GHV wins two; drops one to defending State champs

The Garner-Hayfield-Ventura boys basketball team made big strides last week, picking up two wins and giving the Class 1A defending State champions a run for their money.

GHV 73, West Hancock 56

The Cardinals picked up a road win on Tuesday, Dec. 5, against West Hancock (1-2, 1-2).

“Heading into this game, I knew we had an advantage up front. We wanted to get as many touches as we could in the paint,” said Coach Joe Albertson.  “We were able to get touches in the paint, but struggled on finishing shots. However, the guys got on the glass and started making possessions count.”

The Eagles opened the game by canning a three to take the lead. The Cards responded with the next nine points to go ahead 9-3.  Ryan Meyers had a solid first quarter, scoring 11 of GHV’s 19 points for a 19-11 first quarter lead.

West Hancock got to within six-points in the second quarter, 27-21, before the Cardinals scored seven points to take a 34-21 lead into the half.

GHV built on the lead in the third quarter, 59-36.  GHV rode out the big lead, despite being outscored in the fourth quarter, 20-14, for a solid 73-56 victory.

Coach Albertson praised the play of Ryan Meyers, James Betz and Nick Joynt for controlling the glass all night.  All three players ended the night in double figures.  Meyers finished with 31-points, followed by Betz with 17 and Joynt with 15.

Meyers also had a solid game under the boards with 13 rebounds.  Betz and Joynt each had eight.

Jared Graham led the team in assists with five.  Meyers, Betz and Matthew Heinemann all had three steals apiece.

GHV 82, Belmond-Klemme 36

A quote by John Wooden says, “A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.”   That was evident in GHV’s game against Belmond-Klemme on Friday, Dec. 8.

Coach Joe Albertson praised the play of three players, Ray Cataldo, Matthew Heinemann and Jared Graham, for contributing to the win.

“Ray and Matthew picked up the scoring lead coming off the bench.  They both found success going to the rim and hitting from deep,” said Albertson.  “And Jared has been constant all season at point guard.  We just tend to play better when he is on the floor.”

The team effort paid off, as the Cardinals swept the Broncos under the rug in an 82-36 romp. GHV had 23-points before B-K even got on the board in the first quarter.  The half-time score was 52-14.

Thirteen players scored for the Cardinals.  Ryan Meyers led the team with 21-points, Cataldo and James Betz both finished with 11-points.  Nick Joynt ended with nine points and Heinemann had seven.

Colton Schroeder and Graham led the team with five assists apiece. Meyers, Jonah Albertson and Graham all had two steals.

Betz led the team in rebounds with 10, followed by Meyers and Joynt with seven each.

Grand View Christian 76, GHV 69

The Cardinals knew Saturday night’s match-up against defending Class 1A State champion, Grand View Christian (5-0), was going to be a battle, and the game proved to be just that.

“We knew Grandview would be difficult to guard due to their team speed and shooting ability, and it showed in the first quarter,” said Coach Joe Albertson.

Three point shots were falling early for the Thunder, as six three-pointers led to a first quarter lead of 28-19.

“When it looked like Grandview was going to pull away, our guys showed a ton of toughness and got back in it, outscoring GVC 20-15 in the second quarter,” said the coach.

Ryan Meyers had the hot hand in the second quarter, collecting eight straight points.  The Cards trailed 43-39 heading into the half.

Nick Joynt and James Betz combined to take the first lead of the game, 45-43.  The Thunder kept fighting and managed a three-point lead by the end of the quarter, 59-56.

It was a slow start to the fourth quarter, with neither team scoring in three minutes of play.  Betz finally broke the drought and pulled the score to within one-point, 59-58.  GVC answered that with an eight-point run to take the lead for good, 67-58.  Five three-throws at the end of the game sealed the 76-69 victory for Grand View.

“I thought we did a nice job against their press and showed patience in their half court trapping.  Everybody made some important plays on defense or offense during the game,” said Albertson.

Meyers and Joynt led the team with 22 and 21 points respectively.  Betz also reached double figures with 15 points.

Meyers was a beast under the basket, hauling in 18 rebounds.  Joynt grabbed eight and Betz had five.

Coach Albertson praised the play of Colton Schroeder, who came off the bench and dished out five assists.

Joynt and Connor Burke each had a steal.