NEWPORT — Just hoping to collar a long-awaited result — regardless of how it looked to those sitting in the bleachers — Marcus Jones and his basketball-playing teammates played like a desperate bunch.
Rushing shots that, at times, were ill-advised.
Playing too fast and turning the ball over, with many of those errors unforced.
Trying to force things that weren’t there.
And for three-plus quarters Tuesday night at Newport High School, Jones and the rest of the Buffaloes were trying to go on a 20-0 run that would decide the game in a matter of seconds — not minutes. Patience was not part of the plan.
Then, suddenly, things changed.
Jason Shorey’s Buffs switched back to the man-to-man defense they used at the start, got their feet moving productively, forced a number of turnovers and just as quickly momentum changed. And, just as quickly, some much-needed confidence materialized.
So did a much-needed result.
Parlaying a 10-0 spurt into a late lead that would stand — even though that lead often appeared as if it might dissipate as quickly as it arrived — Shorey’s Buffs churned out a 63-59 victory over Tri-Valley League playmate Millersburg.
Alex Gonzalez netted 17 points off the bench, Jones finished with 15 and Josh Criswell popped a double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) as the Buffs (1-3, 1-2) finally cracked the win column and quieted some anxieties.
Connor Keim (14), Christian Keiter (13) and Christian Wingard (10) posted double-figure performances for Todd Wingard’s Indians (2-3, 2-1), who were chasing their third victory in a row. A 13-for-31 effort at the free-throw line, however, ended those hopes.
REVIEWING THE NUMBERS
Newport finished 19-for-24 from the free-throw line. … The burly 6-0 Keiter, who came off the bench, pulled down a team-high nine boards for the ‘Burg. … Rob Burger dished out a team-high five assists for the Indians. … Jones added eight boards to his 15 points, while Trevan Dorman totaled six rebounds to go with his six points. … The Indians shot 37.9 percent (22-for-58) from the floor and knocked down just two of the 11 3-point shots. … Shorey’s Buffs converted 42.9 percent of their field-goal attempts (21-for-49).
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PIVOTAL SEQUENCE
With Millersburg sitting on a 53-48 lead with just under five minutes to play, Shorey’s Buffaloes uncorked a timely 10-0 spurt triggered by a Criswell runner that drastically reversed momentum. While four straight Criswell points had the Buffs within one, Dorman’s stickback at the 3:18 mark put the hosts in front for good. Layups by Gonzalez and Kyle Kolmansberger merely added to Newport’s lead and put the Indians in panic mode. While Wingard’s club had chances to put a dent in the ‘Port’s tenuous lead, the Indians converted just three of their 10 freebies in the final 2:06. Conversely, the Buffs were 5-for-6 from the stripe when it counted.
MORE NOTES AND NUGGETS
Millersburg led by as many as seven points — four times. And when Burger hit both ends of a one-and-one opportunity at the line with 10 seconds gone in the fourth quarter, the Indians held a 47-40 edge. ... Millersburg will be back on the Tri-Valley League road again Wednesday, visiting Lancaster Country Day. … Newport’s next action comes Thursday night, when the Buffaloes journey to Biglerville. … Before taking the lead for good in the fourth quarter, Shorey’s Buffaloes led only once — with 2:12 to go in the third when Caleb McNeillie buried a trey from the left wing off a Gonzalez kick. McNeillie wound up with just three points. … Dorman, Kolmansberger and Gonzalez fouled out.
THEY SAID IT
(Jones on needing a result) “It’s really important. We know we can keep ourselves even with any team, but this is a good win to get things started. Now we can take our deep breath and get back on the right track.”
(Jones on a first half during which the Buffs were rushing things offensively, taking quick shots, turning the ball over) “We just had to take a deep breath [at halftime]. We were getting ahead of ourselves, we weren’t working and we weren’t playing team basketball like we can. We need to play the way we need to play here. We can’t play the way someone else wants us to play.”
(Jones on Newport’s fourth-quarter spurt) “Once we got the lead, we started to have confidence in ourselves. We were doing the right things at the right time instead of rushing ourselves.”
(Wingard on his club’s inability to hit free throws) “It looks like we don’t practice.”
(Wingard on letting the lead slip away) “We have a young team, we need to learn how to finish. At times, we’re like a young bull going 100 miles per hour like there’s no tomorrow. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
(Wingard on Keiter) “He’s a true Charles Barkley. He’s so quick off his feet, it’s a wonder how he does it. But it works for him.”
(Shorey on the Buffaloes’ first-half struggles) “Early on, we weren’t moving our feet so we went to a zone. They did a nice job running their zone offense.”
(Shorey on Jones and Gonzalez) “Marcus was steady. Alex was great the whole game. Even when he had to come out with fouls, he came back out and his energy level never changed.”
(Shorey on the free-throw shooting) “We shot 19-for-24, they were 13-for-31. That was the difference right there. We made our free throws when we needed to down the stretch.”
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