3-headed monster combines for 63 points in big Calvert victory

The offensive trio of Grady Otterbacher, Logan Ritzler and Vincenzo Lyons made the shots rain in when Calvert needed it the most.It was the perfect tournament tune-up and a victory that was desperately needed.Calvert slammed the door shut on Sandusky St. Mary's hopes of a Sandusky Bay Conference River Division title as the Senecas defeated the Panthers 71-63 on Saturday."I thought game plan and execution wise, we came out prepared and focused," Senecas coach Jon Otterbacher said. "We got out to that early lead."The first quarter started off hot for the Senecas (12-7, 8-4) with Lyons scoring the Senecas' first seven points of the game between two back-to-back baskets and converting an and-one all within the first minute and a half of the game."It was a great battle and very physical and pesky," Lyons said. "We had to match the physicality and finish around the rim and take care of business. In practice we talked about being able to knock them off the SBC title with the game and I think we were fired up. We hadn't played them all year and we wanted to show them that we can take care of business."Grady Otterbacher then scored a triple to make it 10-0 with 5:39 on the clock."What worked was we were pacing it and were waiting to get a shot," Grady Otterbacher said. "We didn't rush anything and shots started falling. We started scoring and we played way better."After an SMCC timeout, Lyons stole the ball from the Panthers and passed it to Otterbacher, who made a shot, widening the gap to 15-3 with 3:40 on the clock.By the end of the quarter, it was 19-11."I thought Lyons had a great night," SMCC coach Kyle Hammond said. "He finished around the hoop well and was the biggest difference in the game. We struggled to stop him."But the second half is where the Senecas showcased what they had."In the third quarter, we had a brief moment where we lost focus, but our boys executed and played hard," coach Otterbacher said. "We made all of our free throws down the stretch and that's what helped us win."The Panthers (16-4, 10-3) capitalized on the brief loss of focus from the Senecas.Blake Finneran followed a Cullan Dillard basket to convert his basket into a three and the score 46-45.Calvert's response was going to the charity stripe with Tucker Coleman. He split the pair and tied the game up at 46.Sam Lawrence knocked down a buzzer-beating basket putting the Panthers ahead for the first time all game, 48-46.On the opening possession of the fourth quarter, Ritzler drew a foul and knocked down both of his shots, tying the game at 48.The Senecas made seven more trips to the free throw line, and didn't miss any of the 14 shots.Sixteen of the 25 points that the Senecas got in the quarter were free throws.SMCC's response came from Cayden Wikel as he scored in the paint on a layup, making it 50-48.Otterbacher saw an opportunity to put the Senecas back on top with 5:19 on the clock as he nailed a triple making it 51-50.Ritzler drilled a trey from the top of the arc right after a Senecas timeout.Otterbacher then floated a 3-pointer putting SMCC back into a hole, 57-50, with 4:10 remaining."The key for us to deal with Cayden (Wikel) and Blake (Finneran) was just staying down and being fundamental," Grady Otterbacher said. "Don't let them get easy shots and if they did get a look, make them make a bad shot. Make them make mistakes."In between Calvert's trips to the charity stripe is when SMCC scored its points for the quarter."We knew that when we had that lead that they had to come get us, and they had to ramp up their pressure," coach Otterbacher said. "We had to make sure we were solid in our plays and being disciplined fundamentally with the ball. Nothing was going to come easy, especially with how they played defense with the ball and we knocked down enough to push the lead up and they weren't able to catch up."Otterbacher ended the game with 24 points, Ritzler with 20 points and then Lyons with 19 points."We are balanced to begin with, but when we have three people that are near 20 points, that shows the depth that we have," coach Otterbacher said. "The three scorers are more of a three-headed monster that fed off of each other and the ball was passed around for open shots, and we didn't miss a free throw down the stretch, which is going to carry us."With tournament draws on Sunday for the boys Divisions III-VII, that's where the Senecas focus currently is."We need this type of effort at all times," coach Otterbacher said. "These last three games, we have been really focused and even in practices and being dynamic and that's the type of effort that will help us be ready for the tournament.As for the team's goals, Lyons summed it up perfectly."Hopefully a district title," Lyons said. "We have to keep bringing the intensity every day and support each other. Have a brotherhood and camaraderie and keep winning these big games coming up."Added Grady Otterbacher:"We are looking forward to whoever we get and making a deep tournament run." Calvert 71, Sandusky St. Mary 63SANDUSKY ST. MARY (16-4, 10-3): Jack Davis 1-0-2, Cayden Wikel 7-2-22, Blake Finneran 4-5-15, Sam Lawrence 1-0-2, Leo Will 1-0-2, Trace Smith 1-0-2, Cullen Dillard 2-0-4, Jackson Grimm 2-1-5, Gabe Burch 2-4-9 TOTALS: 21-12-63CALVERT (12-7, 8-4): Grady Otterbacher 6-8-24, Logan Ritzler 5-8-20, Tucker Coleman 0-2-2, Logan DeMoss 0-6-6, Vincenzo Lyons 8-3-19 TOTALS: 19-27-71SMCC 11 15 22 15 –63Calvert 19 9 18 25 –71Three-Point Goals: SMCC 9 (Wikel 6, Finneran 2, Burch); Calvert 6 (Otterbacher 4, Ritzler 2)Rebounds: SMCC 40 (Wikel 15); Calvert 23 (Lyons 7)Free Throws: SMCC 12-15; Calvert 27-33Turnovers: SMCC 5; Calvert 3