MADISON TOWNSHIP — Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon drew up a game-winning play on his dry-erase board with 8.9 seconds left Tuesday night.
His players made it work in a thrilling 52-50 win at Madison in an Oho Cardinal Conference boys’ basketball game.
The Yellow Jackets inbounded the ball at halfcourt and the play’s first option was not available due to the Rams’ defensive work.
Senior Jack Marhefka then tossed a pass to junior Quentin Rowland near the top of the key as the clock wound down.
Rowland then handed the ball back as Madison defenders switched on the screen. Marhekfa drove to the basket with his left hand and laid it in with his right with 1.9 seconds left, sealing the victory.
Fittingly, the 6-foot-2 Marhefka led Mount Vernon with 17 points in the win.
(Below is a video of the game-winning basket Tuesday night for Mount Vernon at Madison.)
“That’s a credit to our kids,” Coon said after the game, a victory that improved his team to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the OCC. “It was a base of what we’ve done, with a little bit of a twist off that, which ended up winning it.
“It was our kids’ execution coming out of the huddle because we had no timeouts let. That’s an unbelievable job by our kids, locking in, taking the board to the court, executing there, making a great read and driving the ball with force and finishing the play in traffic,” Coon said.
The loss dropped the Rams to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the OCC.
Madison rally erases 11-point halftime deficit
At halftime at Madison Junior High School, it didn’t appear Mount Vernon would need a last-second score to win. The Yellow Jackets outscored Madison 22-12 in the second quarter to take a 34-23 lead into the break.
But the Rams stormed back in the third, including the first eight points of the period, to close the gap. A 3-pointer by Eli Lewis tied the game at 41 with 30 seconds left and a triple by Owen Wigton at the buzzer put Madison on top 44-41 going into the fourth.
Asked how he could bottle that kind of 21-7 edge enjoyed in the quarter, Madison coach Chris Armstrong said his young team is still trying to figure that out.
“We have got a lot of new faces, a young team,” Armstrong said. “Right now, we fluctuate. Mature, seasoned, mentally-tough basketball teams learn how to play through some of those (fluctuations).
“We just are not there yet. Our basketball IQ is growing. It’s getting better. The guys are improving. We’re going to go and watch film and figure out why we are so up and down.
“We play some really good stretches of basketball. Then we have some really poor stretches. We have to figure out if it’s lineups or just poor combinations. That’s something to be determined,” Armstrong said.
Mount Vernon clamps down in fourth
The Yellow Jackets stopped the bleeding in the final eight minutes, holding Madison to six points as the Rams committed seven turnovers in the period.
Marhefka scored nine of his points in the fourth quarter, including a traditional 3-point play with 1:36 left to put the Yellow Jackets back on top at 50-49.
“We weren’t very tough with the ball in the third quarter. That led to some run-outs for (Madison),” Coon said.
“Fortunately, our kids came out of the quarter break and responded. We held them to six points in the fourth quarter on their home floor after after a big quarter that they had, and they had the momentum.
“I am really proud of our kids’ effort, refocusing and locking in and responding in a positive way in that fourth quarter,” he said.
Senior Andrew Burke supported Marhefka, finishing with 14 points.
Madison junior Cameron Kuhn led Madison with 17 points. Sophomore Justin McCraney added 11.
Both teams face big OCC challenges Friday
Neither Mount Vernon nor Madison get a break on Friday.
The Yellow Jackets host Mansfield Senior (1-2, 1-1) as the Tygers look to rebound from a 70-45 loss at home Tuesday night to unbeaten Lexington (4-0, 2-0).
Madison travels to Lexington on Friday night.
Coon said it’s a matter of improving every day.
“It’s important whether we are in the film rom, the weight room or on the floor that we are constantly improving.
“We know our margin of error is not very big. So anytime we can gain understanding, gain strength and gain skill is huge. So we have got to use the next few days to do those things and to prepare,” Coon said.
Armstrong echoed Coon’s thoughts on the conference.
“This league is so good. I think Coach Coon does a phenomenal job. I think Mount Vernon always plays hard. West Holmes always plays hard, really competes.
“So I think our guys are just going to have to learn how to hold the rope. Keep pulling. We just can’t have those stretches where we turn the ball over … a number of times in a row where we take tough shots.
“We’ve got to be tough enough to take care of the basketball and not settle for mediocre shots. Get something good,” Armstrong said.
(Below are photos from the Mount Vernon at Madison game on Tuesday night.)
