Barrish pours in 36 as Mikes rally past J-M
Carmichaels’ Chris Barrish (3) puts up a shot against Jefferson-Morgan during a game on Feb.12. Barrish, who scored a game-high 36 points, including six 3-pointers, in the Mikes’ 81-68 win, is the Greene County Messenger Boys Basketball Player of the Year. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Jefferson-Morgan’s Tahjere Jacobs takes a jump shot in front of Carmichaels’ Chris Barrish during a game at Carmichaels on Feb. 12. On Wednesday night, Jacobs scored 23 points in a 61-57 loss to Chartiers-Houston, giving him exactly 1,000 for his career.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Michaels Stewart takes a shot in the lane as Jefferson-Morgan’s Colt Fowler (14) defends during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels. Stewart scored 14 points in the Mikes’ 81-68 win.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Drake Long drives to the basket as Jefferson-Morgan’s Jordan Jacobs defends during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Jefferson-Morgan’s Colt Fowler shots over Carmichaels’ Nate Swaney during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels. Fowler scored 24 points but the Mikes’ won, 81-68.
Carmichaels’ Chris Barrish takes a jump shot against Jefferson-Morgan during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels. Barish scored a game-high 36 points, including six 3-pointers, in the Mikes’ 81-68 win. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Jefferson-Morgan’s Tahjere Jacobs (1) takes a swipe at the ball as Carmichaels’ Michael Stewart (24) looks to pass during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels. (Photo by Rob Burchianti)
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Nate Swaney (44) scores inside against Jefferson-Morgan during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels.
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Carmichaels’ Chris Barrish runs the offense against Jefferson-Morgan during Friday night’s game at Carmichaels.
CARMICHAELS — Chris Barrish was held scoreless during the first quarter of Carmichaels’ game against Jefferson-Morgan on Friday night.
The junior guard more than made up for that over the final three periods.
Barrish poured in six 3-pointers in scoring a game-high 36 points and the Mikes roared back from a 12-point deficit to defeat the visiting Rockets, 81-68, in a Section 4-AA boys basketball battle.
“Chris put on a display tonight,” Carmichaels coach Ian McCombs said. “He shot the ball really well.
“When he’s on, he’s on. Anybody on this team will tell you that in practice. He’s a great player and he puts in the work. Chris plays basketball non-stop. He’s a smaller guy (5-foot-9) but he’s played against everybody, bigger guys, faster guys, and all that work and experience pays off.”
The Mikes (3-3, 7-4) made 10 3-pointers, including three by Drake Long who scored 18 points. Michael Stewart added 14 points.
The Rockets (2-6, 5-8) soared to a 19-9 lead in the first quarter and led by as many as 12 thanks to its trapping defense. Tahjere Jacobs scored eight of his team-high 25 points in the opening frame.
“They came out more intense than us,” McCombs said.
Carmichaels scored the first eight points of the second quarter, including Barrish’s first basket of the game, to slice the gap to two.
Jefferson-Morgan fired right back by reeling off the next 10 points, sparked by 3-pointers from Colt Fowler and Mikael Stacy, to again go up by 12, 29-17.
Barrish started to heat up and hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored off a steal in the latter part of the second quarter as the Mikes whittled the lead down to 33-30 by halftime.
The Mikes took control in the third quarter thanks its defense and Barrish’s sizzling shooting.
Barrish hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 35-35 and a free throw by Long gave Carmichaels its first lead of the night.
Jacobs answered with five straight points, including a 3-pointer, to put J-M back on top, but Barrish drained three consecutive bombs from beyond the arc to put the hosts ahead to stay.
“That’s just lack of hustle,” J-M coach Dennis Garrett said of Barrish getting open looks. “He didn’t do anything to get lost. You know he’s the shooter, him and 10 (Long). You’ve got to know we’re they’re at on the court.”
Carmichaels surged to a 50-42 advantage before Fowler hit two straight jump shots to pull Jefferson-Morgan within four. The Mikes closed the quarter with a 6-1 run for a 56-47 lead.
Baskets by Barrish and Stewart and a 3-pointer by Long to start the fourth quarter gave Carmichaels a 63-47 lead and the Rockets could get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
The Mikes racked up 51 points over the final two quarters.
“It was like a whole new team in the second half,” McCombs said. “Everybody on the court cranked up the intensity and played a part in kind of getting them a little bit flustered and turning turnovers into points, and our rebounding picked up.
“Good things happen whenever you play as hard as you can. We told them you’ve got to want it.”
Fowler followed Jacobs in scoring for the Rockets with 24 points.
“Fowler played well,” Garrett said. “He’s scoring, getting rebounds, blocking shots. He’s doing a good job all around. Tahj is playing well shooting the ball.”
Garrett was displeased with his team’s overall performance, though.
“We didn’t play as a team,” Garrett said. “Carmichaels shot well but if you don’t contest shots it makes it easier on the other team. We made a lot of mistakes, we weren’t crashing the boards or boxing out and we didn’t really run any offense.
“If you don’t do the fundamentals of basketball, you don’t win. It’s simple. There’s not tricks to it. If you don’t play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, you suffer the consequences.”
Dylan Rohrer contributed seven points for the Mikes and Nate Swaney added six.
Swaney was one of four seniors, along with Jackson Machesky, Christian Mori and Zach Hillsman, honored before the game. McCombs commended the group.
“Nate Swaney has played four years,” McCombs said of his hulking center. “He’s been a staple for the football team and then brought his strength and coordination to the basketball team. Our kids rally behind him. When you see him running down court full speed, it fires them up. He can be a force and he was tonight.
“Jackson came to the team last year and gelled instantly with these guys. Christian plays soccer and football and joined the basketball team for the first time this year, as did Zach. I can’t say enough about both of those guys and their effort. They’re giving us everything they can in practice and in the games when they get in.”
The Mikes have won two straight after having a week off.
“We’re happy to come out of here with a win,” McCombs said. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”