Margaretta outlasts Sandusky in high-scoring affair By MATT MCKENZIE Special to the Register CASTALIA — Tournament atmospheres are rare in early December. Thursday at a sold-out Iceberg, Margaretta toppled visiting Sandusky 87-80 in a game both coaches described as a regional-caliber game. “We handled a lot of adversity tonight, but this was a regional-level contest,” Margaretta coach Steve Keller said. “That is a very lengthy and physical team that is a high-end Division III regional type team." The game started out with the Polar Bears (2-0) scoring the first four points, followed by Sandusky responding with a 7-0 run of their own. At the 4:52 mark of the quarter, Dayton-bound Julian Washington connected on a wing 3 to break a 7-7 game. With that basket, Washington became Margaretta’s all-time leading scorer with 1,424 points. “It is all about having a positive mindset and going into every day with a plan,” said Washington of his milestone. “It has been a goal of mine since freshman year, but this is not about me but the teammates I have around me." After that basket, Margaretta stretched its lead to 16-7, but the Blue Streaks (0-1) answered back with their own 7-0 run to make the score 16-14 after one quarter. “That is a great basketball team that made crucial plays in big moments,” Sandusky coach DeMar Moore said. “They executed everything in the moments they needed to." In the second quarter, Washington made the crowd erupt with two dunks, including a windmill, to help the Polar Bears jump out to a 31-19 lead. But the theme of the night was the Streaks getting big-time baskets from Cam Jones and Dale Johnson. “Both of those guys stepped up in crucial moments tonight,” Moore said. “We will get better and better after we get production from more than just those two guys." After a 6-0 run got Sandusky within 31-27, Judah Keller ended the run with a basket. That was followed by two big baskets from Kale Bailey. At halftime, Margaretta found themselves up on the scoreboard 36-30. A big part of the game came in the third quarter when at the 2:06 mark, Washington went out with four fouls. At the time, the score saw Sandusky within three at 50-47. In crucial moments, Judah Keller and Keiygan Morris stepped up. Keller stepped up to score seven points with Morris adding four points to take a 61-53 lead into the fourth. “Tonight showed that we are more than just one guy,” Judah Keller said. "We had multiple guys step up, and that is what good teams do." In the fourth quarter, Margaretta got the lead out to 74-64 with 4:17 left, but Sandusky kept fighting and got it within three after a Johnson and-one. Margaretta fended off Sandusky the rest of the way for the victory. Johnson led Sandusky with 27 points while Jones scored 24 points. Washington's 27 points led Margaretta. Keller added 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while Kale Bailey registered 20 points and six rebounds. The Polar Bears host Norwalk St. Paul (3-0) on Saturday, while the Blue Streaks travel to Lexington (1-0). ”I think we are able to rely on our balance and Saturday, we will have to rely on our depth,” Keller said. “We expended a lot of energy tonight in a big time game." SANDUSKY (0-1) Anthony Redding 3 0-3 6, Ahmaj Woolfork 3 1-4 8, Cam Jones 9 1-3 24, Kymirr Hunter 5 1-1 11, Camren Daniels 2 0-0 4, Dale Johnson 10 6-9 27. TOTALS 32 9-20 80 MARGARETTA (2-0) Kale Bailey 9 0-0 20, Keiygan Morris 4 2-4 11, Julian Washington 8 10-13 27, Judah Keller 7 9-13 26, Tyson Bailey 1 1-2 3. TOTALS 29 22-32 87 Sandusky 14 16 23 27 — 80 Margaretta 16 20 25 26 — 87 Three-point goals: Sandusky 7 (Jones 5, Woolfork, Johnson); Margaretta 7 (Keller 3, K. Bailey 2, Morris, Washington) Photo Link (Matt McKenzie)- Click Here Photo Link (Erin Caldwell)- Click Here/ BCSN Pancake Player of the Game Interview- Click Here Sandusky Game Highlights- Bellevue Game Highlights- Click Here