KOUTS | This one was over not long after the player introductions.
Washington Township broke its school record for wins Tuesday night in the Class A Kouts Sectional, blitzing Covenant Christian 83-40.
The Senators (15-6) sprinted out to early leads of 13-0 and 22-2 in the first quarter. They led 47-15 at the break and head coach Scott Bowersock cleared his bench in the fourth quarter.
"This is huge for our program," Bowersock said of breaking the school record for victories. "Not just for these guys, but going forward with our program.
"We don't want to be at just 15, but it gives our younger guys something to shoot for when they come through, as well."
One of the older guys, senior Ryan Geberin, led the way not only statistically but also with his all-out hustle.
Geberin, a quick 6-foot forward, scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds. But he also dove on the floor several times, including once right into his team's bench when the Senators led by 30 in the fourth quarter.
"I like to work hard," Geberin said. "I ask my coaches if it's OK to keep pushing."
Of course it is, according to the coach.
"He's our motor; he's our energy," Bowersock said. "Our team really feeds off his energy."
The Senators built the big early lead courtesy of their defense.
The Knights (4-17), playing in just their fourth IHSAA state tournament, committed 17 of their 25 turnovers in the first half. Washington had 18 steals for the game, led by Alex Lowther with five and Geberin with three.
"I thought our defensive pressure really set the tone," Bowersock said. "We wanted to come out aggressive in the first half.
"Any time you can get easy transition scores when you don't have to go through your offense makes it a lot easier."
Brandon Adkins added 19 points for the Senators. He was 7 of 10 from the floor.
Freshman point guard Alex Perez was efficient as well, scoring 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting. Senior Kyle Wolf came off the bench to add 10 points, going 3-for-3 from 3-point range.
"It was mostly a team effort," Geberin said. "It was a record for our school record, so it was a big game for us."
Covenant Christian was led by Caleb Herrema with 15 points. He knocked down two 3-pointers in the third quarter, when his team briefly cut the lead below 30 points.
Mitch Zeilenga added seven points and eight rebounds for the Knights.
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