By TODD FERTIG
TopSports.news
Washburn Rural's boys exploited a height advantage on defense and efficiency on offense to defeat the Highland Park boys 60-35 Friday at Washburn Rural.
Junior Cooper Schmidt made an impact on both ends of the floor in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Washburn Rural bounced back from a disappointing loss to Seaman on Tuesday to improve to 9-5. Against Highland Park they hit 26-50 shots from the field, needing just one 3-pointer to rack up 60 points. The Junior Blues jumped out to an 18-7 advantage after one quarter and stretched that lead to 36-16 by halftime before cruising to the victory.
“It was ok. I don’t know that I think we were real sharp,” Washburn Rural coach Alex Hutchins said. “We need to shoot the ball better, but I think we’re more focused on the process than the shots going in necessarily. I think we were better defending them off the dribble than we were when we played them back in December (a 57-44 win for the Junior Blues). But I still think there are some execution things that we’re going to have to clean up to compete against some of the better teams on our schedule the rest of the way.”
Junior Cooper Schmidt, Washburn Rural’s 6-foot-10 post player, scored just six points, but he dominated at both ends of the floor. He knocked away Highland Park shot attempts and cleared the boards while providing a threat in the low post on offense against the much smaller Scots. He was recognized by the team after the game for his impact.
“Coop’s a big kid. That’s a luxury that not every team has, and it’s a luxury that we haven’t had very often,” Hutchins said. “It’s a responsibility of Coop to impact the game without fouling so that he can be that interior presence. And it’s our responsibility as coaches to figure out schematically how to leverage that as best we can. It’s been a growing process for both him and us. As the year’s gone on, I think he’s continued to get better and better at becoming a force protecting the paint for us.”
“I love playing that role,” said Schmidt. “That’s how I’ve been since I was a kid. I’ve always played defense more than offense. So, I don’t mind that at all.”
Washburn Rural scored 15 points in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
ophomore Brooks Ballard scored 13 points with a 3-pointer in Friday's 60-35 Washburn Rural win over Highland Park. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
Offensively, the Junior Blues saw three players crack double figures, and three others tally six points apiece. Leading the way was John Hoytal with 15 points on 7-9 shooting, Brooks Ballard with 13 points on 6-7 shooting, and Myles Bradley with 11 on 4-7 from the field.
“I think we’re definitely going up,” Schmidt said. “We had a couple of rough games a week or two ago. But I think we’re doing better.
“We need to be more disciplined. Honestly, I think it’s more of an effort thing. We have the skill. I think if we just keep working hard we’re going to be good.”
The Scots fell to 3-12 on the season. They were paced by sophomore Davion Anderson, who dropped in four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points.
WASHBURN RURAL BOYS 60, HIGHLAND PARK 35
Highland Park 7 9 9 110 -- 35
Washburn Rural 18 18 13 11 -- 60
Highland Park (3-12) – Anderson 6-17 3-5 19, Montgomery 1-3 0-0 2, Drew 0-1 0-0 0, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Kingcannon 2-10 0-0 4, Smith 0-3 0-0 0, L. McMillon 0-1 0-0 0, Nance 0-5 0-0 0, Powell 4-6 0-0 8, Z. McMillon 0-0 2-2 2, Pollard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-48 5-7 35.
Washburn Rural (9-5) – Ballard 6-7 0-1 13, Jo. Hoytal 7-9 1-2 15, O’Connor 2-5 2-4 6, Chooncharoen 3-5 0-1 6, Schmidt 3-9 0-0 6, Bradley 4-7 3-4 11, Wright 0-1 0-2 0, Nimz 0-1 0-0 0, Jones 0-2 0-0 0, Ja. Hoytal 1-2 1-2 3, Graf 0-1 0-0 0, Vogel 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 7-16 60.
3-point goals – Highland Park 4 (Anderson 4), Washburn Rural 1 (Ballard 1). Total fouls – Highland Park 16, Washburn Rural 10. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
