Trojans open up sharp against Defiance

Jim Rucki thought about moving the basketball season back a week.He's glad that he didn't.Findlay tied a single-game school record by making 14 3-pointers, shot a sizzling 65 percent overall and posted its highest scoring game since January of 2019 in rolling to an 84-61 win over Defiance on Friday in the boys basketball season opener for both teams."A lot of schools that lost in the same round (of the football playoffs) as we did moved their first week of games back. I didn't want to do that," Rucki said."I wrestled with the whole thing. I was worried because you just don't know how things are going to go that first game, coming in after only a few practices, then playing a team that beat you last year, and them having all those guys back who beat us last year when they were sophomores."It doesn't matter how old you are as far as getting into basketball shape. At least the mental part of it, our guys, the guys coming off the football field, they know our system."Junior guard Jake Bishop connected on five of his seven 3-point attempts and pumped in 25 points to lead Findlay. Senior guard Max Roth, a four-year starter for the Trojans, had 18 points and 6-foot-6 wing Brock Makrancy, 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, had 16."We have multiple guys who can make shots," Rucki said after Findlay put up the most points in a game since a 92-67 win over Ottawa-Glandorf on Jan. 12 of 2019, and tied the record for 3-pointers set in a Feb. 16, 2018 game against Lima Senior."We've been harping on that for years as far as getting guys to work (on their shooting) in the off season. Even when we had Ryan Roth (205 career 3-pointers, 2016-19) and R.J. Nunn (112 3's, 1,119 career points, 2016-19) we didn't really have that third guy that was going to make 20 3's that year, or that fourth guy that was going to make 15 .... This year we might."Cayden Zachrich, a 6-foot-6 junior, led Defiance with 20 points. Bradyn Shawn had 19 and Isaac Schlatter 10.Defiance, 15-9 a year ago, came out as hot as Findlay. The Bulldogs made 5-of-6 3-pointers in the first quarter and 13-of-19 shots overall in the first half in matching the Trojans run for run and basket for basket. When Zachrich drained a 3-pointer with 2:26 left in half, the game was tied 30-30.Bishop drove inside and scored for Findlay, then had a lay-up on a Max Roth assist following a turnover. Zachrich hit again for Defiance, a 2 this time. But in the final minute of the half Terrion Ross nailed a 3, Makrancy followed with another, and Max Roth beat the buzzer with a fast-break lay-up after a Justin Roth steal."I was really, really happy the way we came out," said second-year Defiance coach Bryn Lehman."I was happy with our offensive execution. I thought we shot with a lot of confidence and usually you don't see teams come out that red hot, not at the beginning of the year."After ending the first half on a 12-2 run, Findlay started the second with two more that pretty much put it out of reach.Caleb Mueller converted back-to-back offensive rebounds and Makrancy and Max Roth dropped in 3-pointers during an 11-6 burst that put the Trojans up 53-38. They followed that with a 12-6 run, with all 12 points coming on 3-pointers by Bishop (2), Max Roth and Makrancy."Findlay does such a good job of executing and they are so strong physically," Lehman said. "They have guys that can attack and penetrate. It's a tough matchup, a really tough guard."Max (Roth) is still their superstar. But they have multiple guys that can make plays. I've said it a few times in the past few weeks, I think they're going to be more dangerous this year because they're going to be more balanced.""We all have a sense of how to score, how to get open, how to get other people open for shots," Max Roth said."For our first game, and having about a week of practice, I think it went really well. We realize we have to come together as a team, find different ways to contribute and find ways to win. If we can control that, we can be pretty good.""This group of guys, they know how to play the game," Rucki said."I'm trying to force myself to, you know, loosen the reins a little bit, let them do some things. Sometimes I might have to live with some mistakes or some shots I might think are questionable. But I have to put some responsibility in their hands, because they know how to play."Findlay outrebounded Defiance 32-18 with Javonte Hill, a 6-0 sophomore, snaring seven rebounds, Mueller, a 6-3 senior, six and Sam Weihrauch four. The Trojans played an amazingly clean floor game, turning the ball over just twice."If we're talking about only two turnovers next week after we play Lima (Senior), I'll be happy," Rucki said, referencing Findlay opponent next Friday.Despite all the pluses from Friday's opener, there were some concerns. Findlay converted just 4-of-12 free throws, and had a scary moment in the first quarter when 6-6 junior Luke Montgomery, who is expected to be a major offensive, defensive and rebounding force this season, took an errant blow to the head. Bleeding profusely from the wound, Montgomery headed the locker room and never returned to the game."It would have been nice to get Luke even 10 minutes," Rucki said of Montgomery, a highly recruited offensive lineman who saw varsity action his freshman year before missing his sophomore season with an injury."We were hoping to get him back on the court, back to playing basketball but he was out there maybe a minute before he got hurt."In Friday's preliminary, Luke Weihrauch scored 20 points, Will Cordonnier 10 and Ryan Montgomery nine as Findlay's junior varsity beat Defiance 55-48 to give Austin Gardner his first win as Findlay High's new JV coach.DEFIANCE (0-1)Shaw 7-12 1-2 19, Frederick 0-1 0-0 0, Jimenez 3-5 0-0 6, Schlatter 4-7 0-0 10, Zachrich 8-15 1-2 20, Kiessling 101 0-0 3, Mitchell 0-2 0-0 0, Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Lopez 1-1 0-0 3. TOTALS: 24-44 2-4—61FINDLAY (1-0)J. Roth 2-6 0-1 4, M. Roth 7-13 1-2 18, Bishop 10-12 0-1 25, Mueller 2-3 0-1 4, Makrancy 6-10 0-0 16, Ross 2-3 1-3 6, S. Weihrauch 2-3 1-2 5, Hill 2-2 1-2 6, L. Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0, Ritzler 0-0 0-0 0, Crutcher 0-0 0-0 0, L. Weihrauch 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 8-3—21.Defiance 19 13 20 8—61Findlay 20 22 26 16—843-Point GOALS: Defiance 11-23 (Shaw 4-8, Kiessling 1-1, Jimenez 0-2, Schlatter 2-4, Zachrich 3-7, Lopez 1-1); Findlay 14-22 (J. Roth 0-1, M. Roth 3-7, Bishop 5-7, Makrancy 4-5, Ross 1-1, Hill 1-1).REBOUNDS: Defiance 18 (Schlatter 4, Zachrich 4); Findlay 32 (Hill 7, Muelelr 4, S. Weihrauch 4).TURNOVERS: Defiance 6; Findlay 2.JUNIOR VARSITY: Findlay, 55-48.