Mickey Cozart called a timeout as his team was down 11-0 just five minutes into the game. The game had started a lot like others this season have gone: missed shots for the Bulldogs, and the opposing team taking advantage of the their mistakes.
This time, however, the game ended differently than the other games with a 66-41 win over Meigs on Friday night.
Elijah Williams, coming off the bench, got the scoring started for the Bulldogs as they were only down four by the end of the first quarter. At the beginning of the second quarter, Logan Maxfield hit back-to-back 3-pointers which gave Athens a lead it did not give up the rest of the game.
Maxfield led the Bulldogs with 17 points, and Williams followed him with 14.
“Anytime you get a spark, we had guys flying around getting on the floor, that’s what it’s about,” Cozart said. “When you’re making those plays, you’re playing for the guy next to you and we need a lot more of that.”
Aside from the slow start and what Cozart called the worst half-quarter of basketball his team had played this season, the Bulldogs played some of the best basketball it has so far. Passing lanes got jumped leading to fastbreaks and easy layups — all keys to Athens’ success.
The Bulldogs’ up-tempo offense was sparked by their 17 steals, which Athens turned into 25 points off Meigs’ turnovers.
Six different Athens players had multiple steals and nine total recorded a steal. Maxfield lead the team with four.
“We played like that in summer, we played like that in our scrimmages, then we got into season, and we stopped doing that,” Cozart said. “Tonight, we did that.”
The win moves Athens to 4-9, and 4-3 in the Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division. It still remains two games behind leader Vinton County, but the two teams play next.
“We’re not a terrible team when we come in here and do our job,” Cozart said. “We need to stay in flow of what we do, and if we do that, we’ll be alright.”
