Neal, Lyall lift Tri-Valley over John Glenn

NEW CONCORD — It was an erratic first half for Tri-Valley on Tuesday.

The Scotties led by as many as five, but closed the half by turning the ball over on eight straight possessions, as they trailed 32-25 at intermission.

Senior Erik Neal and sophomore Max Lyall then provided a much-needed boost in the second half, as Tri-Valley outlasted host John Glenn to pick up a crucial 50-48 victory in the Muskingum Valley League Big School Division clash.

Neal collected 10 of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 14 rebounds for a double-double. He also hit a pair of key 3s, including going back-to-back from deep with Lyall to put Tri-Valley up 46-43, a lead it would not relinquish over the final two-plus minutes.

Tri-Valley coach Todd McLoughlin noted his team remains a work in progress, but the win kept the Scotties (8-4, 7-1) a game back of Maysville in the Big School race.

"Erik really turned up his effort in the second half and became that leader we needed," McLoughlin said. "This group is still learning on the fly, and it's a growing process. It's a long road ahead with some things that need fixed, but this was a good win for us mentally and physically."

The Muskies (7-4, 5-2) had a couple of late chances. Kaiden Walls made a pair of free throws to get John Glenn within 46-45 with 49.7 seconds left, but a missed front end of a 1-and-1 and a turnover allowed the Scotties to put it away at the line.

Eric Sheck credited Tri-Valley for its late play-making ability, while noting his Muskies are close to clearing another hurdle.

"Tri-Valley made the big shots late. They have guys that have been in those big games, and they've won a lot of them," he said. "We're trying to get to that level. We played well enough to win, and our guys competed hard. We just haven't been able to get over that hump."

John Glenn leaned on its up-tempo style in the first half. The Scotties led 20-15 after one quarter and were up 25-20 after an Aaron Frueh 3 with about five minutes left in the second quarter.

The Muskies' defense sparked a turnaround. Tri-Valley was held scoreless for nine minutes between the second and third quarters, while the Scottie turnovers sparked a 12-0 run to end the first half for John Glenn.

Walls scored in transition to start the surge, while Caleb Larrick had a pair of hoops and Walker hit a jumper late in the second to make it 32-25 at the half.

Tri-Valley had 13 of its 21 turnovers in the first half and was held to 2-of-8 shooting in the second quarter after making 8 of 16 field goals in the first quarter.

"Their offensive rebounding hurt us early, but we did a better job against it after that," Sheck said. "We forced our tempo on them and got some opportunities that helped us build that lead."

Will Nicolozakes kept the momentum going with a 3 make it 35-25 early in the third, but the Muskies were held to one field goal over the final 6:30 of the third.

That drought allowed the Scotties to chip away at the deficit. Terrell Darden had four straight points to get the Scotties going, while Lyall made a 3 and Neal closed the third with five straight, but a Walker 3 kept John Glenn up 38-37 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was full of drama. After a Frueh free throw tied it at 38, Larrick and Jayden Walker exchanged hoops to keep it tied at 40.

After both teams had chances to take the lead, Neal hit a 3 after an offensive rebound. Walls answered with a triple from the top of the key, but Darden found a wide-open Lyall against the press, and his 3 made it 46-43.

McLoughlin applauded his team for settling down in the second half.

"They sped us up. Along with the turnovers, we took a lot of quick shots. We settled for too many 3s instead of looking inside," he said. "Our on-the-ball pressure was better in the third, and we ran our offense in the second half. It's a game to learn from, and we're fortunate to come out of here with a win."

Darden tallied 13 points, nine came in the first quarter, Frueh chipped in 10 points and Lyall scored nine for the Scotties, who made 7 of 18 behind the arc to help offset an 18-of-48 showing from the field and a 7-of-17 effort at the line.

Nohah Nichols also had nine of the team's 35 rebounds, as they had 15 on offense and Darden grabbed five of the Scotties' 10 steals.

Walker made three 3s as part of a 13-point effort, Walls and Bexlee Woodard added 11 counters each and Larrick tallied eight for the Muskies, who were 18 of 45 from the field, 5 of 18 in the second half. They also made 6 of 17 3s and 6 of 8 at the line.

Tri-Valley reserves won 50-30, as Keaton Hahn and Devin Crane had 10 points apiece. Brayden Davis, Noah Dever and Gavin Bates had six points each for John Glenn.

bhannahs@gannett.com; @brandonhannahs

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Neal, Lyall lift Tri-Valley over John Glenn