BELLVILLE — Lexington’s Charlie Keller must be an Ohio State fan.
The junior guard sent Buckeyes’ fans anxious to see the kickoff of the Discover Orange Bowl home happy — and early — Friday night.
The rarely used Keller checked in for the injured Matt Barkett and sank a pair of free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining and the Minutemen escaped with a 59-54 win over backyard rival Clear Fork in Ohio Cardinal Conference action at Les Hauenstein Gymnasium.
“Chuck is a shooter for us so we had confidence with him coming in with minimal time on the floor tonight to knock down those big free throws. We were definitely proud of him,” Lexington coach Scott Hamilton said. “Any time you come down to the (Clear Fork) Valley and get a win, it’s huge.”
Keller’s services were made necessary when Barkett collided with Clear Fork’s Griffen Robinette near midcourt and the Minutemen (5-4, 2-2) clinging to a 56-54 lead. Barkett crashed to the floor grasping his knee and Robinette was whistled for the foul. Griffen checked in to shoot the double bonus then was lifted in favor of senior Nick Leasure after sinking both shots.
It looked like the Minutemen might run away with it early in the third quarter, outscoring the Colts (2-5, 1-3) 6-0 to start the period to take a 34-25 lead. Clear Fork responded with a 10-0 run of its own to grab a 35-34 advantage on Robinette’s mid-range jumper with 4:20 to play. Clear Fork outscored Lex 18-11 in third to take a 43-39 lead to the fourth.
“In the third quarter we did a good job of scoring so we could get into our press and that created some easy baskets for us,” Clear Fork coach Steve Bechtel said. “We kept them off the glass. With all their size, we knew that was going to be tough coming in.
“They just did a better job in the fourth quarter. We didn’t get scores and couldn’t get into our press. We need to work on our half-court defense.
“They stepped up and made their free throws down the stretch. I think they hit five out of six.”
For second straight game the Colts played without high-scoring junior guard Kadin Chrastina, who was suspended for violating team rules. Senior guard Jordan Ridenour stepped up in Chrastina’s absence, scoring 12 points. Senior sharpshooter Ridge Winand had a game-high 18, while Robinette added 15.
“Ridge is just a tough player and I was concerned about Ridenour going off because I know what he is capable of,” Hamilton said. “With Kadin not playing tonight, they were looking for somebody to step up. Robinette had a solid game.”
Both teams shot the ball well from the field, especially in the first half. Lexington was 12 for 18 from the floor in the opening two quarters, while Clear Fork was 10 for 20.
“As individuals, we’re not great shooters so we have to become a better-shooting team and the way that happens is shot selection,” Hamilton said. “We had a couple times tonight when we threw up some poor shots. We’ve got to make sure that we’re taking shots that are good for us.”
Lexington out-rebounded the Colts 25-19. Bryan Truax and Jonah Yaussy each had six boards to lead the Minutemen.
“We thought coming in that we had an advantage inside,” Hamilton said. “We felt that, with that, we should win the boards.”
In junior varsity action, Lexington’s A.J. Nickoli and Chase Munro each scored nine points to lead the Minutemen to a 41-37 win. Lee Snyder led Clear Fork with 16 points.
Lexington returns to action tonight, hosting Shelby.
“I think we gutted one out down here in a tough place to play,” Hamilton said.
Clear Fork visits Lucas tonight.
“I’m disappointed that we didn’t come out of here with a win, but I was proud of our effort,” Bechtel said. “Every OCC game is going to be a battle like this.
“We came out with a lot more energy and a lot more intensity and that is all we can ask of them.
“We just have to do a little better job in certain situations, but we are right there.”
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
