The boys’ installment of the Amelia-Glen Este rivalry took place on Friday, Dec. 23 and it had all the intensity and noise you have come to expect from these two teams when they meet.
The Trojans ham and egged their halves well between Austin Rieck’s 14 first-half points and Alex Fultz’s 22 second-half points en route to a 10-point win over the Barons, 67-57.
“We’re not going to be able blow anybody out, but we’re going to try and squeak by,” Glen Este head coach Dave Caldwell said after the game.
The Trojans did just that on Friday, forcing early Amelia turnovers and converting them into easy baskets in transition.
Glen Este’s duo of Rieck and senior guard Alec Scardina were the main contributors to the fast start the Trojans enjoyed, tipping passes in their one-three-one zone and finishing layups on the other end.
“We’re trying to be solid on defense and keep the ball in front,” Caldwell said. “They’re a little young and we’re long and athletic so we were getting some touches, and frankly, we got a lot more transition baskets than we usually do.
“(Rieck and Scardina) are both really athletic guys and when they have a concept of what we’re doing on defense and getting in the passing lanes (they score)… they just need to put forth in the effort to play defense.”
Even with the momentum leaning in the home team’s favor, Amelia stuck with the Trojans on the strength of a strong start from sophomore Tommy Hacker. Hacker attacked the basket in the first half, getting to the foul line four times and making all four free throws and scoring eight points.
At times, it was difficult to tell who exactly had the home-court advantage. Amelia brought a boisterous amount of students and fans, giving the game the type of feel a rivalry game should have.
“It’s very heated,” Caldwell said of the rivalry. “The gym was packed and absolutely rocking. It’s a great experience for the kids, I’m glad to see them get rowdy and get excited… there’s a lot of enthusiasm there.”
After one point separated the teams after the first quarter, Glen Este was able to put some space between themselves and the Barons in the second quarter.
A turning point came early in the period when the Trojans’ Calvin Holloway wrestled down an offensive rebound and kicked the ball out to Rieck for an open three-pointer. Rieck connected from behind the arc and Amelia’s Hacker was called for a foul as he battled for position under the rim. Glen Este got the ball back as a result and scored again, making the offensive trip down the floor result in five points, giving the Trojans a 22-16 lead with 5:20 left in the half.
The Trojans opened up their largest lead of the game to that point with a steal and layup by Rieck, giving Glen Este a 31-20 lead with just over two minutes remaining. Amelia was able to cut the lead to eight at the break as sophomore Jack Mickler hit his second three pointer of the game with time winding down, leaving the Barons trailing 31-23 at the half.
“Coach Mazzaro is a great coach and his kids always play hard,” Caldwell said of the Barons’ ability to keep the game close. “They made a lot of hustle plays. A lot of balls we couldn’t pick up, they ended up getting and getting layups or hitting a three.”
While the Trojans were able to hold an eight-point lead in the first half, they did most of their work without the help of 6-foot-5 senior Alex Fultz, who sat most of the second quarter with foul trouble.
“Ryan Caldwell, the assistant coach, did a good job subbing people in and out to work through Alex’s foul trouble,” Caldwell said. “Calvin Holloway and Tyler Flanigan did a pretty good job of filling a spot.”
After settling down and toning back his aggressiveness inasmuch as he didn’t foul, Fultz kept Glen Este in front in the third quarter almost single-handily, scoring 15 of Glen Este’s 17 points in the frame.
“When he’s hitting his jumpers, he’s as good of a player as I’ve seen all year,” Caldwell. “He can also drive, we saw him get to the basket, I was really happy.”
Amelia used their offensive balance to counter Fultz’s one-man show in the third. Six Barons accounted for the 17 third-quarter points Amelia scored, but when the buzzer sounded, Glen Este held the same eight-point lead, 48-40.
Coach Mazzaro decided to double-team Fultz in the fourth quarter in an effort to make a comeback, but the big man was able to get back-to-back layups on missed jump shots to open up a 12-point lead early in the period.
The quarter progressed with Amelia trading field goals for Glen Este free throws, allowing the Trojans to keep the Barons at an arm’s length.
Fultz converted a tough lay in as he was fouled, extending the Glen Este lead to 13 at 61-48 with 2:39 remaining.
From there, the Trojans’ active zone kept the Barons at bay. Amelia had a possession made up of missed jumpers and offensive rebounds that lasted 1:25, but came away empty-handed.
With Amelia forced to foul, Glen Este put the game on ice from the foul line, winning 67-57.
Fultz led the way with a game-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting. Rieck added 17 points and Calvin Holloway was the unsung hero for the Trojans, scoring just three points, but grabbing 10 rebounds.
“Calvin’s probably as tough of a kid as we’ve had here. He’s a great athlete, he knows his role and I thought he rebounded really well,” Caldwell said.
Hacker’s 18 points and seven boards led Amelia, but he was the only Baron in double figures. Trevor Simon scored nine points and Ricky Moeves had seven.
The Trojans improve to 3-5 on the season and Amelia fell to 1-6.
Glen Este won’t take the floor again in 2011 with their next game on Jan. 3 against Milford, but Amelia is back in action on Thursday, Dec. 19 when they host Norwood.
Amelia (1-6) – Ruiz 1 0 2, Moeves 3 0 7, Lughinbuhl 2 1 5, Simon 3 0 9, Hacker 7 4 18, Dean 2 1 5, Mickler 2 0 6, Carson 2 1 5. Totals 22 7 57.
Glen Este (3-5) – Keszei 0 2 2, Flanigan 1 2 4, Fultz 11 6 30, Scardina 3 1 7, Speigel 0 2 2, Rieck 5 5 17, Crooks 1 0 2, Holloway 0 3 3. Totals 21 21 67.
Halftime: Glen Este 31-23. 3-Pointers: A 6 (Simon 3, Mickler 2, Moeves); G 4 (Fultz 2, Rieck 2)
