HEATH ― After an unexpected shootout in the first half, Heath’s patented zone defense took hold, slowed the tempo and made things tougher for visiting Bloom-Carroll.
The anticipated half-court dogfight between Bulldogs finally materialized in the home team’s favor, and third-seeded Heath avenged last year’s Division IV boys district semifinal upset loss to B-C with an impressive 60-46 victory on March 3.
“At halftime we talked about staying on our feet,” said Jordan Kaminsky, just named Central District Player of the Year, after sixth-seeded B-C (14-11) made five second-quarter 3-pointers. “We kept getting caught up in scrambles and leaving them open.”
Said J.J. Holloway, like Kaminsky a senior playing his last home game: “They were making them like four feet behind the line, but we still had to get out on those shooters. We knew it was our last time playing in this gym, and we were going to leave it all on the court.”
Heath, which will match 19-5 records with No. 1 seed Jonathan Alder at 6 p.m. March 6 at Mount Vernon Nazarene for a district title, also came out firing. Carter Mason, Ethan Grise and Kaminsky all made first-quarter 3s as the host team shot ahead 18-12 and expanded it to 30-18 in the second on back-to-back shots from beyond the arc by Mason and Grise.
However, after a B-C timeout, Caleb Hinkel, Alex Barber and Lucas Hogue connected from deep as the visitors quickly narrowed the gap to 30-27 before Kaminsky’s two foul shots gave Heath a 32-27 halftime lead.
“I couldn’t believe the pace,” Heath coach Devin Fulk said. “Neither team could. To start out with that kind of offensive performance, when both teams hang their hats on defense. We did not do a very good job of making them uncomfortable, so we had to get out and try and make them uncomfortable, make them put the ball on the floor, and we were able to.”
The teams combined for 11 first-half 3-pointers and 56% shooting (22 of 39), but there were only two 3s in the second half, both by B-C.
In the third quarter, Heath had only one field goal but limited B-C to 2-of-10 shooting and opened a 40-30 lead when Kaminsky, who went 10 of 10 at the line, made six consecutive free throws. Two came on an intentional foul after his steal, and he added two more on the ensuing possession.
He also assisted Holloway in the paint, and Heath really took off down the stretch, Holloway scoring on a drive and Kaminsky finding Dayvian McIntyre and Braden Gibson for layups. Holloway also assisted Gibson, McIntyre scored on a rebound and Kaminsky dunked on the fast break off a long pass from Holloway.
Holloway added 14 points and three assists to Kaminsky’s 22-point, seven-rebound, five-assist effort. Gibson contributed 8 points and nine rebounds, while Mason and Grise had two 3s apiece as Heath was a strong 21 of 41 from the floor for 51% and 12 of 13 at the line. It owned a 22-15 rebounding margin.
“For a guy who averages 25 or 26 a game, he’s really unselfish and plays within their offense,” B-C coach Andy Schmitz said of Kaminsky.
Said Kaminsky: “I don’t take many bad shots. I try to get my teammates involved and score when I can.”
Fulk joked that the junior varsity players are run ragged in practice, rushing to double or triple team Kaminsky like many teams now do.
“That’s one of his greatest attributes, finding the open man when teams double up,” he said. “And making the right play. By now, our guys know what to do when that happens.”
Holloway is also unselfish and admitted that the coaches have said he needs to score more if they want to make a tournament run.
“The week we had before that Lakewood game, we told him it’s not good if Jordan has to get 30 points a game,” Fulk said.
He’s taken that to heart.
“I try to look for a good matchup and beat guys off the dribble,” he said.
Added Kaminsky: “He played great. He understands that he can score, and the coaches know he can score.”
Hogue, a sophomore guard, made five 3s and led B-C with 17 points. Hinkel added 15 points and Jayven Griffith had five rebounds as they were a solid 19 of 38 from the field for 50%, but only 1 of 6 at the line.
“We knew we had to shoot it pretty well against that zone,” Schmitz said. “Coach Fulk does such a good job with it. In the second half we missed a couple of shots and were not able to stop them defensively. They’re a really tough team to come back on with the style they play.”
He couldn’t fault the effort though.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” he said. “There’s no better group around. They play really hard, and they play for each other.”
Kaminsky knows Heath will be the underdog against Jonathan Alder.
“But we have a lot of momentum,” he said. “We’re playing really well with a lot of confidence. When we play like that, we can compete with anyone.”
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This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Heath wins dogfight with Bloom-Carroll, advances to district finals
Reporting by Dave Weidig, Newark Advocate / Newark Advocate
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
