Raiders roll to 5-0 start
PHOTO BY BETH SCHMALTZ
South Ripley’s Cole Henry throws down a vicious dunk on Saturday night in a Raider win at Franklin County. The Raiders are just 5-0 for the third time in 30 years.
South Ripley boys basketball is 5-0 for just the third time in 30 years as the Raiders scored two wins this past weekend.
The Raiders were 5-0 during the 2020-2021 season under then head coach Tyler Theising and had the same mark back in the 1995-1996 season when Randy Snodgrass led South Ripley to a 16-5 record.
One of the area’s top games on Friday night saw South Ripley get out to a double-digit lead early and then score 39 points in the second half to run away with a 75-62 victory at home against Class A No. 16 Hauser. The Raiders jumped all over the Jets 22-10 in the opening frame but Hauser’s offenses returned the favor in the second quarter and dwindled the deficit down to just five points at halftime.
South Ripley’s offense though could not contained for too long however and the green and white finished off the evening with an eight-point swing which included a 20-point third quarter to bring the lead back out to double figures.
It was a cold start for South Ripley senior Blaine Ward who entered intermission with just five points but the Raider guard went off in the final two quarters, canning 13 free throws and six field goals for 25 points en route to leading all scorers with 30 total points. Teammate Cole Henry dropped 14 points in the first half and finished with 18 points while Drew Volz went 7-of-8 from the free throw line and added 11 points.
Hauser (3-1) had four players in double figures, led by Gavin Kaller’s 15 points. Stryker Gill and Collin Buck added 13 points and 12 points respectively and Taeshan Tungate put in 11 points.
A slow-down approach by Franklin County and foul trouble for the Raiders made for a sloppy night but a victory nonetheless on Saturday as South Ripley won 41-25 in Brookville.
South Ripley’s defense made up for the sloppiness and held Franklin County to just six points in the first half. The Wildcats (1-4) put together a bit of a spurt late in the third quarter and early in the fourth but the Raiders finished with 15 points in the final eight minutes to stay in control.
Ward and Henry scored 16 points and 15 points respectively for the Raiders. Bryson Sipples and Drew Volz each had four points and Blake Gunter added two points. Franklin County was led by Nick Vanover’s 10 points.
South Ripley (5-0) is home on Wednesday night against Shawe Memorial in an Ohio River Valley Conference game and is at South Decatur on Saturday.
FRIDAY’S BOYS
BASKETBALL GAME
at South Ripley
SOUTH RIPLEY 75, CLASS A NO. 16
HAUSER 62
HAUSER – 10. 21. 13. 18. – 62
SR – 22. 14. 20. 19. – 75
HAUSER (3-1) – Gavin Keller 15, Stryker Gill 13, Collin Buck 12, Taeshan Tungate 11, Waylon Harper 6, Ledger Gelfius 5, Alex Cord 0, Kameron Blair 0.
SR (4-0) – Blaine Ward 30, Cole Henry 18, Drew Volz 11, Bryson Sipples 6, Dylan Jessee 6, Chancie Volz 4, Landon Werner 0.
3-Point Goals – Hauser 10 (Keller 3, Gill 3, Harper 2, Gelfius 1, Buck 1), SR 6 (Henry 2, Jessee 2, C.Volz 1, Sipples 1). Total Fouls – Hauser 24, SR 9. Free Throws – Hauser 6-10, SR 25-34. Fouled Out – None.
SATURDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL GAME
at Franklin Co.
SOUTH RIPLEY 41, FRANKLIN COUNTY 25
SR – 7. 13. 6. 15. – 41
FC – 2. 4. 10. 9. – 25
SR (5-0) – Blaine Ward 16, Cole Henry 15, Bryson Sipples 4, Drew Volz 4, Blake Gunter 2, Brogan Buchanan 0, Landon Werner 0, Dylan Jessee 0, Mason Bascom 0.
FC (1-4) – Nick Vanover 10, Isaiah Kemp 6, Carson Allen 4, Brady Foster 3, Quinn Gillman 2, Jake Seals 0, Landon Johnson 0, Evan Flaspohler 0, Ezra Kolb 0.
3-Point Goals – SR 3 (Ward 1, Henry 1, D.Volz 1), FC 2 (Vanover 2). Total Fouls – SR 15, FC 19. Free Throws – SR 8-12, FC 5-12. Fouled Out – FC: Kemp.
