LEXINGTON — Braden Forup scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Lexington controlled Mount Vernon throughout to earn a 63-55 victory Tuesday night in a battle of Ohio Cardinal Conference leaders.
The Minutemen (7-1 overall, 4-0 in the OCC) led all the way, taking a 15-8 first-quarter lead, a 26-20 halftime advantage, and a 43-34 margin into the final eight minutes.
Jack Depperschmidt chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, while Hudson Moore added 12 points and six rebounds.
Lexington enjoyed a 28-19 rebounding advantage, and outscored the Yellow Jackets 11-4 at the free throw line. The Minutemen also took better care of the basketball, with just four turnovers compared to 13 for Mount Vernon (5-4, 3-1).
Lexington needed all of those advantages because the Yellow Jackets made a whopping 60 percent of their field goals (21-of-35), including a 52-percent performance behind the arc (9-of-17).
Trevor Buttke topped Mount Vernon with 19 points, including 4-of-5 treys. Beau Bridges and Caden Rowland each scored 11 points.
The Minutemen travel to Wooster on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets host Delaware Hayes (7-2) on Thursday night.
