(December 4th, 2014) – EDON: Nine players contributed to the Locomotive scoring effort in the team’s victory against Edon Thursday night.
Nine of them.
The Bombers had just six boys see significant time throughout the game, with five of them registering points in the contest. With just two player actively participating in the game off the bench, Edon understandably had a difficult time matching Montpelier’s consistent energy level. Fatigue played a large part in this development, as the boys of Edon, who seemed evenly match with the Locos in the early minutes of the game, couldn’t keep pace when Montpelier began to pull away.
Though it felt like the Bombers were about to go on a run several times in the match-up with their visitors from the North Western Ohio Athletic League, Montpelier always had an answer to counter. A different Locomotive player would hit a basket, or force a turnover, or make a big defensive stand. There was constantly someone there to disrupt the hometown Bombers’ efforts to fight their way back into the game.
By halftime, The Locomotive boys had already begun to pull away. They held a 26-17 lead at that point in the game, due in large part to a second quarter that saw them score 16 points, while holding Edon to just 8. In the second half, Montpelier was able to extend their lead by 4 more points, claiming a 47-34 road victory in their first game of the season.
Michael Blake, a sophomore, led Montpelier with 12 points, half of which came on 2 successful three-point attempts. Also knocking down a three for the Locos was Kyrin Schuman, who produced 8 points in the game. All 6 of Jacob Leung’s points came from behind the arc as well. Both Nate McCord and Dalton Surbey also generated 6 points Senior Cody Caudill added 4 points to the Locomotive total.
Edon looked to junior Landon Bloir for their scoring. The junior was a presence inside, earning most of his 11 points in the paint. Alex Kirkingburg offered 10 points to the Bomber cause, all of which came in the first half. Foul trouble may have limited the aggressiveness of his play, however. Braden Miller and Brayden Bauer each added 5 points to the Edon score, with Bauer hitting Edon’s only tree-pointer in the contest. Senior Floyd Young scored 3 points.
Montpelier Coach Taylor Muehlfeld, an Edon alumnus, did a masterful job managing his roster in this game. The Locos seemed to have a fresh five players on the floor all game long, and every boy who saw time had a specific role to play. Against a team like Edon, who, despite being quite talented, lacks the depth to match such a tactic, this greatly increases the chances of victory.
The Bombers themselves appear to be a well coached unit as well. However, they’ll need more production from their bench players if they hope to have a strong season. Programs with deep player reserves from which to tap will simply wear them down otherwise.