Morrice at Perry – – Boys Basketball – – The Bleacher Denizen – – December 2, 2024 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, the Bleacher Denizen is in Perry to watch the Morrice Orioles play the hometown Ramblers in a game between two towns that are right next to each other! This is the season opener for Morrice, whose team had a lot of players on the eight-man football team that made the state final (and had little practice time before last week.) Perry has played one game, which it won over Burton Bentley.

This is the second game of a girl/boy doubleheader. Here is the play by play of the girls’ game that preceded this one!!
https://thebleacherdenizen.com/2024/12/03/morrice-at-perry-girls-basketball-the-bleacher-denizen-december-2-2024-by-chuck-krafft/

Morrice Coach Brad Long was generous with information about his Oriole players!
Oliver Long is a junior who is an excellent rebounder that can shoot from the outside or score inside. He is also a strong defender. Joel Fisher is a speedy point guard who defends and passes really well. Travis Smith is a tough defender and rebounder. Logan Smith is a fine shooter, a rugged defender and a force on the backboards.

Griffin Long is an excellent defender at the point guard position. Wyatt Valentine shoots and defends well. Cameron Pick shoots and rebounds well. Cody Fisher defends and rebounds well. Cameron Pick is a strong rebounder who shoots well. Austin Lademann is in his first year on the varsity and gives the Orioles solid shooting.

Perry’s Coach, Scott Selbig provided me with this information about his Ramblers.

D.J. Jenks is a returning all-conference second team all-conference player. He is a fine athlete with a well-rounded game. He is a tough, athletic defender who handles the ball well, passes well and makes a lot of smart decisions. I should also mention that he is a versatile scorer who is just as comfortable driving to the basket as he is when he launches his pristine three point shots!

Trey Selbig is a freshman point guard who plays solid defense; he also handles the ball and shoots it well. Alex McEwan is the big man under the basket where he provides strong rebounding, post defense and interior scoring. Anthony Cochrane is a versatile scorer who is comfortable driving to the basket or shooting the outside shot. Aydin Sloan is a tough perimeter defender who can shoot the three point shot.

It is now time to review the events of this game through the somewhat clear prism of an aging Bleacher Denizen who was never able to escape church league in the olden times when he attempted to hoop. He showed some promise as a shot blocker, but alas, his career was severely hampered when the powers that be insisted that he no longer use his pogo stick to help him leap when he was trying to block shots. The playing time disappeared.

Morrice wins the opening tap. Anthony Cochrane steals the ball for Perry. The Ramblers misfire on a three point shot from the wing. Anthony Cochrane hits a putback to give his Ramblers the first two points of the game. D.J. Jenks steals the ball and hits a fast break layup to give Perry a 4-0 lead.

Aydin Sloan blocks an Oriole shot and forces a traveling violation in the process. Perry misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Morrice reciprocates and misfires on a threeball from the top of the key. Logan Smith gets the offensive rebound, but steps on the baseline, so Perry gets the ball. D.J. Jenks fires in a threeball from the corner to boost the Rambler lead to 7-0.

Morrice misses a jump shot from the free throw line. Perry misses a layup. Morrice misses a ten foot shot off the dribble in the lane. Joel Fisher snares the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Anthony Cochrane knocks the ball away from Morrice and Trey Selbig picks it up for Perry. Alex McEwan saves an errant pass to prevent a Rambler turnover. D.J. Jenks drives from the side and hits a layup to boost the Perry lead to 9-0.

Logan Smith drives from the side and hits a six footer in the lane to give the Orioles their first tow points. Perry misfires on a triple try from the wing. The Ramblers get the offensive rebound, but miss a jump shot. D.J. Jenks steals the ball for the Ramblers. Oliver Long steals the ball back for the Orioles. Morrice misses a layup. Cameron Pick grabs the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a fifteen footer from the side, but Perry fouls on the rebound. D.J. Jenks knocks the ball away from Morrice, but the Orioles recover. Logan Smith passes to Wyatt Valentine, who throws in a threeball from the side to cut the Perry lead to 9-5.

Trey Selbig inbounds the ball to Jacob Adkins, who hits a layup for Perry. Morrice loses a pass out of bounds. Trey Selbig drives and hits a layup for Perry. Morrice misses a three pointer from the corner. Oliver Long grabs the offensive rebound and hits a two point jumper for Morrice. Trey Selbig hits a jump shot from the free throw line to give his Ramblers a 15-7 lead.

Anthony Cochrane steals the ball for Perry. Joel Fisher steals the ball for Morrice. Jacob Adkins steals the ball for Perry. Oliver Long blocks a Rambler layup. Morrice misses a fifteen foot shot from the side. Joel Fisher’s intense defense causes a Perry double dribble violation. Anthony Cochrane gets his hand on the ball, but Morrice is able to recover.

The Orioles miss a twelve footer off the dribble in the lane. Cameron Pick grabs the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a layup. Trey Selbig is fouled handling the ball and hits two free throws with just 1.9 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. Morrice misses a sixty foot heave at the buzzer. (Actually, to be accurate, the ball was heaved at the basket, not the buzzer.)

After one quarter, Perry has a 17-7 lead.

Morrice inbounds the ball to start out the second quarter. Logan Smith is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws for the Orioles. Perry misses a three point shot from the top of the key. Morrice misses a threeball from the wing. Perry misses a three pointer from the top of the key. Morrice throws its inbound pass out of bounds. Perry misses a layup.

Morrice misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Joel Fisher draws a charging foul from Perry. Hunter Steiss forces a Morrice double dribble violation. Perry misses a driving layup. Morrice misses a ten foot runner from the baseline. Oliver Long snags the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws. Oliver Long gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. The Orioles miss a layup. Perry misses a driving layup and fouls Oliver Long on the rebound. Oliver Long hits one of his two free throws to trim the Perry lead to 17-10 with 4:54 remaining in the second quarter.

Cameron Pick blocks a Perry layup; the loose ball goes out of bounds and the Ramblers get it back. Perry misses a three point attempt from the side. D.J. Jenks gets the offensive rebound and is fouled on a driving layup. He hits his two free throws to push Perry to a 19-10 lead with 4:33 remaining in the opening half.

Morrice misses a three point shot from the side. Perry misses a driving layup. Morrice misses a ten footer off the dribble from the baseline. Joel Fisher knocks the ball away from Perry and Cameron Pick picks it up for Morrice. Wyatt Valentine hits a three point shot from the side to cut Perry’s lead to 19-13.

Perry misses a three point shot from the wing. Morrice misses a three point shot from the side. Perry travels to foil a fast break. Logan Smith is fouled on a driving layup and hits one of his two free throws for Morrice. Alex Torrez is fouled on a driving layup and hits two free throws to give Perry a 21–14 lead with 2:41 remaining in the half.

Morrice kicks the ball and turns it over. Joel Fisher steals the Perry inbound pass; he goes coast to coast to chop Perry’s lead to 21-16.

D.J. Jenks hits a fast break layup for Perry. Alex McEwan steals a Morrice pass in the lane. D.J. Jenks drives and hits an eight foot banked shot from the side for Perry to give the Ramblers a 25-16 lead.

Alex Torrez harasses an Oriole ball handler and forces a turnover. Perry commits a traveling violation. Alex Torrez steals the ball for Perry. The Ramblers miss a fast break layup. Alex McEwan pulls down the offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Perry misses a layup. Alex McEwan gets another offensive rebound for the Ramblers. Wyatt Valentine steals the ball for Morrice. The Orioles miss a threeball from the side. Jacob Adkins passes to D.J. Jenks, who hits a long three point shot past the top of the key to give Perry a 28-16 lead.

Morrice misses a fifteen foot shot from the side as the halftime buzzer announces a temporary halt to the proceedings. Perry has a 28-16 halftime lead.

D.J. Jenks leads Perry’s halftime scoring with 16 points; Trey Selbig has 6 points.

Wyatt Valentine has 6 points for Morrice and Logan Smith has 5 points.

Morrice inbounds the ball to get quarter number three underway. Oliver Long drives and hits a layup for the Orioles. Anthony Cochrane drives and hits a layup for Morrice. Joel Fisher passes to Cody Fisher, who hits a three point shot from the wing to cut the Perry lead to 30-21.

Alex McEwan hits a layup for Perry. D.J. Jenks knocks an Oriole pass out of bounds; Morrice retains possession. Cody Fisher inbounds the ball to Logan Smith, who hits a three point shot from the side to shave the Perry lead to 32-24.

Alex McEwan hits a reverse layup for Perry. Anthony Cochrane steals the ball for Perry. Perry misfires on a triple try from the side. Aydin Sloan forces an Oriole over and back violation. Perry bounces a pass out of bounds. Logan Smith drives and dishes the ball to Oliver Long, who hits a fifteen foot shot from the baseline to cut Perry’s lead to 34-26.

Alex McEwan passes the ball to Anthony Cochrane, who gets the ball back to Alex McEwan for a Perry layup. Aydin Sloan gets his hand on the ball, but Morrice recovers. Morrice misses a three pointer from the wing. Austin Lademann gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses an eight foot turnaround jumper from the side. D.J. Jenks hits a fast break layup to push the Perry lead to 38-26.

Morrice misses a twelve foot jumper off the dribble from the wing. Oliver Long steals a Perry pass in the lane. D.J. Jenks’ tough defense forces a Morrice traveling violation. D.J. Jenks passes to Alex McEwan for a Rambler layup. Morrice commits a traveling violation. Logan Smith knocks the ball away from Perry and Wyatt Valentine picks it up for Morrice. The Orioles miss a fast break layup. Cameron Pick gets the offensive rebound for the Orioles. Morrice misses a sixteen foot shot from the side.

Cameron Pick steals the ball for Morrice. Morrice is called for a traveling violation. Wyatt Valentine steals the ball for Morrice. He quickly gets the ball up the court and hits a twelve foot shot from the side. He is fouled on the play and hits his free throw to trim the Perry lead to 40-29 with 1:52 remaining on the third quarter clock.

Perry misses a three point shot from the top of the key. The rebound goes out of bounds and Morrice gets the ball. Morrice misses a jump shot off the dribble from the free throw elbow. Perry misses a three pointer from the wing. Morrice misses a three point shot from the side. Trey Selbig hits a fast break layup for Perry. He is fouled on the play, but misses his free throw. With 55.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Perry holds a 42-29 lead.

A Morrice dribbler loses the ball off his foot and out of bounds. Parry misses a layup. Aydin Sloan is fouled on the putback and hits one of his two free throws with 31.3 seconds to play in the quarter. D.J. Jenks gets his hand on an Oriole pass, but Morrice is able to recover. The Orioles miss an eighteen foot shot from the wing. Cody Fisher gets the offensive rebound for Morrice. Morrice is fouled on a layup, but misses two free throws with just 1.2 seconds to go in the quarter. Perry misses a buzzer heave.

After three quarters, Perry has a 43-29 lead.

Perry has the ball to begin the final quarter. The Ramblers miss a threeball off the dribble from the top of the key. Morrice bounces a pass out of bounds. Perry is whistled for an offensive foul. Morrice throws a lob pass out of bounds. Perry misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Wyatt Valentine passes to Austin Lademann, who hits a three point shot from the side to shave the Perry lead to 43-32.

D.J. Jenks drives and hits a layup for Perry. Alex McEwan forces a Morrice traveling violation. Jacob Adkins passes to D.J. Jenks, who throws in a threeball from the wing for Perry. Morrice misses a layup. Perry reciprocates and misses a layup. Morrice misses a driving layup. Joel Fisher briefly gets the ball back for the Orioles when he steals the ball, but his momentum causes a travel. D.J. Jenks drives the baseline and hits a layup that gives Perry a 50-32 lead.

Morrice misses a layup. Jacob Adkins passes to D.J. Jenks, who sinks a threeball from the baseline for Perry. Morrice misses a driving six foot banked shot. Aydin Sloan is fouled on a layup and hits two free throws to boost Perry to a 55-32 lead with 4:07 left on the clock.

A technical foul is called on Perry. Logan Smith strides to the line and hits two free throws for Morrice. Morrice gets the ball out of bounds on the sideline. Wyatt Valentine alertly makes a great play to save a bad pass and prevent an Oriole turnover. Morrice misses a driving layup. Logan Smith blocks a Perry layup. Perry recovers the ball. Hunter Steiss hits a layup for Perry to give the Ramblers a 57-34 lead.

Morrice misses a layup. Hunter Steiss is fouled on a layup and hits one of his two free throws for Perry. The foul must have been a technical because Perry inbounds the ball. The Ramblers miss a driving six foot shot in the lane. Joel Fisher hits a layup for Morrice. Oliver Long plays fierce defense to force Perry to lose the ball out of bounds on a drive. Morrice misses a threeball from the wing, but Perry fouls on the rebound. Morrice is fouled on a driving layup, but misses two free throws. With 1:59 remaining in the game, Perry’s lead is at 58-36.

Joel Fisher forces a Perry travel. Morrice misses a driving layup. A long Perry fast break outlet pass sails out of bounds. Aydin Sloan knocks the ball away from Morrice, but the Orioles are able to recover. Morrice misses a jumper off the dribble from the free throw line. Jacob Adkins is fouled on a fast break layup and hits two free throws to give his Ramblers a 60-36 lead with 55.5 seconds remaining on the clock.

Morrice throws a pass out of bounds. Trey Selbig hits a layup for Perry. Morrice misses a three point shot from the side. Perry dribbles out the clock.

Perry wins this non-conference game by the score of 62-36.

Logan Smith led the Morrice scoring with 10 points. Wyatt Valentine supported him with 9 points. Oliver Long tossed in 7 points. Joel Fisher added 4 points. Cody Fisher and Austin Lademann each scored 3 points.

D.J. Jenks led the Perry scoring with 28 points. Trey Selbig joined his teammate in double figures with 10 points. Alex McEwan contributed 8 points. Anthony Cochrane and Jacob Adkins each added 4 points. Hunter Steiss and Aydin Sloan each scored 3 points. Alex Torrez tallied 2 points.