By PATRICK CASEY
The Paxton Bobcats got big scoring performances from Zach Varnum, Grant Stewart and Garrett Bodie while surviving 42 fouls from an aggressive Walton defense to capture a 91-85 win over the Braves on Nov. 24.
Varnum and Stewart got going in the first quarter as the Bobcats were able to break down Walton’s defense for one-on-one possessions that saw the two players combine for 18 of the visiting team’s 23 points in the first quarter.
The Braves, who were playing in their first regular season game with no pre-season contests due to the high number of football players on the roster, struggled with turnovers in the first quarter as Paxton held an 8-3 advantage in that category as the Braves fell behind 23-10.
Paxton kept the margin at 13 throughout the second quarter as Varnum showed good body control in going to the rim for three more made baskets while Stewart drilled 9-of-11 free throws in the first half. Garret Bodie scored nine of his 20 points in the frame as the Bobcats took a 45-32 lead into the locker room.
Walton coach Joe Hayes saw the Braves claw back into the game in the third quarter as Andricus Moore scored seven of his 14 points in the frame after the host squad fell behind by as many as 26 points before chipping away at the lead with the help of senior Peyton Betts three-point shooting. Senior Cody Phillips added a pair of baskets in the quarter and Walton kept up the defensive pressure while committing 15 fouls that kept the Bobcats streaming to the free throw line.
Paxton made 16-of-23 attempts in the third quarter and was able to stretch the lead to 71-56 after 24 minutes of the contest as Varnum and Stewart continued to drain shots from the charity stripe.
Walton’s relentless pressure began to force mistakes from Paxton in the fourth quarter as the Bobcats posted 7 of their 19 turnovers in the frame while Walton began to hit shots, penetrating to the basket for makes from Moore and Matt Stacy while junior Cade Supple drilled a pair of shots from behind the arc to help Walton get within four points in the final three minutes of the game.
Walton had chances to get closer in the contest as the Bobcats’ smaller bench began to wear down but the Braves missed some key shots over the final two minutes that gave just enough space for Paxton to hold on for a 91-85 decision.
Paxton’s free throw shooting paced the victory as the squad combined to hit 46-of-66 shots while Walton managed only 9-of-20 from the free throw line.
Varnum finished with 31 points despite fouling out late in the contest while Stewart had 30 points and took several hard shots from defenders as he was tasked with a good percentage of the ball-handling to get the basketball up the court.
Walton had four players in double figures as Supple had 15, Moore 14, Stacy 13 and Betts 10.
Paxton (4-0) was 21-of-45 from the floor and forced 19 turnovers from Walton in picking up the victory. The Bobcats posted a 63-32 win at Northview on Nov. 23 behind 24 points from Hunter Allen and 18 from Varnum, who also added 12 rebounds.
Game Notes: Paxton has won the last 12 meetings with Walton as the Braves’ last victory over the Bobcats came when Darryl McGhee was a senior at Walton in a 58-30 home victory during the 2005-06 season. Grant Stewart entered the Walton game with 999 points scored on the varsity as his 30-point performance gives him 1,029 in his career. Jeff Bradley is in his 18th year as boys coach at Paxton and holds a mark of 348-137 in that time. Zach Varnum has scored 887 career varsity points. Walton’s Matt Stacy was injured in an automobile accident during Thanksgiving week and will likely be lost for the rest of the basketball season due to his injuries.
The Paxton Bobcats got big scoring performances from Zach Varnum, Grant Stewart and Garrett Bodie while surviving 42 fouls from an aggressive Walton defense to capture a 91-85 win over the Braves on Nov. 24.
Varnum and Stewart got going in the first quarter as the Bobcats were able to break down Walton’s defense for one-on-one possessions that saw the two players combine for 18 of the visiting team’s 23 points in the first quarter.
The Braves, who were playing in their first regular season game with no pre-season contests due to the high number of football players on the roster, struggled with turnovers in the first quarter as Paxton held an 8-3 advantage in that category as the Braves fell behind 23-10.
Paxton kept the margin at 13 throughout the second quarter as Varnum showed good body control in going to the rim for three more made baskets while Stewart drilled 9-of-11 free throws in the first half. Garret Bodie scored nine of his 20 points in the frame as the Bobcats took a 45-32 lead into the locker room.
Walton coach Joe Hayes saw the Braves claw back into the game in the third quarter as Andricus Moore scored seven of his 14 points in the frame after the host squad fell behind by as many as 26 points before chipping away at the lead with the help of senior Peyton Betts three-point shooting. Senior Cody Phillips added a pair of baskets in the quarter and Walton kept up the defensive pressure while committing 15 fouls that kept the Bobcats streaming to the free throw line.
Paxton made 16-of-23 attempts in the third quarter and was able to stretch the lead to 71-56 after 24 minutes of the contest as Varnum and Stewart continued to drain shots from the charity stripe.
Walton’s relentless pressure began to force mistakes from Paxton in the fourth quarter as the Bobcats posted 7 of their 19 turnovers in the frame while Walton began to hit shots, penetrating to the basket for makes from Moore and Matt Stacy while junior Cade Supple drilled a pair of shots from behind the arc to help Walton get within four points in the final three minutes of the game.
Walton had chances to get closer in the contest as the Bobcats’ smaller bench began to wear down but the Braves missed some key shots over the final two minutes that gave just enough space for Paxton to hold on for a 91-85 decision.
Paxton’s free throw shooting paced the victory as the squad combined to hit 46-of-66 shots while Walton managed only 9-of-20 from the free throw line.
Varnum finished with 31 points despite fouling out late in the contest while Stewart had 30 points and took several hard shots from defenders as he was tasked with a good percentage of the ball-handling to get the basketball up the court.
Walton had four players in double figures as Supple had 15, Moore 14, Stacy 13 and Betts 10.
Paxton (4-0) was 21-of-45 from the floor and forced 19 turnovers from Walton in picking up the victory. The Bobcats posted a 63-32 win at Northview on Nov. 23 behind 24 points from Hunter Allen and 18 from Varnum, who also added 12 rebounds.
Game Notes: Paxton has won the last 12 meetings with Walton as the Braves’ last victory over the Bobcats came when Darryl McGhee was a senior at Walton in a 58-30 home victory during the 2005-06 season. Grant Stewart entered the Walton game with 999 points scored on the varsity as his 30-point performance gives him 1,029 in his career. Jeff Bradley is in his 18th year as boys coach at Paxton and holds a mark of 348-137 in that time. Zach Varnum has scored 887 career varsity points. Walton’s Matt Stacy was injured in an automobile accident during Thanksgiving week and will likely be lost for the rest of the basketball season due to his injuries.