VIKING ROAD WIN … Blade Walker snaps off a baseline jumper in a 59-52 Evergreen win at Edon. (PHOTOS BY RICH HARDING / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
EDON (February 6, 2024) – Tuesday night non-league basketball games are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.
For much of the first quarter, Evergreen coach Jerry Keifer got the disliked and sometimes downright yuck out of a fruit filled piece scoring just a single point in five minutes plus.
That lousy taste did an about face to the succulent caramel filled treat as the Vikings romp on a 40-13 run on their way to a 59-52 win over Edon.
While Evergreen misfired from the field and committed a pair of turnovers, Briggs Gallahue hit two field goals including a deep triple and Cohen Hulbert added two more to race the Bombers to a 9-3 lead with 2:40 left in the first.
High flying Tyson Woodring converted Eli Keifer’s lob for the first Evergreen field goal with 2:10 left to start a long barrage of Viking points.
Troy Manz came off the bench to drill a triple and score off a putback to get Evergreen within a point at the end of the quarter at 13-12.
Then Keifer and Woodring scored all 21 of the Vikings second quarter points to give them a comfortable halftime lead at 33-22.
Keifer hit a pair of baseline floaters and two long range bombs while Woodring nailed a three-pointer and scored off his own steal to key the burst.
Ryder Hudik’s steal, one of 16 Evergreen thefts on the night, and feed to Keifer late in the half gave the VIkings their largest first half margin at 33-20.
Drew Gillen’s swipe and score along with two more Keifer triples bumped the Evergreen lead to 41-22 early in the third.
LATE GAME PUSH … Edon’s Max Radabaugh had nine points for the Bombers, who cut a double-digit Evergreen lead down to just four points before falling short.
Max Radabaugh’s seven late third quarter points helped the Bombers get back to within 47-35 heading into the fourth but keifer’s fifth three-ball and a Manz steal, and score put the Vikings up 54-37 with 5:33 left.
“The second and third quarters we increased our intensity a little bit,” coach Keifer said after. “And it was chippy which helps. It’s easy to play a little harder when it’s chippy out there.”
“We took a lead going into halftime and I thought the third quarter was probably our best quarter of the night. We came out with a lot of energy and got our hands on the basketball a lot defensively, that pretty much was the difference.”
Edon made a late run when the Viking (13-4) starters went to the bench as Galllahue scored eight points to slice the lead to 56-52 before Keifer and Blade Walker re-entered the game to convert 3-4 late free throws to hold off the Bombers.
Keifer’s 28 led all scorers while Woodring chipped in with 10 and had seven assists and five of Evergreen’s 16 steals. Gillen pulled down 14 rebounds.
Gallahue led Edon (4-14) with 20 and Hulbert had 14.
EVERGREEN (59) – Manz 9; Keifer 28; Woodring 10; Hudik; Spradlin 0; Vaculik 0; Ruetz 2; Gillen 3; Walker 4; Dunbar 3; Mounts 3; Totals: 12-7-14 – 59
EDON (52) – Chrisman 2; Steinke 0; Radabaugh 9; Owens 0; Trausch 7; Gallehue 20; Hulbert 14; Reed 0; Totals: 16-4-8 – 52
EVERGREEN 12 21 14 12 – 59
EDON 13 9 13 17 – 52
JUNIOR VARSITY: Evergreen 57, Edon 20
