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Big second half run helps Pickerington Central defeat Reynoldsburg in Battle of 256

By Jason Morrow, 01/06/17, 11:45PM EST

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14-0 run to begin second half helps Tigers cruise past No. 5 Reynoldsburg


Juan Elmore finished with 13 points in Pickerington Central's win over Reynoldsburg. Credit: Mitch Brown / Central Ohio Photo

PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- Headed to the locker room at halftime trailing by three and scoring a season-low 18 points in the first half, Pickerington Central knew things had to change in a hurry. 

Things did change quickly in the opening moments of the second half, as the Tigers used a 14-0 run to start the third quarter, eventually downing Reynoldsburg 61-46 on Friday night. Senior center Sterling Manley had a game-high 22 points and was effective most of the night.

"The tempo was not good the first half, we played at their tempo," head coach Eric Krueger said. "We talked about it at halftime, making some adjustments and wanted to speed them up, just get the pace going."

The Tigers were able to control the speed of the game in that decisive third quarter, something they struggled with in the early going. Although they only trailed briefly at the end of the first half, they led or were tied for a majority of the first and second quarters of the game. Manley was able to get going early on, gaining post position and finding ways to finish in the paint.

Reynoldsburg's ability to balance the scoring in the first half was key for them, and the play of senior Reece Strohm was big, including a strong spin move to the cup at the beginning of the second quarter to cut the Tiger lead back down to just one. Strohm would finish with a team-high nine points, as the Raiders had ten players score in the game.

Defensively, the Raiders were able to hold Pickerington Central scoreless over the final four minutes of both the first and second quarters tonight, winning those eight minutes by a combined 14-0 margin. 

All of that would be erased however in the start of the second half, as the Tigers were able to force Reynoldsburg into some difficult shots while getting transition buckets back the other way. A four-plus minute scoring drought ensued, watching a 21-18 margin turn quickly into a 32-21 deficit.

The Raiders did not stop battling however, cutting the deficit to just three possessions on multiple occasions, but the Tigers tempo and efficiency was just too much in the end. 

After a career-best night Tuesday in their win over Westerville South, sophomore point guard Jeremiah Francis finished with just nine points in Friday night's win, but his effectiveness and play was business as usual. The Tigers point guard continued to knife past defenders in transition, seemingly always finding his way into excellent situations.

Pickerington Central will be back in action on Tuesday, as they will play host to Westerville Central, while Reynoldsburg has a quick turnaround, hosting Zanesville on Saturday night.

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