Stockaders hold off Calvert's rally, grab rivalry win

Old Fort played an impressive third quarter to grab a 47-38 lead at rival Calvert Saturday night. But after the Senecas made a furious charge in the fourth to tie things up at 55 with 3:51 left in the contest, the Stockaders allowed only three more points in a key SBC River win, 65-58.Isaac Gallagher (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Grant Havens (14 points, 11 rebounds) both produced double-doubles to lead four players in double figures in a must-win victory for the Stockaders."I didn't tell the kids before the game, but in my mind – I know it's real early – just the nature of the league this year, this was a must-win," Old Fort coach Eric Hoover said. "Coming off a loss the other day, I really felt like it was. We talked after the game and they were thinking the same thing."We came in with the intensity to get it done. Losing Henry (Beisner) hurt us because he was playing well early, but other guys stepped in like Colten (Hoerig) and the same thing with Trevor (Gillmor). We did a much better job handling pressure tonight that we didn't do Thursday and we found a way to close out a game like we didn't in Game 1. It's good to get that feeling and figuring out how to do it because some of these guys are new varsity players. It was great to see us do it in a huge win."Calvert (1-2, 1-1 SBC River) came out with great energy on both ends of the floor, especially on defense, holding the Stockaders to only nine first-quarter points.Calvert held a 24-19 lead after a free throw from Logan Ritzler midway through the second quarter but then the Stockaders went on a quick 7-0 run capped by a thunderous dunk from six-foot-7 Beisner as Old Fort took a lead. But after a 3-pointer from Grady Otterbacher and then a response from deep on the other end from Dimitri Carter, Calvert's Drew Meyer splashed a jumper to end the half, giving the Senecas a slight 31-29 edge.However, that momentum surely didn't carry over into the second half as Old Fort (2-2, 2-1) began the third on an 11-0 run as Hoerig, Carter and Brock Hull all nailed a trey and Gallagher made a layup as the Stockaders led 40-31. Overall, it was an 18-6 third quarter in favor of the Stockaders."We didn't play very high-IQ basketball and that's something we talk about all the time," Senecas coach Jon Otterbacher said. "We need to do a better job of keeping them focused and mentally prepared at all times. They did a great job overpowering us on rebounds (37-23 OF advantage on the glass). I think we didn't look aggressive to box out and we allowed them to get into our body to get control of the positioning and they manhandled us on rebounding down there."We had a nice comfortable eight-point lead in the second quarter and we decided to keep wanting to foul, which led to having to substitute in some of the younger kids, but in the long run of the game it was the missed layups and giving up the offensive rebounds that costed us the game."Ritzler did everything he could to keep Calvert in the game late as he tallied 13 points in each half, but 11 of his game-high 26 came in the fourth to pull his team back in it. However, down the stretch the Stockaders did all they could to get the ball out of his hands, which led to just three points in the last 3:50 of the game from the Senecas on a Grady Otterbacher triple. In that time, Old Fort's Gallagher had four points, Gillmor swished a 3-pointer and OF made some free throws.Hull and Carter each recorded 11 points for the Stockaders, while Beisner – who left with an ankle injury – and Hoerig each ended with six apiece."I thought the mental toughness was great because the way they came back some people might panic or even fold, but we stayed calm," Hoover said. "I think they tied it there late, but we got clutch baskets when we needed them. We made the plays when we needed them tonight. It was a great team win."Otterbacher dropped in nine points, while Logan DeMoss and Vincenzo Lyons both added eight for the Senecas."We have to get tougher, we gotta get smarter and just better overall," coach Otterbacher said after the loss. "Coming down and not knowing what you see in front of you offensively and defensively, we've got to be smarter and know what our job is. As coaches we have to prepare them better. "If there's things out there they're not prepared for that's definitely on us coaches and we have to get them ready in practice and button down some things to get more mentally tough and more aware." Old Fort 65, Calvert 58Old Fort (2-2, 2-1 SBC River): Trevor Gillmor 1-0-2; Isaac Gallgher 5-5-15; Brock Hull 4-0-11; Grant Havens 6-1-14; Dimitri Carter 3-3-11; Henry Beisner 3-0-6; Colten Hoerig 2-1-6. Totals: 24-10-65.Calvert (1-2, 1-1): Grady Otterbacher 3-0-9; Logan Ritzler 9-5-26; Emman Moreno 0-0-0; Max Herbert 2-0-5; Tucker Coleman 0-0-0; Drew Meyer 1-0-2; Logan DeMoss 3-2-8; Jacob Rishty 0-0-0; Vincenzo Lyons 4-0-8. Totals: 22-7-58.Old Fort&emsp;&emsp;9&emsp;&emsp;20&emsp;&emsp;18&emsp;&emsp;18&emsp;&emsp;– 65Calvert&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;13&emsp;&emsp;18&emsp;&emsp;6&emsp;&emsp;20&emsp;&emsp;– 583-point goals: Old Fort 7-20 (Hull 3, Carter 2, Hoerig, Havens); Calvert 7-18 (Ritzler 3, Otterbacher 3, Herbert)Foul shots: Old Fort 10-17; Calvert 7-10Rebounds: Old Fort 37 (Havens 11); Calvert 23Turnovers: Old Fort 9, Calvert 12