SMCC rolls past Danbury ahead of rugged River stretch

SANDUSKY — St. Mary Central Catholic's boys basketball team enjoyed the calm before the coming storm. The Panthers routed Danbury 70-35 on Wednesday at the Kinzel Center to stay within a game of first place in the SBC River Division. Ten players scored for SMCC, which improved to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the River. The Panthers forced 10 Danbury turnovers in the first half and made 25 shots on layups or short attempts in the paint. The points came early and often for SMCC, which rolled to a 27-5 lead after one quarter and cruised to a season sweep of the Lakers. "I was happy with our intensity to start the game, how we came out and executed and didn't settle," SMCC coach Kyle Hammond said. "We got to the rim and did a great job of offensive rebounding." SMCC used a 15-0 run in the final four minutes of the first quarter to knock out the Lakers, who start two freshmen and three juniors. Cullen Dillard's layup off a Danbury turnover game the Panthers a 27-2 lead and they never looked back. "Something that we've been stressing in practice has been getting inside," junior guard Cayden Wikel said. "We've been settling for too many 3s lately." SMCC hit only one 3-pointer in a 44-point first half. The Panthers made three 3s in the third quarter, two of them by Leo Will. The junior scored 12 points in the period and finished with a team-high 14. "Leo is a huge player for us," Hammond said. "Sometimes we talk about him riding the roller coaster when he's hot and cold. When he's shooting the ball well we're a much better team. Hopefully he continues hitting those shots." Wikel and senior Sam Lawrence each had 10 points while Dillard and Elijah Conway each scored nine. Trace Smith added eight — all in the second quarter. Wikel's 3-pointer from the right win with 2:10 left in the third quarter gave SMCC a 61-25 lead, triggered the running clock. Frankie Kovach led the Lakers (4-13, 2-8) with 20 points and Miles McDonald added 10 points and seven rebounds. SMCC outrebounded Danbury 39-23, many of them coming off the offensive glass. The Panthers trail only Gibsonburg (10-1 in the River) in the loss column in the division. SMCC with host the Golden Bears on Feb. 17. Gibsonburg edged SMCC 71-65 in mid-December. Four of SMCC's final five River opponents have winning records in the division. Friday's home opponent, Lakota, is 7-3. The Panthers also host Woodmore (6-4) and travel to Northwood (1-9) and Calvert (5-4). "That's the River — a lot of teams are competitive," Wikel said. "That's something we've been working on since I was a freshman. We've improved every single year. This is something I've been dreaming of since my freshman year so I wanna go get it. "We've gotta make sure we come out ready to play every night." SMCC hopes to get starter Jack Davis back for the home stretch. Davis is out with a concussion and wore sunglasses while watching Wednesday's victory. Four of SMCC's final five River games will be played in The Den, where the Panthers are 7-1 this season. "It's a tough final stretch but it's a good thing," Hammond said. "It'll get us ready for the tournament. We feel like it's a one-game tournament the rest of the way. We've gotta take care of business each night if we want to have a chance in the league. It starts with Lakota on Friday and that's a tough matchup. "These kids have worked really hard; they deserve that opportunity. Hopefully they finish strong." DANBURY (4-13, 2-8) Frankie Kovach 7 5-8 20, Miles McDonald 3 2-4 10, Charlie Kovach 0 0-0 0, Eli Knight 0 3-4 3, Croix Waldron 0 0-0 0, Draydin Nieset 1 0-0 2. TOTALS 11 10-16 35 SMCC (14-3, 8-2) Bryan Gibson 0 1-2 1, Cayden Wikel 4 1-2 10, Blake Finneran 1 1-2 3, Leo Will 6 0-0 14, Gabe Burch 2 0-0 4, Sam Lawrence 5 0-0 10, Jackson Grimm 1 0-0 2, Cullen Dillard 4 1-4 9, Elijah Conway 4 0-0 9, Trace Smith 4 0-0 8. TOTALS 31 4-10 70 Danbury 5 14 9 7 — 35 SMCC 27 17 19 7 — 70 Three-point goals: Danbury 3 (McDonald 2, F. Kovach); SMCC 4 (Will 2, Wikel, Conway)