Last Tuesday night at Tipton High School, the Russellville Indians and the Jamestown Eagles squared off in the first round of the 2021 Tipton Boys Basketball Tournament.
It was a game that had a little bit of everything, but in the end, it was Russellville who came away with the 58-38 win.
Last week's game would be the 15th contest between Russellville and Jamestown since 2012. Jamestown had won 11 of the previous 14 meetings, including two wins at the Tipton Tournament in 2018-19. Now, the two teams met yet again in Tipton, with Russellville as the No. 4 seed and Jamestown as the No. 5 seed.
The game began with both teams going to a man-to-man defense, which quickly played into Jamestown's hands. The Eagles had a smaller team, which meant it was a little easier for the Eagles to run the floor and beat their bigger defenders off the dribble. The Eagles attacked the baseline and were able to get to the rim for a shot or a pass, and it caused problems for the Indians.
But soon, another problem surfaced for Russellville as the Eagles began to knock down their three-pointers and pressured the Indians with a full-court man-to-man press. Eagles head coach Caleb Thomas told his team Russellville would turn the ball over and make mistakes if they are pressured and that Russellville's pressure defense was "fake pressure."
After both teams fought to a tie at 14 in the first quarter, Russellville head coach Greg Koetting made a big adjustment going into the second. Koetting changed his defense from a man-to-man to a 2-1-2 zone defense. The goal of the zone defense was to take away the baseline and make it easier to grab rebounds. Koetting's strategy paid off as the Eagles lost their driving lanes and were limited to the perimeter. The Eagles' first field goal of the second quarter wouldn't come until 3:42 left in the period.
With Jamestown neutralized on offense, Russellville moved in to take command and used their advantages in rebounding to propel themselves into the lead. With juniors Alex Oligschleager and Bryce Bryant leading the way with their rebounding and points, Russellville outscored Jamestown 17-6 in the second quarter and led 31-20 at the half.
As the second half began, Jamestown looked to claw their way back into the game by relying on their own stubborn defense. Picking up the pressure on their full-court press, the Eagles forced the Indians to play at a faster pace and force the ball. Within minutes, Jamestown fought back to only trail by five.
It wasn't just the defense that helped Jamestown in the third quarter. Twin brothers Bradley and Evan Schoenthal, both seniors, also provided a lift with their shooting and rebounding. Bradley Schoenthal was the greatest scoring concern for the Indians coming into the game -- he hit two threes in the third quarter, which gave the Eagles a fighting chance.
Russellville managed to take a nine-point lead going into the fourth quarter. However, though they had tried to break down Jamestown's full-court press all game, it was to no avail. Koetting devised a change in the Indians' press-breaker offense and it involved helping the ball handler. The change proved to be a difference-maker for Russellville, and they found the momentum they had been searching for. Using that momentum, Russellville made key play after key play in the fourth quarter and managed to pull away for the win.
For the Indians, Alex Oligschleager had 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. Bryce Bryant scored 11 points, along with 10 rebounds and two blocks. Senior guard Charlie Miller, who had averaged almost 20 points per game before last Tuesday, scored just 8 points. But Miller also chipped in for Russellville's win with four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Koetting said he was satisfied with the end result, but he admitted his team could've played better. As a team, the Indians shot 56 percent from the field, but only 25 percent from the three-point line and 53 percent from the foul line.
"We didn't play our best basketball tonight. We have a lot of things to clean up. But sometimes, even when you don't play well, you play well enough to win. And that's what happened with us tonight," Koetting said.
On the flip side, Jamestown head coach Caleb Thomas said his team did what they wanted to do from their full-court press. But the Eagles didn't win the battle of the boards, and that ended up being one of the turning points.
"We pride ourselves, at least in practice, on being physical. I think we failed at that today," Thomas said. "Regardless of athletic ability, if you are boxing out and getting after them and putting a body on somebody, sometimes that's enough to wear them down, at least give you a call. A lot of times athleticism does trump that, and tonight was a pretty good case."
Russellville went on to lose to Smithton (5-0) -- the No. 1 seed and eventual tournament champions -- in the semifinals and then lost again to No. 2 seeded Vienna (4-2), finishing in fourth place. Jamestown, meanwhile, defeated Chamois (1-4) in the consolation bracket, then lost to Tipton (2-1) and finished in sixth place.
After the Tipton Tournament, the Indians' record is now 2-3. Their next game is set for Friday night, when they go on the road to take on the Belle Tigers (1-3). The Eagles, meanwhile, move to 1-3 after the tournament. Following a Tuesday game at Stover (2-2), their next game is a home tilt Wednesday against La Monte (1-3).
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes
Russellville junior Charlie Miller (left) pushes the ball after a rebound. Miller scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds last Tuesday night against Jamestown.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes
Jamestown senior Bradley Schoenthal breaks loose for the Russellville defense.
Democrat photo/Evan Holmes
Russellville junior Alex Oligschlaeger scores on a fast break lay-up in the fourth quarter to seal a Russellville victory.