Moeller (Ohio) cruises past Mullins in first of its two weekend games
Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) High won’t have much time to relish its 86-49 win over Mullins in its Beach Ball Classic opener at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
The Crusaders closed out their victory in Saturday’s nightcap a little after 10 p.m., and have a quarterfinal matchup with Seton Hall (N.J.) at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, leaving just 17 hours between games.
And the Crusaders won’t be sleeping in. A 9:15 a.m. mass at St. Andrews Church will give the team an early wake-up call.
“It was a 12-hour bus ride [Friday], and we are a little bit concerned, and we have to get up and go to mass in the morning, that’s just something we have to do” Moeller coach Carl Kremer said. “… They’re young kids and we’ll rally.
“It’s a long grind, these tournaments, but that’s part of why we do it. Our kids just have to be tough and take care of themselves. We’ve got some pretty mature kids.”
According to Beach Ball executive director John Rhodes, New Jersey teams can’t play three consecutive days, so Seton Hall had to play Sunday to avoid playing its final three games Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as all other winner’s bracket teams will do other than Seton Hall and Moeller.
Moeller pulled away from Mullins midway through the second half, and its five starters didn’t get much rest, all playing between 19 and 25 minutes.
“Everybody was just really locked in all week. This isn’t it, though,” said Moeller senior Trey McBride. “We have a game tomorrow and we really have to step up big time because tomorrow’s challenge is going to be greater than today’s. So we’re really going to have to execute, work hard and get rest tonight.”
McBride, a 6-1 guard who has committed to NAIA school Mount Vernon Nazarene of Ohio, matched 6-5 junior Keegan McDowell with a game-high 21 points and was 8 of 12 from the field while McDowell was 8 of 14. The Crusaders shot 58.2 percent from the field while holding Mullins to 34.7 percent.
Nate Georgetown’s 10 assists tie for ninth all-time in the Beach Ball, and he’s the first player to record double-digit assists since 2010.
“The game plan was just execute and play as a team,” McBride said. “We’re very confident in all of our guys’ abilities.”
Mullins star junior guard and North Carolina commitment Jalek Felton scored 20 points on 6-of-18 shooting – 4 of 7 from 3-point range – and had most of his shots highly contested.
Moeller led by 11 at halftime and extended the lead to 24 within the first six minutes of the second half.
“All I want from my kids is to not quit and to compete,” Mullins coach Steven Smith said. “It’s a work in progress. In moments we did it, but against a good team like that, a disciplined team like that, shooting team like that, move the ball team like that, you let your guard down for a couple minutes and the lead goes from 10 to 20, and once it’s a 20-point lead they’re not going to relinquish that, and that’s what happened.”
▪ MOELLER (86): Keegan McDowell 21, Nate Georgetown 4, Riley Voss 8, Sam McCracker 4, Trey McBride 21, JP Greiner 4, Kenneth Wead 2, Isaiah Payton 10, Sam Hansen 2, Caleb CAnter 6, Ben Reutelshofer 1, Joseph Geraci 1, Miles McBride 2.
▪ MULLINS (49): Fabian Carroll 8, Jalek Felton 20, Shamar Foxworth 2, Javarius Smith 6, Justin Harley 4, Riyan Gore 6, Tyrie Platt 2, Leron Davis 1.
▪ Halftime: Moeller 45-34. 3-point goals: Moeller 9 (McDowell 4, McBride 1, Payton 2, Canter 2), Mullins 8 (Carroll 2, Felton 4, Gore 2,). Team fouls: Moeller 12, Mullins 15. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: Mullins team.
▪ Records: Moeller 7-0, Mullins 2-6.
Alan Blondin: 843-626-0284, @alanblondin
This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Moeller (Ohio) cruises past Mullins in first of its two weekend games."