Top-ranked Irish have big second half, top Trojans

FINDLAY – Findlay High's boys basketball team faced a No.1-ranked team on Tuesday.And after a dead-even first half, that team showed how –and why – it got to be ranked No. 1.Toledo Central Catholic followed a lackluster second quarter with a lights-out second half, putting up 49 points in the third and fourth quarters in rolling to an 80-57 win over Findlay in a nonleague matchup between the former Three Rivers Athletic Conference rivals."I wasn't too fired up. We just said we have to do what we do every day in practice," Central Catholic coach Mike Floyd said of his halftime advice to his players."We had to be better on the defensive end and that's a credit to Findlay. So, coming out of the half, we picked up the pressure and got some easy ones. That got us started."After turning the ball over just six times the entire first half, Findlay turned it over eight times in the first six minutes of the third quarter against an aggressive, quick-handed TCC defense. Manny Johnson, a 6-foot-2 guard headed to Eastern Michigan on a basketball scholarship, scored eight points and 6-7 senior Kaeden Carruthers had seven during a fast-breaking, slam-dunking, 20-2 third-quarter blitz that quickly erased any memory of the 31-31 tie at the half."I wasn't pleased on our press break. When they started going full court, we could have done a better job of screening and helping each other out," said FHS coach Ryan Grose"I would have liked to avoid the turnovers that led to easy baskets. If you're turning it over, that's one thing. But turning it over for lay-ups and dunks on the other end, that's hard to stop."Dre Wardrop led TCC with 129 points. With Findlay sitting in a 2-3 zone, the senior guard drilled four 3-pointers and scored 14 of his 19 points in the first quarter."Obviously, they were going to be a tough matchup for us," Grose said."We knew to have a shot we'd have to play a lot of zone and then No. 2 (Wardrop) got hot early."Wardrop's barrage powered Central Catholic to 22-12 and 24-14 leads in the first quarter. Findlay was about to make some noise of its own, though.Executing well and taking advantage of Central Catholic's aggressive eagerness to overplay the passing lanes, Findlay opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run. Jack Rhoades scored three baskets, mostly on backdoor cuts, with Cam Stechschulte and Luke Crates scoring opportunistic baskets as well.Central Catholic answered with a brief run, but Blade Wendt scored twice in transition. TCC worked the clock, nursing a 31-29 lead and looking for the last shot of the half.Findlay's double-teaming defense came up with a steal, though, and Stechschulte's lay-up just before the buzzer sent the teams into the break dead even at 31."I was really pleased with our effort and focus," Grose said."Holding (TCC) to 31 points, we did a really good job of being patient with the basketball and executing."Central Catholic went more to an inside game in the second half, where its height and athleticism paid off in offensive rebounds and second chance points. With Carruthers and Johnson combining for 15 points, the Irish outscored Findlay 26-9 in the third quarter and capped the game with a 23-17 advantage in the fourth."They wore on us in the second half. You could see our guys were getting a little fatigued," Grose said."(TCC) was able to pick things up and get the pace they wanted."Cayden Kynard scored 18 points and Johnson had 17. Carruthers had a 13-point 11-rebound double-double for the Irish. "We have some talented kids," Floyd said."We were kind of thinking, like, who's night is it going to be. Tonight it just so happened they were all clicking."Rhoades had a big game for Findlay. The 6-5 senior, who has become especially strong at driving to the basket, did that against Central Catholic and put up 20 points.Wendt added 10 points, Marcus Bishop nine and Stechschulte eight for the Trojans, who travel to Toledo Whitmer on Friday for an NLL-Buckeye Division matchup with the Panthers."We have to get back to work, watch film, get back in the gym and see what we need to do better," Grose said."We're going to see a lot of similar situations, so we need to make sure we're prepared." TOL. C.C (16-3)Johnson 7-11 3-3 17, Wardrop 7-12 0-0 19, Lawson 0-2 4-4 4, Kynard 6-11 4-4 18, Carruthers 5-8 3-3 13, Langford 0-1 0-0 0, Todorowski 1-2 0-0 2, Sito 3-4 0-0 7, Harrison 1-4 0-0 2. TOTALS: 30-55 12-12—80.FINDLAY (7-13)Wendt 4-8 0-1 10, Crates 1-2 0-0 2, Bishop 3-8 1-2 9, Rhoades 9-12 2-3 20, McKanna 1-4 4-4 6, Drew 1-4 0-0 2, Thompson 0-0 0-0 0, Whitaker 0-0 0-0 0, Stechschulte 4-4 0-0 8, Gruenemeyer 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 23-43 7-9—57.Tol. C.C. 24 7 26 23—80Findlay 14 17 9 17—573-POINT GOALS: Toledo Central Catholic 8-21 (Johnson 0-3, Wardrop 5-10, Langford 0-1, Lawson 0-1, Kynard 2-5, Sito 1-1); Findlay 4-12 (Wendt 2-5, Bishop 2-6, Rhoades 0-1).REBOUNDS: Toledo Central Catholic 27 (Carruthers 10); Findlay 24 (Bishop 5, Drew 4, McKanna 3, ).TURNOVERS: Toledo Central Catholic 8; Findlay 17.JUNIOR VARSITY: Findlay, 54-38.FRESHMAN: Findlay, 40-37, OT