By Rob Potter
JEFFERSONVILLE —February 25, 2003– The Sullivan West boys’ varsity basketball team fell behind early in its game versus visiting Cornwall on Thursday night.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they could not close the deficit before the final buzzer.
Cornwall took a 30-19 lead at halftime and went on to record a 74-47 victory in the OCIAA Division III game.
Leading Cornwall (18-1, 9-0 Division III) to the victory were Leslie Simmons, who scored a game-high 26 points, and Devon Sullivan, who recorded 15 points.
Tim Riefenhauser added 10 for the Dragons.
Simmons scored eight points in the first quarter as Cornwall sprinted out to an 18-6 lead at the end of the opening eight minutes of play.
“Leslie and Devon were able to drive inside tonight,” Cornwall Coach Tom Howe said. “And the other players did a good job of getting them the ball so they could take it inside the lane. They made it difficult for Sullivan West to defend our offense.”
Howe was impressed with the way the Bulldogs played, however.
“They played hard and they played tough,” he said. “But late in the game, I think our size wore them down.”
SW (6-11, 3-6 Division III) lost one of its best players to an injury early in the game.
With 5:10 left in the first quarter senior Brent Rose put the ball up in the lane amid a crowd of players. Rose made the shot, which cut the Cornwall lead to 7-4. But on his way back down, he landed hard on his left ankle.
After sitting out the rest of the first half and keeping ice on the ankle, Rose went to the emergency room for further treatment.
“Brent has a lot to do with our interior defense,” said SW Coach George Rose, who is also Brent’s father. “He’s 6-4 and can jump a little bit.”
While Brent Rose’s absence certainly affected the Bulldogs’ defensive efforts, George Rose was pleased with how his team performed overall.
“The guys played with a lot of heart tonight,” he said. “In fact, they played about as hard as a team can play on a basketball court.”
Sophomore Joe Meyer led the Bulldog offense by netting 13 points in the contest. Tom Stagl added 12 points and Everett Saul and Rob Orr each scored six points.
“Joe Meyer played his best game of the year tonight,” Rose said.
Note: Prior to the game, SW seniors Ken Kohler, Orr, Rose, Saul and Stagl were honored for their contributions to the team this year and in seasons past.