
Zero was worth plenty for West Liberty-Salem on Friday.
Thanks in part to a very hot hand by senior guard Isaiah Reames (who has that as his uniform number), the Tigers defeated visiting Triad 69-32 in Ohio Heritage Conference boys basketball.
Reames led all scorers with 27 points, including seven scores from 3-point land.
West Liberty-Salem took charge from the start, holding Triad scoreless for most of the first quarter. Another big run would stretch the lead to over 20 points by the break. Triad employed a variety of schemes, but couldn’t put the brakes on the Tigers.
West Liberty-Salem improves to 10-4 in the conference and 10-8 overall. Triad is now 0-12 in the OHC and 1-15 for the year.
Besides Reames, Sutton Wilcoxon scored 16 and Beckett Sullivan had 13 points for WL-S.
“Our offense to start the game was little bit out of sync,” said Tigers coach Darrin Leichty. “We weren’t working possessions very well for easy baskets, but we did offensive rebound it very well, which kind of gave us extra opportunities.”
He added that “if our defensive effort stays like that, we’ll be all right. We’ve got some tough games coming up. So we have something good to build off.”
Triad’s leading scorers were Colton Thomas with six points, and Caleb Jordan with five.
“We didn’t play well enough. They played really well. It’s pretty simple,” observed Triad coach Adam Moore. “Tonight they had Reames. We tried to throw a lot of different looks at them. We had three or four different types of defenses just to try to keep them off balance. But no matter what we did, they found a way to get open.”
He added that “About two or three weeks ago, we started to put some things together , but just like anything else, there’s ups and downs. Right now, we’re kind of in a down, and we just have to figure out a way to get back on the upswing.”
Sullivan got the first basket for the Tigers after two minutes of back and forth action. Reames drained a corner three, then Garrett Wallen had a basket and foul shot to make it 8-0.
Another three, this by Wilcoxon, and putback from Sullivan boosted the total to 13. With 1:10 to go, Triad broke the drought on a basket by Braydan Hoffman, and Evan Dorn got a layup in the home stretch.
After a couple free throws and a basket, Wilcoxon caught fire, hitting two from long range, and two from the post. Reames aded a three-ball boosting the margin to 30-4.
As in the first quarter, Triad managed to hit a couple shots down the stretch — a three by Holden LeVan and a bucket by Thomas. A free throw with 14 seconds left got the Cardinals to double digits. At the break, WL-S had 32.
The third quarter was the most balanced offensively.
A score by Braelyn Feasel avoided any long dry spell for the Cards. After a score by the Tigers, Adler Perry connected to make it 34-14.
Reams then hit three more, two from behind the arc. Things quited down for a stretch. With 33 seconds to go, Sullivan drove in, scored, and hit the bonus foul shot. Wilcoxon followed up with a corner three to give the Tigers 50. Perry got the final score of the frame, making it 50-23.
Reames kept firing — and hitting — scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. Triad managed an occasional basket, getting one apiece by Karson Meeker, Caleb Jordan and Feasel.
The running clock kicked in with four minutes to go, and the reserves were sent in for both teams shortly afterward.
West Liberty-Salem won the JV game 54-22, with 12 points by Asher Cole, and nine each by Conner Leichty and Tucker Searles.
The JV game went their way also, 43-28. Braden Hershberger had 13.
West Liberty has four games remaining, all at home. The first of those will be Tuesday against Anna.
Triad also plays Tuesday, hosting Springfield Catholic Central.
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In other boys basketball play Friday:

Lakers get win over Northwestern
Indian Lake outlasted Northwestern 80-72 in a high-scoring Central Buckeye Conference game.
The Lakers’ Brodey Reisinger finished with 33 points, and Avery Pequignot had 22. The pair combined for seven 3-pointers on the night. Cooper Hall added nine points.
The Warriors got 32 points by Mason McDermott and 25 from Crew Estep.
The Lakers put up two more points in both the first and second to lead 39-35. They had 22 in the third, and another 19 in the fourth to get the eight point win.
The Lakers won the JV game 54-35, with Reed Strayer having 11 points.
Indian Lake is 7-1 in conference play and 10-6 overall. They hit the floor again tonight with a trip to Urbana.
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Chieftains top Tecumseh
Bellefontaine continued its road journey Friday with a 59-55 win at Tecumseh in the CBC.
Bellefontaine is now 3-4 in the conference and 9-8 overall.
Braylon Newcomb had 23 points and Jair Mundy scored 20, along with nine by C.J. Butler.
Bellefontaine lost the JV game 55-47. Sutton Daring had 16 and Spencer Stolly 11 for the Chieftains.
Tecumseh won the freshmen game 45-31. Bellefontaine’s Tyler Rossey had 11.
The Chieftains will head to Vandalia Tuesday to face Butler.
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Raiders fall to Shawnee
Benjamin Logan lost 58-27at Shawnee in CBC play.
Peyton Vermillion had seven points, and Camden Spriggs scored five.
Shawnee won the JV game 45-33. Caden Powell and Diesel Baughman tallied eight points apiece.
The Raiders (0-9 CBC, 1-16) host Elgin on Tuesday night.