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Caleb Stimmel's career night leads Hilliard Davidson past Bishop Watterson

By Zach Fleer, 02/20/18, 11:10PM EST

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Hilliard Davidson junior guard Caleb Stimmel scored a career-high 19 points

HILLIARD, Ohio -- Prior to Tuesday's non-league matchup against Bishop Watterson, Hilliard Davidson junior guard Caleb Stimmel's career-high was 12 points. Surpassing that in one quarter on Tuesday, Stimmel's 19 points off the bench led Hilliard Davidson past Watterson in a 47-33 victory on Senior Night. 

Jumping out to a 6-0 lead behind a few tough buckets from sophomore post Gage Keys, Davidson locked down on the defensive end to take an 8-6 advantage into the second quarter.

Going on a 5-2 run to open the second period, Watterson took a brief 11-10 lead as junior guard Zach Sawyer got hot with back-to-back buckets. It was at this point that Stimmel's breakout quarter began.

Knocking down four threes and hitting two mid-range pull up jumpers, Stimmel absolutely scorched the nets in the second quarter, scoring 16 points in a span of six minutes. Stimmel's last three came on an absolutely freak of a shot at the buzzer, sending Davidson into halftime with a 27-17 lead. Going 6-of-7 from the field in the second quarter, Stimmel nearly outscored Watterson by himself in one quarter alone.

In a game that lasted approximately an hour due to its slow pace, Davidson was the better defensive stalwart on Tuesday. With Watterson missing junior wing Jimmy Patton in the game, the Eagles struggled to find offense outside of Sawyer.

Scoring just 16 points in the second half, Watterson saw Sawyer score 11 of those after halftime. Getting no closer than eight points in the second half, Sawyer's scoring ability off the bounce kept Watterson within striking distance, however in Patton's absence, the Eagles did not have another scorer to make a serious run at Davidson.

Holding on for a 47-33 win, Davidson heads into the Division I district tournament in which it will travel to Olentangy Liberty on Saturday. 

Stimmel led all scorers with 19 points, knocking down five threes. A 6-foot-2 junior guard with a pure stroke, Stimmel was in a zone all game long, stretching the Watterson defense and giving Davidson instant offense.

After his hot start to open the game, Keys finished with 12 points. A physical 6-foot-5 post with good feet and a strong upper body, Keys gave Watterson trouble on the interior.

Junior forward Jacob Drees, who was offered by Cedarville after the game, added eight points, five rebounds and three blocks. A versatile 6-foot-7 wing with great upside, Drees, who handled the majority of ball handling duties for Davidson, was a tough matchup for Watterson, as the Eagles truly had no answer for him. 

Davidson's lone senior, MJ Rasoul, added four points, four rebounds and three assists in his final regular season game at home. Junior guard Ethan Royer, who is Davidson's defensive enforcer, added four points.

Davidson has won three-straight games and finishes the regular season at 13-9. Making it to at least the district semifinals in each of the last two seasons, Davidson's quest for another deep tourney run begins on the road against a short-handed Liberty team.

For Watterson, Sawyer gave the Eagles instant offense all game long, finishing with 19 points. Knocking down two threes, Sawyer showed an ability to score on all three levels, hitting shots off the dribble against tight defense. Tearing up the CCL all season long, Sawyer had yet another impressive performance in a breakout season where he is leading the Eagles with 15.1 points per game. 

No other Watterson player scored more than five points, as the Eagles really seemed to be out of rhythm without Patton. In a size mismatch against a big and physical Davidson team, Watterson was out-rebounded 27-10 on Tuesday.

Finishing the regular season at 12-9, Watterson, who won a share of the CCL, begins its quest for its first district title since 2014 on March 3 against Highland. 


Mitch Brown / Central Ohio Photography

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