MARIETTA, Ohio – La Roche men's basketball took part in the Marietta Tournament, hosted by Pioneers on Friday and Saturday.
The Redhawks opened the weekend with a high scoring match against host Marietta, falling, 100-86, then went on to win the third-place matchup on Saturday, defeating Manchester, 87-74.
GAME ONE (FRIDAY): MARIETTA 100 LA ROCHE 84
It was a slow start offensively for both teams in this high scoring matchup, as the Pioneers held a small, 17-13 lead in the first six minutes of play.
With the score sitting, 20-15, a minute later, Marietta used a 25-5 run over the next eight minutes to open a 45-20 lead with 5:30 remaining in the first half, ultimately taking a 55-40 lead into the break.
Out of the half, the Pioneers used the first 4:15 to build the lead back to 71-49 and by the 8:53 remaining mark, the deficit for La Roche grew to 88-62.
The final eight minutes saw the Redhawks outscore Marietta, 24-12, but was too little too late.
La Roche ended the night shooting 46.7% (35-for-75), 6-for-19 (31.6%) from three and 10-for-13 (76.9%) from the foul line.
The Pioneers finished the matchup hitting 53.5% (38-for-71) from the floor, 12-for-24 (50%) from deep and 12-for-20 from the charity stripe.
Logan Golle put together a career-best night, scoring 25 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including 3-for-4 from three, three rebounds and a pair of assists.
Cooper Rankin followed with 15 points on 7-for-13 shooting and four rebounds, while Bryce Epps scored 13 points with five rebounds and Major Rainey contributed 12 points and six rebounds.
GAME TWO (SATURDAY): LA ROCHE 87 MANCHESTER 74
Game two saw the Redhawks battle to overcome early first half struggles to come out victorious for the first time this season.
The first five minutes were to forget for La Roche, as the Redhawks saw themselves trailing, 17-8 in that time frame.
La Roche countered and utilized a 10-0 run to take the lead, 18-17, with 10:56 remaining, but just under two minutes later, the Redhawks were back down, 26-18 as Manchester used a 9-0 to regain the edge.
Down 29-22 with 7:14 remaining in the first half, the red and black sparked down the stretch, outscoring the opposition, 23-9, taking a 45-38 lead into the half.
Out of the break, the La Roche lead dropped to 47-43 briefly, then later, after a layup by Manchester at 13:07 made it 59-52, the Redhawks allowed just two made shots in the next 6:41, building up the lead to 71-59 and cruised to the finish line from there.
La Roche ended the night shooting a stellar 61.3% (38-for-62) from the field, 7-for-15 (46.7%) from three and 4-for-5 (80%) from the foul line.
The Spartans finished the matchup shooting 38.8% (26-for-67) from the floor, 7-for-24 (29.2%) from deep and 15-for-22 (68.2%) from the charity stripe.
This time it was Epps leading the Redhawks, scoring a career-high, 30 points on an incredible 14-for-20 shooting, adding six rebounds and three assists.
Jefferson "Boogie" Moorefield-Brown netted 13 points and six rebounds off the bench, while Golle contributed 11 points and four assists and Jeston Beatty and Rainey both scored 10 points.
The Redhawks tour of Ohio continues Tuesday, Nov. 18 when they take on Otterbein at 7 p.m.