Comeback falls short

COLDWATER - The third quarter was not kind to Coldwater.

The Cavalier offense went flat as Kenton matched its first half scoring output in the third quarter alone and looked poised to make it a rough evening for the homestanding Cavs.

A fourth-quarter comeback allowed Coldwater to get back to within two points, but Kenton hit free throws down the stretch to get the 50-45 win at on Friday night at the Palace.

Coldwater had a strong defensive effort, holding Kenton to 15 points in the first half while struggling a bit on offense in its own right with the Cavaliers holding a 17-15 halftime lead.

But in the third quarter, Kenton found a spark. Ethan Yoder tied the game at 17-all two minutes into the second half, sparking a 10-0 run. Colby Quay and Yoder provided the bulk of the points in the run as the Wildcats led 25-17 as Coldwater coach Nick Fisher called for a timeout. When the horn sounded to end the third quarter, Kenton had a 33-20 lead thanks to an 18-3 run.

"I thought we got really flat offensively," said Fisher. "Some of it was recognition and getting enough reps in with some of the offensive sets we run. (Kenton) got us on our heels, forcing bad passes and turning the ball over. They also hit some big shots."

The Cavaliers needed a spark in the fourth quarter, and got it immediately from Mason Welsch, who knocked down a 3-pointer, 2-pointer and two free throws on the Cavaliers' first three possessions of the final stanza. That helped the Cavaliers began to clawed their way at the Kenton lead. Welsch's bucket with 2:29 remaining made it 41-39.
After a Wildcat turnover, Baylen Blockberger knocked down a pair of free throws to get Coldwater to within two at 41-39 with 2:21 to play.

"It's growing pains. Guys playing together who have never played together, plus some injuries," said Fisher. "Mason's effort was huge. I thought Justin Kaup did a good job on the boards and did a good job defensively. Curtis Duerr did a good job defensively. There's a lot of positives."

The Wildcats used the foul line to push their lead margin back into a comfortable range. Yoder Dawson Miller and Tyson Lawrence combined to go 9-of-12 from the charity stripe over the final 2:06 of the game to keep the Cavaliers at bay.

"Defensively, I was proud of our effort throughout the night," said Fisher. "We just need to try and clean some things up offensively."

Welsch finished with 17 points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Kaup and Blade Buschur each finished with seven points with Kaup pulling down 16 rebounds.

Yoder paced Kenton (1-1) with 21 points.

Coldwater (0-1) looks to pick up its first win today when the Cavaliers travel to Shelby County to face Jackson Center as part of a freshmen/JV/varsity tripleheader.