Newark 45, Reynoldsburg 41 - Prospect Scouting Report
Newark 45, Reynoldsburg 41 - Prospect Scouting Report
Newark picks up program win no. 1700, shocks Reynoldsburg to gain sole possession of 1st place in OCC-Buckeye division.
Newark (5-1, 2-0 OCC-Buckeye) bounced back from a tough loss to Olentangy Liberty, outlasting Reynoldsburg (5-2, 1-1 OCC-Buckeye) 45-41 in a heavy-weight conference matchup on Friday night.
Being asked to step up as head coach on the day of a game is already a tall task. But the task becomes 30 feet taller when the game is in Newark's covenant Jim Allen gymnasium against Central Ohio coaching legend Jeff Quackenbush. With Reynoldsburg head coach Andy Moore sidelined with COVID, assistant Devin Howard was asked to step up and lead the Raiders to a bounce-back win following a crushing 98-97 double overtime loss Sunday against St. Ignatius.
From the moment the ball tipped off, it was apparent that this game would be an absolute dogfight, just as Newark likes it. With Newark running their trademark offensive sets that assure the time of possession is in their favor, Coach Howard tried to combat "Quack ball" by throwing full-court pressure throughout the game. The Raider's relentless full-court and on-ball pressure worked to their avail for the majority of the first half, holding the Wildcats to only 19 first-half points. The only issue for the Raiders was that coach Quack's boys were playing defense like their hair was on fire, holding Reynoldsburg to an uncharacteristic 18 points at the half. Led by junior sixth man Kalen Winbush, the Wildcat's defense was forcing long unsuccessful Raiders possessions, taking charges, forcing steals, and hustling all over the floor despite being out-sized and an overall less athletic team. Sound familiar?
One of the only bright spots for the Raiders offensively in the first half was sophomore guard Xavier McKinney's eight points off the bench, including two threes and a slick-and-one. For Newark, the guard duo of Braylon Morris and Findlay commit Steele Meister did the majority of the heavy lifting, combining for 16 out of the Wildcat's 19 first-half points.
Newark came out of the half, firing on both sides of the ball. Dominating the third quarter, out-scoring the Raiders 12-3, and had a full head of steam going into the fourth following Morris' second pull-up three to close the third. However, it was no surprise that a team as talented and experienced as Reynoldsburg clawed their way back into the game in the fourth quarter. The Raiders regained the lead with 3:50 to go off back-to-back threes from junior guard point guard Damon Griffin Jr. and multiple forced turnovers off their suffocating full-court press. However, the duo of Morris and Meister went on a 6-0 run late in the fourth off the back of forced turnovers to secure the program's 1700th win over No. 1 Reynoldsburg.
Let’s take a look at the game’s top performers.
Braylon Morris (6’1 CG / Newark / 2025)
Junior guard Braylon Morris was flying all over the floor on both sides of the ball on Friday. Morris was one of the main reasons why Newark pulled off the upset, going for 19 points and coming away with four big-time steals, including the game sealing swipe and score. The kid is a grinder.
Despite being guarded by 6-foot-4 senior Noah Smith for the majority of the game, Morris found creative ways to get to the basket, while avoiding Reynoldsburg’s big time rim protectors. The combo guard was very patient inside the paint, utilizing a beautiful pump-fake that sent defenders flying by throughout the game. Most importantly though, Morris played the role of the closer for the Wildcats, scoring 10 out of the 14 Newark fourth quarter points.
Although he scored almost half of Newark’s points, it was Morris’ defensive and hustle effort that gave Newark the edge they needed to secure the W. Morris was glued to Smith all night, holding the talented guard to only five points. The junior is an excellent on-ball defender who has great lateral-quickness and has a nose for getting his hands on the ball to create turnovers.
One possession that sums up Morris as a player came late in the third quarter. When the guard grabbed a hustle offensive rebound over two bigger Raiders defenders, finished an impressive reverse put-back, and then immediately got a steal on the other end of the court leading to another Wildcats’ score.
Morris’ grueling defensive play along with his ability to get to the basket and finish around contact will make the junior guard someone to look out for as the season unfolds.