By GREG MENGELT
The night didn’t start well for Jeffersonville’s boys’ basketball team.
The trip to Evansville started with a bus crash in the Jeff High parking lot. Then after a two-hour bus ride, Evansville Reitz scored 25 first-quarter points by hitting five of its seven 3-point shots.
However, the Red Devils turned up the defense in the second quarter and finished off the Panthers with an impressive 72-60 road win over the 10-5 Panthers.
“I think it’s a good win against a good team on the road,” Jeff coach Tim LaGrange said. “I thought we played very well. We took a good punch in the fourth quarter.”
In the second period, Jeff (12-4) held the Panthers to four points and turned a 25-18 first-quarter deficit into a 32-29 halftime lead.
“I thought our defensive intensity increased (in the second quarter), and our bench play gave us a nice boost defensively and kept us fresh,” LaGrange said.
The Red Devils pulled away with a 21-13 third quarter to post a 53-42 lead heading into the final period.
A.J. Adams led Jeff with 26 points and six rebounds. Kegan Clark added 17 points.
“I think they’re both getting a lot better here in the past two or three weeks,” LaGrange said of his senior frontline players. “A.J. scored in transition, finished in the half court and scored off of putbacks. He scored in a variety of ways. I thought the perimeter guys — Drake (Coleman), Kegan and Evan (Maschmeyer) — did a nice job of driving and kicking to A.J.”
Coleman and Maschmeyer scored 11 points apiece. Maschmeyer led Jeff with five assists. The Red Devils had 16 assists on their 30 field goals.
Drew Adams led Reitz with 16 points, including five 3-point shots. Clinton Happe added 11 for the Panthers.
Jeff stayed in Evansville on Friday night and will face Evansville Harrison tonight.
