Zone defense hasn’t been part of the Cavaliers arsenal the last seven seasons and it’s not something Coach Drew Meister wants to utilize very often, but Saturday it became necessary.
The Cavs slipped to 0-2 after their 59-43 loss to Brunswick in the consolation match of the inaugural Grove City Tip-Off Classic Saturday.
In his postgame interview Friday, Meister thought he might have to play zone to help save his players’ legs while playing back-to-back games and to make up for not having senior guard Adam Bixler who’s been nursing an ankle injury.
Chillicothe held the lead through most of the opening period, but Brunswick closed on a 10-0 run to take a 23-14 lead. Then the Devils held the Cavs scoreless until a Tommy Bolte layup with 2:12 left in the first half. By then, Brunswick built a 31-15 lead on an 18-0 run.
Trailing 33-19 at the half, the Cavs went to a 1-2-2 zone. Facing a much taller lineup, the zone gave Chillicothe some needed help on the defensive boards and created points off of turnovers in the back court. The Cavs scrapped their way back making 75% of their shots from the field to pull within five points at 37-32 score with 1:52 remaining in the third quarter. The Blue Devils rallied for a 46-36 lead.
Chillicothe made a final run with 5:27 left on Pierce Knisley’s three-pointer from the corner but the Cavs couldn’t keep up with Brunswick’s height on the baseline.
Zach Johnson led the Cavs with 19 points and Knisely had 14 for the double figure scorers for Chillicothe.
The Cavs home opener is Thursday with Amanda Clearcreek at Hatton Gymnasium. Coverage on 1490 WBEX and 92.7 FM begins around 7:45pm.
