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Bloom-Carroll 63, Licking Valley 45 - Prospect Scouting Report

By Andy Hoben , 12/28/18, 12:00AM EST

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Bulldogs run Valley out of the gym with a complete offensive performance

CARROLL, Ohio-- Licking Valley travelled to Bloom-Carroll on Thursday to take on the Bulldogs in an intriguing non-league game coming off of the holiday break. The Panthers were looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season against Sheridan last Saturday, however, Bloom-Carroll’s rocky start to the season would see a change in course as they took down the Panthers, winning 63-45.

The game started off fairly even, with both teams trading scores down the opening stretch of the game to the tune of a 11-10 Bloom-Carroll lead after the first quarter. Licking Valley senior Caleb Thomas scored the first seven points of the game for the Panthers, including a three-pointer, and would be one of the only bright spots of the game for his team. Bloom-Carroll junior Otto Kuhns started off strong for the Bulldogs with nine of his teams first 11 points, and flashed his incredibly smooth attacking and finishing ability from the opening tip.

The second quarter was the turning point in the game, as Valley’s complete inability to slow down the Bulldog offense led to easy looks in the paint and wide-open outside shots for Bloom-Carroll. Kuhns would continue his all-around dominant half with three more points, bringing his tally to 12 at half. Junior Trace Wisecarver, the other leading man of the Bulldog squad, would drop in eight points himself, including two made threes, and his team would ride this wave of shot-making to a 36-21 halftime lead.

The start of the second half was defined by both teams locking down on the defensive end and not allowing easy shots in the paint. Kuhns would also pick up three fouls and be forced to the bench until the final frame. Licking Valley cut the lead to 10 at one point late in the third and was gaining momentum for a possible fourth quarter run, but two late three’s by Bulldog sophomore Joe Luckhaupt would stretch the lead to 16 heading into the final period. Luckhaupt showed his sharpshooting ability all night and would end up going 5/5 from beyond the arc for 15 points off the bench.

Bloom-Carroll continued to stretch out their lead in the fourth quarter with Kuhns back in the game and the offense clicking on all cylinders. Kuhns got to the rim at will against the Panthers, and slashed and drew fouls on his way to 19 points for the Bulldogs. Kuhns, along with Wisecarver and their vast array of young supporting players around them kept the Panthers on their toes on both ends and did not allow them to gain any sort of edge over the course of the game. Bloom-Carroll ended up closing out this important home-court win in blowout fashion, winning 63-45 over Licking Valley.

Licking Valley was led by Thomas and his 12 points, followed by senior Chase Whisner and his eight points and five rebounds. Fellow senior Blake Nethers dropped in a pair of three-pointers for six points, and senior Carson Conley chipped in four points. Licking Valley drops their second straight game and falls to 5-2 on the season.

Bloom-Carroll was led in scoring by the junior Kuhns and his 19 points, as well as his five rebounds and five assists. Wisecarver and Luckhaupt each scored 15 for the Bulldogs, and sophomore Ryan Williams dropped in six points. Bloom-Carroll climbs to .500 on the season with the win, sitting at 4-4.

Otto Kuhns (6’3 WG / Bloom-Carroll / 2020): Going into the game, there was no question who the leader of this Bloom-Carroll squad was going to be, and the junior Kuhns showed why he is that leader and has been for the last two seasons. An incredibly confident player who makes the most out of every touch of the ball, Kuhns is the focal point of the Bulldogs offense and can single-handedly shred an opposing defense with his crafty finishing ability and court vision. While the outside shooting ability is apparent, Kuhns is truly at his best when able to create inside looks off the dribble and rise up over his unsuspecting defender off of a spin or eurostep. Kuhns, a Division 1 football prospect at quarterback, has the ability to go for 30 points on any given night and even in foul trouble showed how big of an impact he can make on the overall game. Look for Kuhns to be one of the most offensively impactful juniors in the area this season as he tries to lead Bloom-Carroll back on track as the season goes on.

Trace Wisecarver (6’3 WF/ Bloom-Carroll / 2020): Kuhn’s classmate and sidekick was able to show that he is more than capable of being the focal point of the Bulldog offense when Kuhns went out with foul trouble. Wisecarver is a sturdily built 6’3 wing who is as comfortable spotting up on the outside for three as he is finishing strong in the paint, making him a near perfect compliment to a Kuhns led offense. The junior showed why he was heavily relied on last year to make important outside shots for the Bulldogs as he poured in three three-pointers and showed a very confident outside game, as he was not afraid to pull up off the dribble inside and outside of the arc. On a Bloom-Carroll team lacking height, Wisecarver is also asked to be an inside presence on both ends and showed that he is capable of holding that role down on Thursday. Wisecarver will look to continue his productive season and flash his efficient offensive game for the Bulldogs.

Joe Luckhaupt (6’0 G / Bloom-Carroll / 2021): Though Luckhaupt did not start the game, the sophomore had about as much of an impact that a bench player can have on Thursday as he showed the ability to be an absolute knock-down three point shooter, going 5/5 from beyond the arc and igniting a Bulldog run that would carry them for the final stretch of the game. Luckhaupt has an extremely quick release and showed that he is not afraid to hit open spot-up looks no matter what the situation. Look for the sophomore to earn more minutes and hopefully continue to knock down big shots for this Bloom-Carroll team as the season continues.

Caleb Thomas (6’0 WG / Licking Valley / 2019): The visibly strong Thomas showed a confident inside and outside game for the Panthers, dropping in two three-pointers on his way to a team high 12 points. Typically not the focus of the Licking Valley attack, Thomas picked up the slack of an offense usually led by Whisner and Conley  and gave life to an otherwise scoring devoid game for the Panthers. Thomas will look to maintain his role as a knockdown shot maker for the Panthers as they begin to head into LCL action in the next few weeks.