MADISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Another role player took center stage for Lexington on Saturday.
Senior forward Jonah Yaussy and freshman forward Cade Stover both got into early foul trouble. With senior Paul Hogsette and junior Chase Munro already sidelined with illness and injury, the normally potent Lex interior game seemed in trouble.
Enter forward Dana Shoulders.
The 6-foot-3 junior came off the bench to score 10 points and grab three rebounds in 18 minutes as the Minutemen remained atop the Ohio Cardinal Conference standings with a 54-42 win at Madison.
Eight of Shoulders’ points came in the second half as Lexington expanded a 26-22 halftime lead to run its record to 16-1 overall and 8-1 in the OCC. Madison fell to 9-7, 6-3.
“Shoulders was the X-factor tonight,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “That’s why Lexington is the fourth-ranked team in the state. They have someone different step up every night. That’s what it takes to have a good basketball team.That’s who we are striving to become.”
Lexington coach Scott Hamilton said he knew Shoulders would deliver when his other big men went to the bench in the first quarter with foul trouble.
“Dana is a natural scorer and a good shooter,” Hamilton said. “We have asked him to focus on his defense this season and he is becoming a better defensive player. Everyone on this team is a role player … they just have to define their role.”
Balance: Lexington used good balance in the victory, shooting 45 percent from the floor (18 of 40). Senior point guard Joey Zahn led the Minutemen with 19 points, including 4 of 11 from behind the 3-point line. Yaussy finished with 10 points, eight in the first half. Senior Joey Vore had nine, hitting 4 of 5 field goals.
Lexington built a 24-14 lead before the foul trouble took its toll. Junior guard Tyrell Ajian had 11 of his game-high 23 points in the first half as the Rams clawed their way back. He was the only Madison player in double figures as senior Billy Buckley scored just eight before fouling out late in the game.
“Lexington is good,” Mergel said. “Defensively they have good length and don’t give you many places to pass inside. We took advantage of their foul trouble and were able to get back into the game.”
Ajian was 8 of 16 from the field, playing 32 minutes after playing a complete game Friday night in a win at Ashland.
“Tyrell is just a phenomenal athlete,” Mergel said. “No one does what he does with the ball in his hand. He is constantly drawing pressure and traps. We count on him for an awful lot.”
Hamilton said his defense was actually geared to stop Buckley, who had 21 points on Friday night in the 40-36 win over the Arrows.
“We put a lot of our attention on stopping Buckley,” Hamilton said. “He can get his 20 points, but he can also get six or seven assists. We also said we can’t let one of their role players have a career night.”
Physical Game: Officials whistled 36 founds in the typically physical game – 20 against Madison and 16 against Lexington. Both teams shot well at the line with Lexington hitting 14 of 18 and Madison 9 of 11. The Minutemen had a 32-21 rebounding edge, led by eight from Stover in 20 minutes.
“The officials called it close in the first half and we were able to get penetration and get back into the game,” Mergel said. “They were a little looser in the second.”
Hamilton said, “Tonight was one of those nights. We knew it would be a physical game. When you play at Madison, you know you will be in a battle.”
