BOYS HOOPS: Sandusky turns up pressure in GBC win over Fremont Ross

FREMONT — Sandusky’s high-pressure defense burst the Fremont Ross offense at the seams Tuesday night as the Blue Streaks collected a 68-45 conference victory in Fremont.

Ross (2-10, 0-5 Greater Buckeye Conference) started quickly, building a 7-2 advantage after two minutes of play. They passed, attacked and scored on the inside.

From then on, however, it was all Sandusky. The Blue Streaks (5-8, 2-3 GBC) closed the Giants’ passing lanes, turning steals into fast breaks.

“Those passing lanes shrink a bit because of our ability to put pressure on the ball,” Sandusky coach Steve Keller said. “I thought our point guards, Dominique Stovall and Devonte’ Turner, did a great job getting up and after them, which in turn allowed our wings to be a little more aggressive.”

Sandusky closed the quarter on a 17-4 run, finishing with a 19-11 lead. 

“One thing led to another,” Fremont Ross coach Mark Gedeon said. “Great, we have a young team, but that doesn’t mean you don’t go out there and compete and play hard. At times, I didn’t think we competed with all five guys on the floor, mentally or physically.

“There were several times we had an offensive call there and some of our players ran the wrong play. It’s pretty easy to guard if your players are in the wrong spot.”

The Blue Streaks attacked the Little Giants’ ballhandlers, taking five fast breaks off of steals in the first half alone.

“That’s a big part of Sandusky’s game, putting defensive pressure on (the ball),” Gedeon said. “Attacking the wings, putting pressure on the basketball, hoping for the mistake and turning that into offense there. That’s something that right now my team’s not able to do.”

Stovall hit a 28-foot 3-pointer at the end of the first half, giving Sandusky a 34-21 lead into intermission. The Streaks started the third quarter on a 10-2 run for a 44-23 lead. 

Sandusky separated for its biggest lead of the game —25 points — when Jay Page reached out for a steal at a 5-on-3 disadvantage and took it the other way for a layup. With 3:18 left in the third quarter, Sandusky held a commanding 52-27 lead. The Giants didn’t come within 15 points again. 

On offense, the Streaks had plenty of second chances, with nine offensive rebounds in the first half alone, something Keller said was an indicator of team effort.

Sandusky held a huge advantage over the Giants at the line, making 21 free throws to Fremont Ross’s five. The Streaks were 21 of 25, for 84 percent in the the game. The Giants, 5 of 11 at the line, had three misses on the front end of one-and-ones.

Sandusky got plenty of help on offense from the tandem of Cordney Strickland and Page. Strickland led the Streaks with 20 points, followed closely by Page with 19. Stovall added eight, Caleb Young seven and Rayshawn Daniels five points.

Shunnar Gamble led the Little Giants with 15 points. Marcus Dayringer and Skylar Reffner scored seven points each.