Marietta’s Owen Riley (14) steals the ball away from Perry’s Austin Mattox as Tigers teammate Brayden Jones (3) looks on during Saturday’s game inside Sutton Gymnasium. The Tigers rallied from a 31-16 halftime deficit to pull out a 55-47 victory and improve to 5-0. (Photo by JW Bennett)
MARIETTA — Zayden Whitkind’s jam just before the final horn here Saturday night inside Sutton Gymnasium culminated in a 55-47 Marietta win over Perry.
Luke Wolf scored 16 of his team-high 19 points in the first half as the Panthers (2-4) under coach Matt Bean led 31-16 at the break.
However, the Tigers turned to second-year coach Austin Gardner to Findlay senior Alex Kendall, who scored 25 of his game-high 29 points in the second half.
“I was lost for words. I had a little water after that.” said a smiling Gardner, who watched Kendall grab a game-high seven boards and join teammate Elijah Lleras-Kelly with a game-high three steals. “Man, I’m overwhelmed right now. We got kicked in the first half. Massillon Perry did exactly what we thought they would do. They punted the ball and played with confidence.”
“At the end of the first half, there was no shouting. Some people might be thinking what did I say or what did I do and there was nothing. At the end of the day, we stuck to our principles. We had to press the ball a little more, play with some intensity and power and our group did that. It was “We have a tremendous bench on the sideline, whether the players played or not. It was a great team effort and a win. It was a great atmosphere.”
Marietta’s Alex Kendall, who exploded for 25 of his game-high 29 points in the second half of Saturday night’s 55-47 comeback win versus visiting Perry inside Sutton Gymnasium, looks for a teammate to pass to while Panther Nico Mantelli guards him. The University of Findlay signee also had seven rebounds, a game-high. (Photo by JW Bennett)
Perry, who shot 12 of 23 in a first half that included knocking down 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, had just four turnovers at the break. Marietta’s defense forced nine turnovers in the third period and the Tigers maintained a 41-40 lead entering the fourth period after opening the section with a 10-0 run.
“We started the first half very slowly.” admitted Kendall, who watched Isaac Knighten score 10 points and Wittekind eight. “One thing about the team, we know we started slow but we knew what we had to do.
“We embraced it. We embraced the atmosphere and the position we were in and benefited from it. We came out of the second half and attacked them with full force, and we succeeded in that.”
Kendall opened the second half by faking a 3 and then driving a baseline for a jam to start the key spurt. Wittekind followed with a layup and Knighten had a pair of hoops between a pair of Kendall charity drives. Kendall drained 13 of 15 from the line and the Tigers finished 22 of 27.
Keason Walker’s runner for part of his eight points finally got the Panthers on the board and made it 33-26.
However, Kendall followed with 10 straight points. He started it with a rebound, turned the ball over, and followed it up with a steal and layup. When he hit two free throws at the 3:27 mark, the Tigers took a 34-33 lead.
The Tiger supporters in attendance were then treated to Kendall taking the ball from the wing, going behind his back with a dribble and then throwing a wild ball.
Darnell McLeod, who scored a baker’s dozen in the setback, converted a foul shot with 3:18 remaining to tie the game for the last time at 47 points.
But Kendall proceeded to score the Orange and Black’s next six points from the foul line.
“We poured some water on him after the win. We were very optimistic. He got some water and had a shower today. He’ll have to take another one when he gets home. Kendall said of the postgame celebration in the locker room.
McLeod contributed a hat-trick of assists and joined Wolfe with a pair of steals.
Lieras-Kelley finished with five points and Brayden Jones made just three of eight attempts.
“I think the players kept saying that the coach is going to attack us and attack us here, but that was not the case.” Coach Gardner, whose team plays Tuesday at Hocking Federal, added from the first half.
“We stuck to our principles and did what we were supposed to do. Then we launched a major attack.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com
The Tigers pulled off an incredible comeback victory as they erased a 15-point halftime deficit to beat Perry in a thrilling matchup. The team’s resilience and determination were on full display as they fought back from behind to secure the win. This impressive feat has undoubtedly left fans and supporters in awe, and further solidifies the Tigers’ place as a force to be reckoned with in the world of sports.