Strong second half effort not enough as Martinsville falls to Columbus North

MARTINSVILLE — Right from the opening tip in Saturday night's battle between Martinsville and Columbus North, the Bull Dogs did what they ordinarily do.

Bring the pressure.

Columbus North is a team predicated on running the full-court press. While the Artesians played well enough against it to make things competitive, the lapses generated by the pressure were ultimately key in deciding the outcome.

The second half was better for the Artesians. A combination of mistakes on Columbus North's part and a push by Martinsville closed the gap to within five points, but the Bull Dogs were able to stay one step ahead, winning 64-57.

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“Really proud of our effort in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter," Martinsville coach Kip Staggs said. "We're still learning how to play 32 minutes. That was a factor Friday and it was definitely a factor tonight."

Full-court press creates issues

The Bull Dogs pressed from the minute the clock started all the way to the final buzzer. It was effective in creating turnovers, specifically in the first half.

Not many teams bring such a heavy press style, so the Artesians, wanting to push the ball up the floor, made some mental errors that handed the ball over to Columbus North. They ended the first half with nine turnovers.

But as Martinsville started to settle down and get within the flow of their offense, things started to ease up.

"Their press bothered us because we didn't attack it," Staggs said. "Then once we settled down and started passing the ball and getting it up the floor, we became a little more effective against the press."

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The turnovers dropped, coughing it up only six times in the final half as the Artesians were able effectively beat the press and run their offense, outscoring the Bull Dogs 32-27.

"It was a little bit of an adjustment period because that's something you don't see often throughout the year, but I thought we managed it better as the game progressed," Staggs said.

Defensive letup leads to points

Stopping Columbus North when on the break proved difficult for Martinsville, but so did slowing down the attack on the interior when the Bull Dogs ran its half-court offense.

With 6-foot-8-inch center Sam King on the inside, there was no question as to who the Bull Dogs wanted to run through.

King was effective in running the post. When he had a matchup one on one inside, he would attack. When the Artesian defenders collapsed in, he’d dish it out to an open player on the outside, where the Bull Dogs connected on 60% of their shots.

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King only finished with nine points before fouling out in the fourth, but added five rebounds, two assists and stretched the defense, hitting one from deep.

Columbus North as a whole cashed in on 62.2% of their shots, making 23 of 37.

"I think part of it is just more repetition," Staggs said. "We're much better defensively than we were in the summer. What we're starting to see are some different actions that we just need to learn how to guard better. That's just a part of the process."

An offense flowing

When in the half-court, Martinsville’s offense was effective in beating the zone.

Through patience and ball movement, the Artesians often found the open spot to get a clean shot off, whether on the three-point line or in the corners, Martinsville was knocking down its shots.

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Because of the zone, scoring was more of a collective effort. As a unit, they connected on 50% of their attempts and 35% from distance.

Leading the way for Artesians was Isaiah Marlett, who scored 14 points on 62.5% shooting, followed by Skylar Pruett, Brody Staggs and Landon Myers, who all scored 10 points.

"On the offensive side, we had a good balance," Staggs said. "We had four players in double figures, we shared the ball better tonight...as I told our players, this is a case study. We're a team in progress, we still have plenty to work on and plenty of areas to improve."

"I think one positive we had was that our guys are learning," Staggs said. "From last night's game, we learned how important each possession is, and in tonight's game, we're learning that you're never out of it."

"If you have a willing group, it's easier to learn through losses and sometimes more difficult to learn through wins," he said. "We've got a group of young men that I think understand that and I think we're going to continue to get better."

Looking ahead

The Artesians (1-2) will take on Plainfield (2-2) at home next Friday. The Quakers are reeling from two straight losses, but have been victors over the Artesians in four of their last five meetings.

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com, or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Strong second half effort not enough as Martinsville falls to Columbus North