Larger Rebels power past resilient Potosi
PARK HILLS — The Potosi boys basketball team proved more formidable than its winless record might indicate on Friday night, but was ultimately overpowered by the interior size of host Central.
The Rebels received 18 points and 15 rebounds from senior forward Zach Forster plus 13 points and 11 boards from junior center Maverick Scott, and prevailed 66-54 to open the MAAA Large-School schedule.
Drew Skaggs netted 11 points with five assists and Jon Comfort scored 10 for Central (6-6), which overcame 17 turnovers by shooting 52 percent from the field and 15-of-22 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore guard Aaron Vinson notched a game-high 24 points with four steals to pace the Trojans (0-13), who managed to keep their deficit within single digits until the early moments of the fourth quarter.
Vinson closed the third stanza with a dazzling reverse layup, and a putback by freshman Dylan Coleman brought Potosi within 52-44. Coleman finished with 15 points while senior teammate Zack Adams added 11.
Central countered with a 10-0 spurt that Skaggs sparked by converting a midcourt steal into a 3-point play. Forster later found Scott inside for a basket plus the foul to produce the game’s largest margin of 62-44.
Potosi hoped to negate its overall size disadvantage with pesky defense and strong perimeter shooting, but finished 6-of-26 from beyond the arc.
The Rebels utilized crisp ball movement to find open shots, and created several more chances by attacking the offensive glass. Forster and Scott combined for four putbacks in the second quarter alone.
Comfort buried his second 3-pointer off a kickout pass to establish a 23-13 Central edge after the opening period featured four lead changes.
Potosi slashed the margin to 29-25 on a triple from Adams after Coleman turned an offensive rebound into a 3-point play, but Skaggs dropped in a pull-up jumper to restore a 36-27 spread at halftime.
Forster stopped two potential runs by the Trojans in the third quarter with a timely putback and deep baseline jumper, and collected 11 of his rebounds after the intermission.
Central will face three straight road games over the next 10 days at St. Pius, Ste. Genevieve and St. Clair.
Vinson and Adams each connected on three 3-pointers for Potosi, which plays its next three contests at home including conference battles with Fredericktown and Ste. Genevieve.
Potosi 11 16 15 12 – 54
Central 16 20 16 14 – 66
SCORING:
Potosi – Aaron Vinson 24, Dylan Coleman 15, Zack Adams 11, Eric McCoy 2, Austin Cooley 2. 3-point FG – Vinson 3, Adams 3. (FT: 8-11)
Central – Zach Forster 18, Maverick Scott 13, Drew Skaggs 11, Jon Comfort 10, Tony Jones 6, Derek Mitchell 5, Joey Hagan 2, Will Scherffius 1. 3-point FG – Comfort 2, Mitchell. (FT: 15-22)
