Davis scores 25 with ease as Onsted rolls past Columbia Central (file photo)
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Brooklyn – The plan was to start strong, start inside, and take control, well, from the start.
Mission accomplished for the Onsted boys basketball team Thursday night.
The Wildcats, especially Michigan-bound senior center Austin Davis, came out flying at Columbia Central.
Davis scored 11 in the opening frame as Onsted jumped out to a 17-6 lead in what turned into a 62-24 victory that wasn’t even that close.
“They played hard and we knew in this building they are a tough team,” Onsted coach Brad Maska said of Columbia. “We wanted to come out and force our will inside. We wanted to take care of business. With the size advantage we have, it’s stupid if we don’t get going inside.”
And they did.
Davis had dunks on two early possessions, and 10 of his 11 points in the opening frame came within two feet of the basket.
“With a player like that, it’s probably unavoidable,” Columbia coach Jason Rychener said of trying to avoid the early disadvantage. “We had to play almost a perfect game to stay in this one, and we didn’t.”
Davis poured in 10 more points in the second quarter as Onsted took a 38-12 lead into halftime.
He had 21 of the Wildcats’ 38 points in the first 16 minutes.
“When he gets inside, he’s tough to stop,” Maksa said with a smile.
Onsted led 53-20 entering the fourth before emptying the bench in the final quarter.
“We missed some early shots, and we turned it over, and that kind of snowballed on us,” Rychener said. “We played hard. There’s just a talent gap in a game like this that hurts you.”
Dalton Fish ended up as Columbia’s leading scorer with six points. Kyle Schiel, Tyler Johnson and Steven Stull Jr. all scored four, each.
The Golden Eagles finished the game 0-for-11 on 3-pointers, falling to 2-9 overall and 1-7 in the Lenawee County Conference.
Davis scored 25 with six blocks to power Onsted. Gabe Richardson and Isaac Henry each scored seven.
Onsted is now 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the conference.
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him at mjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.