Cedarville Stomps Miami-Hamilton in Home Opener

by Tim Miller

The Cedarville Yellow Jackets disposed of the Miami-Hamilton Harriers on Friday night, 100-69, in the second game of the Don Callan Classic. The home opener win was Cedarville’s first of the season, and they now sit at 1-2.

Junior guard Kwenton Scott paced Cedarville, scoring 22 points on 8-11 shooting. Scott also made all six of his free throw tries. Freshman forward Conner TenHove contributed 10 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Junior forward Gabe Portillo and sophomore guard Demond Parker each added 16 points.

The Yellow Jackets totaled 69 bench points and the top three scorers all started the game on the bench.

“The energy out of the bench was great,” Portillo said. “Every single guy gave us something tonight and we moved the ball well.”

Two offensive fouls within the first three minutes by Miami-Hamilton allowed Cedarville to have more opportunities on the offensive end. The Yellow Jackets were unable to convert the extra chances with the ball during the period and led just 3-2 at the 17-minute mark.

Cedarville jumped out to a 12-6 lead with 14:05 remaining. Clean ball movement and timely shots allowed the Yellow Jackets to take the first momentum swing of the game.

Estepp took out all five starters at that mark, giving the Yellow Jackets fresh legs. Cedarville built its lead further, taking an 18-9 lead with 12:57 left, causing Miami-Hamilton to call another timeout.

Cedarville rained three straight triples to extend its lead to 27-11 with 9:36 left. At that point, Cedarville was 5-8 from behind the arc.

With 1:55 left, Cedarville extended its lead to 20 thanks to a layup and free throw by Scott. After Scott’s free throw rattled in, the Yellow Jackets led 43-23.

The Yellow Jackets used offensive rebounds and strong halfcourt defense to close the half with a comfortable lead. Cedarville led 49-27 after 20 minutes. Parker led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 11 points, while TenHove added six points and grabbed six rebounds.

Cedarville took a 30-point margin thanks to a Scott reverse layup with 12:48 left. Cedarville led 73-43 and was shooting 50 percent from the field at that point.

Estepp continued to filter players in and out of the game, as every player on the roster made his way to the floor, as no player saw more than 25 minutes.

“I thought our guys kept their foot on the gas better than they have in years past,” head coach Pat Estepp said. “Especially in the second half, sometimes can get sloppy. I didn’t feel like we ever got out of control.”

Cedarville will play Lake Superior State in the final game of the Don Callan Classic tomorrow at 5:15. Lake Superior State knocked off Findlay 78-73 in the first game of the tournament this evening.

Tim Miller is a sophomore marketing major and sports editor for Cedars. He enjoys having a baby face, sipping Dunkin Donuts coffee and striving to be the optimal combination of Dwight Schrute and Ron Swanson.