BELLVILLE — Clear Fork coach Tim Brafford had a clear halftime message for junior Garrett Hotz on Friday night.
Calm down and let the game come to you.
Once the high-scoring Hotz did that, he never gave it back.
The 6-3 forward, held scoreless in the first half, poured in 21 points in the final 16 minutes as the Colts rallied for a 62-55 win against Ontario.
The Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference win inside the Colt Corral wrapped up Clear Fork’s regular season with a record of 10-12 overall and 5-9 in the league. Ontario, which hosts Lucas on Saturday night in a non-league game, fell to 5-16, 3-11.
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“I was just forcing it in the first half and I couldn’t get anything to fall,” said Hotz, a second-team selection in the District 6 Coaches Association among Division II teams.
“Coach really just told me to calm down, let the game come to me and play my game.”
Hotz, who averages 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, had 10 points in the third quarter and and 11 more in the fourth as the Colts wiped out a 30-21 halftime deficit.
Included in hix second-half barrage were a trio of triples from long-range, an outside game that matched up well with strong moves to the basket.
Brafford laughed when asked what else he may have done to Hotz during the intermission.
“A kick in the butt,” he said with a smile. “Garrett is unbelievable. He just has to make sure the game comes to him.
“Sometimes he rushes too much, but that’s part of being a junior with the pressure of the game.
“He’s becoming fantastic. He’s gonna be special next year,” said Brafford, who has led Clear Fork to seasons of 6-17 and 10-12 after inheriting a team that was winless the season before he took over.
Senior guard Adam Vanausdle backed Hotz with 16 points, including 12 in the second half.
What has helped the Colts continue to improve, including three wins in their last five games?
“Intensity and coachability,” Brafford said. “I think that when you come into a program that has not had great success and you’re trying to turn it, it’s difficult to get the kids to believe in themselves that it’s possible.
“Last year was the building step of it. This year I think it’s starting to really come together where they believe they can win,” Brafford said.
First-year Ontario coach Jerry Moton pointed to Clear Fork’s 20-5 edge on the boards in the second half.
“I just think they rebounded the ball better and they caught us in a couple of defensive lapses and that’s what happened. That’s the difference in the game right there. They came with more energy than we did in the second half,” he said.
Moton, a former Mansfield Senior star who also played overseas, challenged his team to play better defense, especially when Hotz began his second-half run.
“He was being aggressive. I tell the guys that when someone scores on you that you have got to take it personally, so they don’t score the next time. We just didn’t have that intensity on defense to step up to the challenge and stop them.
“There were a couple of charges we could have taken and we didn’t,” Moton said.
Sophomore forward John Mahon led Ontario with 21 points. Seniors Brady Zehe and Grady Schroeder each added 14.
Post-season looms for Colts, Warriors
Ninth-seeded Clear Fork plays at No.-8 seed Galion on Tuesday in a Division II sectional semifinal. The two MOAC foes split during the regular season with the Colts winning the second game, 62-53, at home on Jan. 18.
“I think we’ve been ready (for the tournament),” Brafford said. “It’s Galion, which we’re kind of happy about. They beat us badly the first time (68-55 on Dec. 7). The second time was here and we won by nine. So we’re looking forward to the matchup.”
Hotz said he’s ready for the tournament atmosphere.
“We’re ready after that tonight. We really came together, played as a team and got a big win and momentum going into Galion. It’s a very winnable game. We split with them in the regular season and I think we can walk out of that gym with a win,” he said.
The winner of that game travels to second-seeded Lexington (20-2) on March 1 in a sectional title game.
Ontario, the district’s 10th seed, travels to Pete Henry Gymnasium on Tuesday to take on fifth-seeded Mansfield Senior (16-6).
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Moton, an honorable mention All-Ohioan for the Tygers during the 1994-95 season.
“I love it. It’s the school I graduated from. It’s my first tournament game (as a head coach). I’m very excited. I’m ready for it. The team is ready,” he said.
The winner of that game travels to No.-4 seed Bellevue (17-5) on March 1 in a sectional title game.
