Miamisburg, Ohio — Miamisburg hosted Carroll for a GCL Co-Ed vs. GWOC affair to begin the season. The Vikings were playing without star Anthony Coppock in this opening night matchup. Carroll will look to replace the production of Jaden Dahm from last season as he graduated.
The game started very fast paced but with a lack of scoring. Alex Ball finally broke the scoreless tie as he drove past the defender for the easy layup. Sam Severt got the scoring started for the Patriots with a pair of buckets. Miamisburg took a 8-4 lead at the end of the quarter as Evan Logan hit a fadeaway floater at the buzzer.
Carroll guard Sean McKitrick nailed a three and then got the steal and score. McKitrick then drilled another three to give Carroll the lead. Evan Otteson began to heat up for Miamisburg. The six-foot guard hit his second three of the quarter as the Vikings led 14-12 at the half.
Alex Ball got the second half started off with a three as ‘Burg extended their lead to five. Maro Egodotaye‘s got the rebound off of a missed three but he pass was picked off by Luke Copsey which led to the easy layup. Evan Logan’s layup extended Miamisburg’s lead to seven and forced Carroll to call a timeout. Evan Otteson then hit another three as the Vikings lead grew to ten. Alex Ball then dished a dime out to Evan Logan who hit the open three to make the lead 31-16.
Evan Otteson began the fourth quarter with a huge block on Sammy Severt. Alex Ball corralled the ball and dished it to Luke Copsey for the transition layup to make it a 37-20 lead for ‘Burg. Carroll then went on a run with around three minutes remaining as the began pressing and pressuring Miamisburg. A Johnny Deep layup cut the deficit to twelve. After a missed three from Sam Severt following a timeout, Alex Ball found Evan Logan in transition to put the Vikings back up by fourteen and possibly seal this victory.
Despite the late run from Carroll, Miamisburg held on and won 46-37. The Vikings were led by Evan Logan and Evan Otteson who each had 13 points. Guard Alex Ball finished with ten points as that trio led the big run that gave the Vikings their first win of the season. Carroll was led by Sean McKitrick who had 15 points off of 3 three’s and Sam Severt who finished with 10 points. A player who may go unnoticed in the stats was Jackson McGohan. The sophomore had a good performance defensively with multiple blocks and he moved the ball well when given the opportunity.
When Coppock returns, this Miamisburg team will be one of the better teams in the GWOC and will compete with the usual heavyweights like Wayne and Centerville. Miamisburg will host Tecumseh on Saturday, and Carroll who open up conference play versus Wright State commit A.J. Braun and Fenwick on Friday.