MADISON TOWNSHIP — Tyrell Ajian held the fort until reinforcements arrived Tuesday at Madison Middle School.
Madison’s super sophomore scored 16 of his game-high 26 points in the first half and Billy Buckley scored all 15 of his points in the second half as the Rams knocked off Galion 51-45.
A junior sharp-shooter, Buckley spent a majority of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul midway through the first quarter. He knocked down four 3-pointers after intermission.
“You can’t let it phase you,” Buckley said of the early foul woes. “You’ve just got to put it behind you and keep playing.
“In the second half I took my time and didn’t rush anything. I just let the game come to me.”
Buckley’s solid second-half performance was a welcome relief for the Rams, who have struggled at times offensively.
“It’s nice to see that because Billy Buckley is one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “To see him finally get rewarded with some balls going through the net … he’s such a deserving kid.”
The Tigers (0-2) held the Rams (2-1) scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the game before Ajian sank a pair of free throws with 3:03 remaining. Madison didn’t score from the field until Austin Finley converted a layup with 2:22 to play in the first quarter.
Galion led 8-7 after the first quarter before Ajian took control. He scored all 11 of Madison’s second quarter points as the Rams took an 18-14 advantage to the locker room.
“Obviously, Ajian hurt us,” Galion coach Ed Rich said. “He had 16 in the first half and 10 in the second, which was better.”
The Tigers trailed 32-29 heading into the fourth, but the Rams never relinquished the lead thanks to some timely free throw shooting. Ajian was 13-for-16 from the line.
“It’s a great thing when you know you’ve got guys stepping up there who you have a great deal of confidence in,” Mergel said. “It’s nice to have that luxury.”
Short-Handed: The Tigers were without the services of three regulars, who are serving a four-game suspension for violating team rules.
“I can’t help but like the way we play. We’ve got a gritty bunch,” Rich said. “I understand we’re 0-2 and I hate to lose, but I like the way we’re playing. Positive things are going to come out of it.”Kalvin Rinehart led a balanced Galion attack with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Houston Blair added 10, while Evan Huggins had nine and Colten Moore chipped in with eight.
Defense: The Rams surrendered 44 points in each of their first two games and 45 Tuesday.
“We have to (play rugged defense) as much as we struggle offensively,” Mergel said. “We struggled just putting the ball through the net.
“I told the kids we’re going to have to (rely) on our defense.”
Nobody epitomizes Madison’s defense-first mentality more than Austin Hallabrin. The hard-nosed junior guard scored only two points, but his fingerprints were all over the win.
“He does a lot of things for us,” Mergel said. “For the opposing team’s point guard, it’s a nightmare. He just hounds him and hounds him.
“If you notice when he’s on the floor, the opposing team’s offense is pushed out. It’s those things that don’t go in the stat book that are so important.”
Star Gazing: Ajian has the ability to create his own shot and Mergel said the rest of the Ram are sometimes guilty of watching him.
“Tyrell can do so much with the basketball,” Mergel said. “As a coach, it’s fun to watch Tyrell. As a player, you have to react to Tyrell.”
Schedule Change: Madison will play at Mansfield Senior on Friday. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Madison, but a scheduling conflict forced a change in venue. The second meeting on Jan. 24 will be played at Madison.
Junior Varsity: Madison held on for a 35-32 win in Tuesday’s junior varsity game.
