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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 8, 2004 Grizz boys nab win No. 3 By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Josh McDermott had another big game and his team did too. But it's not going to the senior guard's head. Not by a long shot. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland high senior guard Josh mCdermott glides over Henley defenders to score two of his 14 points. The Grizzlies earned a resounding 65-37 victory, their third big win of the preseason. "I think after the last few years we've been through, I don't think we have to worry about overconfidence," he said. "I don't think that's going to be an issue at all. We know where we've been and we know how far we've come, but we're not comfortable. We know we haven't done anything." Not yet, anyway. The Ashland boys basketball team smothered Henley's offense and had its way at the other end of the court Tuesday in a game that was an afterthought by halftime. When the beating was finally over, the Grizzlies were on the warm-and-fuzzy end of a 65-37 nonconference blowout at Mountain Avenue Gym. It was their third straight romp to start the year, or approximately three more than they had all of last season. Everybody got into act three. McDermott, a senior guard, led Ashland with 14 points and senior forward Corey Costantino added 13, but seven other Grizzlies also scored in the team's best all-around performance to date. "They were very, very methodical and efficient in the second half," Ashland head coach Rick Cornelius said. "What's happening is they really are responding, they are believing in each other and their confidence is really starting to take off." The game was Ashland's from the beginning. The Grizzlies went up 14-3 in the opening minutes, forcing turnovers and running the Hornets into the ground. It only got worse for the visitors. It was 42-24 at the half and 58-35 after three. The Grizzlies made it look easy, shooting 58 percent in the first half and still outrebounding the Hornets 17-14. When Henley used a mini-rally to pull within 18-11, the Grizzlies put the hammer down, scoring 18 of the next 22 points to go up 36-15. Senior forward Brian Kitchell swished consecutive 3-pointers in the run. McDermott and Costantino added two buckets apiece. "A game this early in the season we're still finding out who we are, what works, what doesn't, what we need to work on," said Ashland senior guard Sam Littleton, who had seven points and five rebounds. "Today did that a lot for us." The Hornets never got around the Grizzlies' man-to-man defense and rarely penetrated it. Their best option turned out to be the 3-point shot. It was a blessing before halftime and a burden after. Henley guard Joel Matchett drilled four treys in the first half on his way to a team-high 15 points, but he and his teammates cooled off considerably in the second half, when Henley was held to just 13 points on 6 of 23 shooting. Meanwhile, Ashland's balanced assault continued. Six Grizzlies scored in the third quarter alone as Ashland opened up a 27-point lead. In one telling sequence, Jeff Skinner scored on a fastbreak, Costantino converted a three-point play and Ryan Pittman banked in an off-balance fall-away prayer. The Grizzly bench went wild. Cornelius just laughed. "The first two games we seemed a little out of synch offensively in the halfcourt and we had to find ways to score in transition," McDermott said, "but tonight I thought we read screens real well, we passed well, we were unselfish. We were just more efficient in the halfcourt" Costantino had another solid all-around performance despite watching a good portion of the game from the bench while in foul trouble. He had five rebounds and four assists and continues to give nightmares to similar-sized defenders. Kitchell added six points, five rebounds and two steals, junior post Josh Cornelius added nine points and Skinner chipped in seven points. Ashland shot 54 percent for the game (27-for-50) while holding the Hornets to 32 percent. The Grizzlies also had seven steals and outrebounded Henley 34-25. "We're going to face some stiff competition, so when I see them doing some of the things that they were doing tonight on the floor it was very gratifying," Rick Cornelius said. "that's what it's all about." Grizzlies 65, Hornets 37 Henley (37) - Stock 1, Webb 2, Card 6, Matchett 15, Morgan 9, Lesueur 2, Nonella 2. Totals: 15 2-7 37. Ashland (65) - Eriksen 3, Costantino 13, Kitchell 6, Skinner 7, McDermott 14, Littleton 7, Reinstedt 2, Pittman 2, Cornelius 9. Totals: 27 5-10 65. Henley 11 13 11 2 - 37 Ashland 22 20 16 7 - 65 3-point goals - Henley 5 (Matchett 5), Ashland 6 (Kitchell 2, McDermott 2, Littleton 1, Cornelius 1). Rebounds - Henley 25, Ashland 34 (Costantino 5, Kitchell 5, Littleton 5). Assists - Ashland 14 (Costantino 4). DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ciara Lyrics & Pictures libor rate Radiotelephone Communication Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Calendar lil jon eastside boyz Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems The game rapper Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams