and swung out to a 6-3 lead on a Lucas Isaza three pointer.  Rashad Woodley clearly affected the game on both ends of the court with rebounding shot blocking. With time running out, Danny Hazimah scored to end the quarter ant put Maumee Valley ahead 10-7.

Second quarter - CS 15 - MV 12

The home team continued its pressing ways in the second quarter, but now kept star swing player Austin Adams back near the half court line to receive  outlet passes.  The Cardinal pressure was effective and an Adams basket gave CS their first lead, 12-11 at the 6:10 mark.  But Maumee Valley hung tough.  Coach Arthur continued his early season pattern of a deep bench rotation, 10 players seeing action in the first.  The strategy panned out in a tightly called game with numerous fouls called.  While no Hawk player had more than two fouls, Stritch's point guard was on the bench with three.   At half time the two teams had battled to a 22-22 draw.

Third quarter - CS 16 - MV 11

The Cardinals' half court trapping pressure in the start of the third quarter, led to a quick five point run and a 27-22 lead. But in a game turning point, Marcus Knabbs decided he'd begin to aggressively work through the traps.  Finding himself open, he successfully drove in for two points.  Lucas was intentionally fouled and made one of two shots, then Solomon was fouled on this play



and converted one of two.  The game was tied.

If you have sensed a pattern of numerous foul calls going MV's way, you'd be half right at this point.  Thad Woodard picked up two quick fouls near the 5:00 mark, then after an MV steal, Marcus was called for charging.  Both teams piled up fouls quickly.

CS' helter-skelter pace continued, now with accelerating success.  Austin Adams scored eight straigt points off of rebounds and defense, including a cold steal off a normal in-bounds pass.  The home team held what was to be it's largest lead of the evening, 35-27.

But the Hawks kept fighting back, converting their free throws. During the last two minutes of the third quarter, Lucas (4) and Rashad (2) were perfect from the line and cut the lead to one point.  Adams continued to electrify the CS faithful, tipping in a missed shot at quarter end.

At the three quarter pole (courtesy of Martin Isaza)

A long and storied history for Cardinal Stritch below the scoreboard.

Fourth Quarter - MV 20 - CS 14

For the third straight quarter, CS sprinted out ahead of their opponents with an early basket build off pressure.  But now the CS pressure vs. MV deep rotation strategy tilted in favor of Coach Arthur.  Both teams continued to foul, but MV's freer substitution spread these fouls over more players,  Both teams reached the double bonus at the 6:56 mark, but the Cardinals floor leader, point guard Brooks Gasser, picked up his fourth foul of the evening.

Coach Dave Rieker had to come off the heat and play a 2-3 zone, which Keith McClure immediately exploited with a left-wing three pointer

No, not that kind of left-wing.  Note that our man Che is portrayed in Cardinal Stritch colors.

...cutting the Red and Black's lead to 43-40.  MV seemed uplifted by this play



...and forced the above turnover.  Nick Towns now got into the act:



...scoring two.  The Hawks regained possession and Marcus hit one of two free throws to even the game at 43-all with 4:05 to go.

Cardinal Stritch would not go away, and the teams would go back and forth to the 1:08 mark with the score CS 49 - MV 48 . Which is where part 2 of the game story picks up.