A barrage of 3 pointers and aggressive defense led the McClain Tigers to a 76-18 win against the East Clinton Astros Friday night in South Central Ohio League play at the MHS gym.

“When we shoot the ball well, a lot of other things come in place,” said McClain head coach Jesse Mitchell after the game.

Mat Barton from McClain was the leading scorer on the night with 19 points, 15 coming on 5 3-pointers. Landree Gray also had 11 points while Dalton Mischall added 10 points.

JT McCarren was the leading scorer for the Astros with 8 points, shooting a near perfect 4-5 from the free throw line. Cameron Conner had 4 points while Matt Mitchell, Brendon Jenkins and Logan Kelly scored 2 points each.

McClain started the game on an 11-2 run and never looked back. By the end of the first quarter, the Tigers had already put the Astros in a 12 point deficit 16-4.

McClain dished out more of the same in the second quarter, outscoring East Clinton 20-5.

“Teams that see our zone don’t have the kids to go against it,” Mitchell said.

The Tigers were unstoppable in the second half. Barton kicked the third quarter off with a 3-pointer that set his team off to an 8-1 run. McClain showed great effort on both ends of the floor with multiple offensive rebounds as well as multiple forced turnovers.

“I think our length overall gives people trouble,” said Mitchell.

The Tigers showed their talent in the fourth quarter as they finessed their way to a 58-point win with multiple hustle plays and flashy passes that expanded their leads.

Summary

McClain — 16 20 16 24 — 76

East Clinton — 4 9 14 18 — 18

MHS: Duncan 6; Dean 6; Starkey 8; Barton 19; Knaff 4; Mischal 10; Gray 11; Beatty 3; Rickman 6; Osborne 3

Total: 76

ECHS: Jenkins 2; McCarren 8; Kelly 2; Connor 4; Mitchell 2

Total: 18

Seth Moore is a contributing sportswriter for the Wilmington News Journal and The Times-Gazette.