A star player goes down, and others step up.
That's how all coaches draw it up when these worst-case scenarios develop, but it's often easier said than done.
However, at Middletown, Chris Sattele's Blue Raiders are following through – at least through the first two games – in absence of senior leading scorer Trent Zimmerman.
They're doing it with defense, with offensive balance, and with crisp teamwork, all of which was on display Friday night in a 45-26 Mid-Penn Capital victory over visiting Camp Hill.
CLICK HERE FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM VICKI VELLIOS BRINER
Zimmerman currently sits with a shoulder injury, the severity of which is still unknown. The talented guard averaging 20 points per game has missed the last two games, both decisive Middletown (6-9, 4-4) triumphs.
Sophomore point guard Ladhellis Charleston has really stepped his game up, following a career-best 22 points in the team's previous win over Susquenita with a game-high 12 points Friday night vs. the Lions (9-6, 3-5).
Junior Nick Drawbaugh added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Melvin Fager also scored 11 for the Blue Raiders, who held Camp Hill scoreless in the first quarter and limited Lions star Deshawn Williams to seven points, 11 below his season average.
“I was happy all around,” Sattele said. “Defensively we did a great job. Offensively we ran our stuff and had eight guys contribute, so it was a great team effort.”
Camp Hill couldn't buy a bucket in the early going. The scoreless first quarter featured 11 misses from the field and four misses from the free-throw line.
Overall, the Lions missed their first 16 shots. Their first points came via two Matt Harrell free throws in the first minute of the second quarter, their first field goal a full 12:35 into the game on a Paul Fetrow layup.
“Our energy level wasn't high when we started, and theirs was,” said Camp Hill coach Wayne Fletcher, whose team lost 55-52 to Middletown in this season's first meeting behind 32 points from Zimmerman. “And we just couldn't get started. That was the bottom line.”
The Blue Raiders, ahead only 8-0 after one quarter, began finding its offensive rhythm in the second quarter with four different players hitting 3-pointers in the frame: Charleston, Drawbaugh and reserves Dylan Danolowicz and J.C. Cleckner.
The halftime edge was 27-11, and it only got worse in the second half.
“We accomplished a lot in this game,” said Charleston, who added three assists. “Losing [Zimmerman to an injury], we had to come back, battle hard and get a win. A lot of players have to step up, play a role and keep us in games.”
Said Drawbaugh of the defense: “We just rotated well. We hit our bench hard, and they really stepped up on defense, too.”
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO INTERVIEWS WITH CHARLESTON AND DRAWBAUGH
Overall the Lions finished just 16 percent from the floor (7-for-43) and missed all 14 3-point attempts. A 12-for-28 effort at the line didn't help matters. Williams' seven points led, though he barely played in the second half.
“I definitely want to forget about this,” Fletcher said. “We played our young guys, our freshmen, toward the end and they played really hard. We at least wanted to end the game building on something positive. Everything else about the game I want to forget about.”
Fager and Jared Truesdale added six rebounds for Middletown, and Cody Fox dished out a game-high five assists.
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