MANSFIELD, Ohio — The defensive-minded Rams ushered in the new year with an offensive outburst.
Madison connected on 14 of 23 field goals in the first half and cruised to a 62-40 win over St. Peter’s at Madison Middle School on Saturday.
The 62 points are a season high for the Rams (7-2), who already have surpassed last season’s win total. Madison came in averaging 52.4 points a game, but was allowing an area-low 42.8 points a night.
“We were able to get the things we wanted offensively,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “We got some separation with Tyrell Ajian. We got Billy Buckley some open looks and we got Jesse Weightman some open looks.”
Ajian and Weightman combined for 14 points as the Rams raced out to an 18-12 first-quarter lead. St. Peter’s (5-4) never seriously challenged after that.
“Last night I thought we did a tremendous job competing (in a 46-28 loss to Fredericktown). Tonight I felt we didn’t compete like we needed to,” said St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick, a 1980 Madison graduate who went on to start at the University of Akron. “Madison hit shots. We’ve got to do a little better job contesting them at times, but I’ve got a couple of young kids out on the court who are learning to play. They’ve got to go through this process.”
Leading 33-21 at halftime, the Rams opened the second half by hitting their first four shots. Buckley and Ajian both connected on 3-pointers during the stretch as Madison’s lead ballooned to 43-26 less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Ajian led Madison with 20 points before taking a seat midway through the fourth quarter. Buckley scored 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter and Weightman added 12.
Freshman Jared Jakubick led the Spartans with 15 points. Freshman Mason Campbell added eight.
Free Throw Woes: St. Peter’s was a dreadful 12 for 28 from the free throw line, much to Jakubick’s dismay.
“I know it’s a 20-point game but we were 12 for 28 from the foul line,” Jakubick said. “We’ve got to shoot better than that. You make 23 free throws … and it changes the game.
“The only remedy I know is get in the gym and work on it. Trust me, we will spend time working on it. That’s a great job to get 28 free throws, but you’ve got to make a team pay.”
Buying In: Madison’s calling card all season has been its stifling defense. The undersized Rams have committed themselves at the defensive end of the floor.
“It starts from the top and I’m not talking about the coaching side,” Mergel said. “I’m talking about our leaders on the basketball court. Those guys have a passion for the game and they understand that, as undersized as we are, we have to fight and scrap every possession.”
Turn Around: Madison was 2-21 in Mergel’s first season in charge and 6-18 last year. The third-year coach is pleased, but knows there is still plenty of work to do.
“If you would have told me (before the season) we would be 7-2 at this point, I would have been more than happy,” Mergel said. “Now that we are 7-2, I don’t think we’re satisfied.
“It’s a testament to these guys. It’s life lessons we’ve learned the last two years. They’ve really responded well. They play the game extremely hard.”
