MADISON TOWNSHIP — It was Star Wars night Friday at Madison and the force was strong with the Rams.
Mason Campbell and Kyle Jackson combined for 41 points as Madison cruised to a 68-53 win over Ashland in Ohio Cardinal Conference action at Madison Middle School.
The Rams (2-2, 1-1) connected on 26 of 51 field goals, knocked down 11 3-pointers and turned the ball over just six times while outrebounding the super-sized Arrows 28-21. Ashland (0-3, 0-2) boasts four starters who are 6-foot-5 or taller.
“You have to dictate the tempo against them because if you sit in the half court, their length just presents so many problems,” Madison coach Tim Mergel said. “We had to make it a point to try to beat that height up the floor and we were fortunate to do that.”
The Rams led 18-15 after the first quarter before pulling away in the second behind Campbell. The 6-foot-4 senior scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the period.
“The first couple of weeks I was adjusting to the style we play,” said Campbell, who returned to Madison for his senior season after playing at St. Peter’s his first three years. “Now I’m getting used to it.
“There is a lot more athleticism here and the competition is greater.”
The Rams took a 36-22 lead to intermission, outscoring the Arrows 18-7 in the second quarter.
“They got a lot of shots in rhythm and when you shoot the ball with confidence, a lot of them go in,” Ashland coach Jason Hess said. “We had a lull offensively in that second quarter and got a little impatient. Madison kept shooting it well and we tried to match their 3-point shooting instead of executing our offense and getting good shots.”
Ashland trailed 42-29 midway through the third, but the Rams scored eight straight on a Jackson 3-pointer, a Jackson dunk and a Campbell triple to put the game on ice. Madison led by as many as 22 points and took a commanding 57-38 advantage into the fourth quarter and the Arrows never threatened again.
“We like to talk about winning quarters,” Mergel said. “We told the guys we wanted to be plus-five in the third. The third quarter was definitely huge.”
Jackson backed Campbell with 18 points, while Shamir Brown added 11. Cal Rickert and Hunter McKinney each had five.
Klejhan Randleman paced Ashland with 19 points. Kamrin Knowlton-Goings added 10 and Manny Langston had seven.
The Arrows host Toledo Start on Saturday. Madison is at Sandusky on Tuesday.
