Reynoldsburg 77, Whitmer 44
Raiders dominate from opening tip led by their defense and Xavier McKinney's 22 points
By 270 Hoops staff writer Greg Glasser
COLUMBUS, OH - Basketball is a four quarter contest but on Sunday night, Reynoldsburg’s 22-0 run to open the game against Whitmer all but indicated it would be a comfortable night for the Raiders.
The Panthers would eventually score in the final minute of the first period, but the damage had been done as Reynoldsburg cruised to a 77-44 victory to cap off The Battle Series event that took place over the weekend at Ohio Dominican.
“That obviously was a pretty good defensive start for us,” Reynoldsburg head coach Andrew Moore said after the game. “Our guys did a great job of talking, pressuring the ball, and keeping them out of the paint.”
The Raiders feasted on points off turnovers, particularly in the opening stretch, as Reynoldsburg snagged seven of their 13 total team steals in the first period, which led to a series of points scored in transition. The defensive effort was a positive sign for a Raiders team that felt like that end of the floor needed improvement after they gave up 65 in a loss to Lutheran East and 73 in a win over Canal Winchester to start the season.
“I thought it was a good step forward today. We gave up 71 points on Friday, which is unacceptable and I thought we played pretty good team defense as well,” Moore said. “We need to do a better job of blocking out and finishing the possession with a rebound, but it was a good step forward.”
