Shawnee won back-to-back games last weekend to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2014.
The Braves beat Clark County rival Tecumseh 76-71 on Dec. 6 and beat Ponitz 60-58 on a buzzer beater on Dec. 7.
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“We’ve been solid offensively,” said Braves coach Chris McGuire. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked ‘When was the last time your team scored 75 points?’ It’s been awhile. We’ve been able to score and have some good field goal percentage nights. It’s been a good start for us.”
Shawnee had three players score in double figures against Tecumseh — senior Isaac Siemon (28 points), freshman Zion Crowe (20), junior Drew Mitch (12) and sophomore Patrick Fultz (11). The Braves scored more than 75 points for the first time since scoring 90 against Graham in February, 2016.
Siemon, a first-team CBC Kenton Trail selection last season, spent the offseason working on his game and getting stronger in the weight room, McGuire said.
“He’s developed his body,” McGuire said. “You can tell he’s stronger. You can tell he’s more confident and more experienced. He’s a versatile kid who can score inside and outside.”
Crowe was excellent in his Braves debut, making 9-of-10 shots that included a dunk.
“He had a great opening night,” McGuire said. “We’re excited about what he can bring on both ends of the floor.”
Mitch had 23 points and 10 rebounds and Siemon had 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Ponitz. With the game tied at 58, Fultz inbounded the ball from in front of the Ponitz bench and found Mitch five feet away from the hoop and he was able to hit a short bank shot as time expired.
Mitch is back on the floor after missing six weeks of the football season with a broken collarbone where he wasn’t able to do much conditioning, McGuire said.
“It’s going to take him a little bit to get back into it,” McGuire said. “He missed some easy shots on Friday that he would normally make. On Saturday he was 10-for-14 from the field and had the game winner. He’s just going to continue to get better. I see it every day coming back.”
Shawnee returns four starters from last year’s team that went 11-12.
“We’ve got a fairly young team, but a lot of those guys other than Zion have experience,” McGuire said. “We’re hoping that we can build off some of the experience. We had a lot of close games last year. To be able to win two close games over the weekend, I think will give us confidence down the stretch, especially if we’re in any other close games.”
The Braves (2-0, 1-0 CBC) face a tough task on Friday night against defending Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail Division champion London.
The Red Raiders are 1-3 and 1-0 in the division, but return several key players including CBC Player of the Year Trey Woodyard, a junior. They’ve played a tough schedule that includes Cin. Hughes, Dublin Jerome and Buckeye Valley. They beat Kenton Ridge 69-51 in the division opener last Friday.
“We’re going to have to be solid in all aspects,” McGuire said. “They’re going to be bigger than us, so we’re going to have to do a good job on the boards. We’re going to have to force them to make some tough shots. We’ll have to take care of the ball. Hopefully we can get good shots like we got last weekend.”
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