Trending
Normally if you arrive at a high school basketball game during halftime of the JV contest, chances are you'll find a pretty good seat.
However, if you showed up to Friday's Marietta-Warren triple-header during the JV game, you likely were trying to find somewhere to squeeze into the Sutton Gymnasium bleachers -- that's if you found a place to park.
Friday's rivalry matchup, which pitted the top two teams in the Southeast District against one another, had a little bit of everything. Most importantly, it was a great battle between two talented basketball teams, as well as a tremendous atmosphere for the players to compete in. Warren ended up claiming a hard-fought 57-53 victory, avenging a Jan. 13 loss to the Tigers in Vincent.
Both school's student sections deserve major praise -- the Tiger faithful donned all white while Warren's students were decked out in camo. And both sides brought the noise all game long.
Veteran Warren head coach Blane Maddox has seen it all during his career, and even he was impressed with the energy in the building. In fact, he had some advice for people who didn't attend.
"When you've got two really good teams in Washington County, you've got to come and watch," he said. "You can't listen to (WMOA's) Johnny Wharff all the time on the radio and you can't do it out of the newspaper. You've got to come live, or you're really missing an experience."
In terms of the game itself, it was an instant classic. Warren's Julian Stadelman overcame the illness that plagued him all week and put together one of the best performances of his career, a 27-point effort. His long range shooting in the third quarter directed all the momentum in Warren's favor.
There were plenty of standouts in this game.
After missing his first three attempts from beyond the arc, Warren junior Jacob Sealey got an open look with his team down two in the third and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. He drained the shot that put the Warriors up for good.
Sealey also played a major role in guarding Alex Kendall, the Tigers' talented big man. Despite giving up about 10 inches of height, Sealey did an admirable job defensively, with help from teammates Trent Taylor and Chase Lupardus.
"In practice, he's the guy who I don't want guarding me," Taylor said of Sealey. "He gets low. He's strong. He won't back down from a fight. I give him a ton of credit."
At one point during the game, a spectator asked me if Sealey played football. I replied, "Yep, he's the quarterback." The spectator nodded and said, "He's a strong kid."
Elyjah Lieras-Kelley has been a dependable player for Marietta since he became a starter as a sophomore. A strong defender, passer and ball-handler, Lieras-Kelley often looks to set up his teammates rather than score himself. But in the fourth quarter Friday, his team needed a spark.
His 3-pointer at the 6:31 mark got the Tigers back within single digits. After Zaiden Wittekind hit a pair of free throws, Lieras-Kelly scored Marietta's next eight points to cut the deficit to four with 1:25 left.
Keep an eye on Lieras-Kelley down the stretch of the season -- whether he's passing the ball or shooting it, he's a big part of what makes Marietta successful.
3-POINT BARRAGE
It's pretty rare for the Warren Warriors to go an entire game without making a 3, but that's what happened in their 49-44 loss in the first meeting.
Stadelman helped the Warriors get the monkey off their backs when he banked in a 3 late in the first quarter. Then, it was a free-for-all in the third, with Sealey and Connor Barry each hitting one and Stadelman knocking down three of them, one from way downtown.
When I checked my phone between the third and fourth quarters, I had received a text referring to him as "Steph" Stadelman, comparing the Warren junior guard's third-quarter outburst to the greatest long range shooter in NBA history, Steph Curry.
Personally, I was reminded of former Warren star Evan French, who often would catch fire from downtown in big games.
CLUTCH FREE THROWS
In the first matchup with Marietta, Warren went just 12 for 22 (54.5%) from the foul line. In a game decided by five points, 10 missed free throws is pretty significant.
The Warriors looked locked in at the charity stripe Friday, finishing 15 for 21, but more importantly, making 12 of their 14 attempts in the fourth quarter. Warren went 8 for 8 from the line in the final minute -- any misses in that stretch opens the door for Marietta to complete a comeback.
Warren displayed poise under pressure and in a hostile environment, which will be a great quality to have come tournament time.
ROAD WARRIORS
Maddox takes pride in how his team plays on the road, crediting the program's defensive philosophies as the reason they're able to perform away from home.
"People think we can't play on the road a lot of times," Maddox said. "We are as good on the road, and always have been. We take our game (with us) because our defense goes on the road with us. We're just as good on the road as we are at home."
Warren is 5-1 in road games, 7-1 in home games and 1-1 in neutral site games this season. The final four games on Warren's regular season schedule are on the road -- at Chillicothe, at Parkersburg, at Logan and at Fairfield Union.
FACES IN THE CROWD
In terms of the people who attended the game, it was a real "who's who?" of Washington County athletics. Among those seen in attendance were Avery Wagner, Kendall Sury and Judson Cooper of Waterford; Louis Goodnow of Williamstown; former Warriors Brayden Sallee, Joel Chevalier and Evan Gandee; and Marietta College coaches Brian Brewer and Andy Waddle.
HONORING
GREATNESS
Prior to the game, the Ron Kidder-coached Marietta volleyball team was recognized at center-court.
During the fall, the Tigers made the program's first ever Elite Eight run, falling in the Division II regional final to Bishop Hartley. They won their first district championship since 1975.
Junior Anna Ritter was named first team All-Ohio by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association, while Kidder received a Coaching Achievement Award.
Jordan Holland can be reached at jholland@mariettatimes.com.