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Big Walnut 71, Watkins Memorial 32 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Andy Hoben, 12/04/19, 11:45PM EST

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Big Walnut spreads the wealth on offense while shutting down the Watkins attack in route of visiting Warriors

SUNBURY, Ohio -- Fresh off of an opening loss to a talented St. Charles squad, Watkins Memorial headed to Big Walnut to try and prove that their 54-point scoring effort in their opening game was a glimpse of more to come. However, the home Eagles team had other plans, as they completely shut down the Warriors offense as the game went on and pulled away for a 71-32 victory at home to stay unbeaten.

The game started off fairly even, with each teams trading baskets early on; however, halfway through the opening period, Big Walnut senior Lincoln Bullock broke the scoring open, hitting threes on consecutive possessions against the Warrior zone defense and stretching out the lead past double digits at 19-9, where it would remain when the first quarter buzzer sounded. 

The second quarter was characterized by a complete takeover from Big Walnut senior post Kegan Hienton, their leading scorer a year ago, which was aided in part by Watkins big man Marcus Peaks sitting with foul trouble. Big Walnut forced TEN Watkins turnovers in the first half, three of them coming by way of steals from the incredibly active Hienton, who also had two blocks and 11 of Big Walnuts points as they took a 36-10 lead into the half as Watkins mustered one lone free throw in the second quarter. 

The beginning of the second half saw the Eagles extend their lead even further, as they quickly pushed it past a 20 point margin where it would remain for the rest of the game. While Kegan Hienton rested most of the third quarter, Big Walnut continued to grow their lead as juniors Caleb Conard and Jared Kreager took their turn in the driver's seat of the offense. With Conard working inside and Kreager slashing from the perimeter, the Eagles were able to grow their lead even further, taking a 57-20 advantage in the final period. 

The fourth quarter saw long stretches of sloppy play on either side as Big Walnut maintained their big lead, and even grew the margin towards the end of the game as the reserves turned up the tempo on offense in an attempt to get in on the action. 6-7 sophomore big man Will Baden closed out the huge win with a thundering dunk, and Big Walnut came out with a 71-32 victory. 

Watkins saw their possessions spiral out of control due to the stout Big Walnut defense and couldn’t get anything going offensively. Senior big Marcus Peaks finished with a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds as well as an assist. Senior guard Reece McNeely scored five points to go along with a rebound, an assist, and a steal, and sophomores Logan Vanhoose and Brent Casterline each chipped in four points and two rebounds apiece. Watkins falls to 0-2 on the season with the loss. 

Big Walnut spread out their scoring, with seven players scoring six points or more. Kegan Hienton led all scorers with 14 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Jared Kreager scored 11 points while adding five boards, three assists, a steal and two blocks, and senior Jacob Krous had 10 points. Lincoln Bullock finished with all nine of his points coming on his three three-point makes, and Caleb Conard finished with eight points, eight boards, and four blocks. The Eagles are now 2-0 on the young season with the win.

 


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Kegan Hienton (6’5 PF / Big Walnut / 2020): In Hienton, the Big Walnut faithful know exactly what they are getting: efficient offensive play, activity on defense, and understanding the right spot to be on the floor at all times. The 6-5 forwards keen sense of positioning coupled with a great motor made him extremely hard to stop down low for Watkins, especially with Marcus Peaks being kept off the floor. Hienton is able to work himself into the paint either by backing down defenders or cutting from the perimeter, and is extremely active on the offensive glass which led to multiple put back attempts tonight. The senior is a leader on the floor and looks to be one play ahead at all times, as he poked his hand into various passing lanes and also dished out impressive cross-court assists from the perimeter on the offensive end. Hienton is Big Walnut’s leading returning scorer, and could give the rest of the OCC-Capital fits all season with his consistent energy and timely playmaking.

Jared Kreager (6’2 / Big Walnut / 2021): Kreager was the ultimate glue guy for Big Walnut, proving his worth as an efficient and smart wing playmaker while working off of the Eagles two towering big men. Playing mostly on the perimeter with Hienton in the game, the junior showed the ability to attack the rim at a high rate from the short corner and within the paint itself, drawing shooting fouls three different times, where he converted all six free throw attempts; he also added a three-pointer which further showcased his efficient jump shot. As is seemingly a common theme among nearly all of his Big Walnut teammates, Kreager plays team-first basketball on both ends, as he tied for the team lead in assists while also being the Eagles primary wing defender on the other end. Kreager showed the ability to push the ball down the floor and play with great pace and motor, and will be a really important piece for this Big Walnut team either as a primary playmaker or an off-the-ball distributor.

Marcus Peaks (6’4 PF / Watkins Memorial / 2020): The lone bright spot for his Watkins team, Peaks battled through foul trouble to record a near double-double in his team's loss. While he sat a large portion of the first half, he picked up with his usual glass-cleaning mindset in the second half, effectively boxing out opposing players and leaping for boards at a high rate. Peaks is always active around the rim on both ends of the floor and finds himself in the right spot for put-backs on a regular basis. Look for Peaks to be the on-court and emotional leader for a Watkins team that will rely on his experience to stay competitive in the Licking County League.

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