Smithville boys basketball gains valuable test despite overtime loss to Minster

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Brennan Piatt scores 21 points in 58-50 loss at Battle at the Berkey.

Looking for a challenge, looking to improve, looking to sharpen itself, Smithville can check off all three boxes after Saturday, Jan. 31. Closing out the first day of their own tournament, The Battle in the Berkey, the Smithies fell in a heartbreaker to Minster 58-50 in overtime.

“That was a war; there was a lot of tournament feel to it,” Smithville coach Corey Kaufman said. “The game had a lot of lead changes, rallies, and the type of twists and turns you want out of a game like that.”

Leading the charge for Smithville were Brennan Piatt with a team-high 21 points and Jax Riggenbach, who finished with 18. Brady Sidle added six, and Isaiah Lee finished with five.

“You really can’t simulate that stuff in practice,” Kaufman said. “We work on situational stuff, but it just doesn’t have the same feel if you’re not in a game. We can’t do that enough. We felt that our guys had moments where we were clutch, and tonight we were probably just a play away from winning the game.”

More important for a 14-4 Smithville team was the feeling that things are starting to come together defensively, a trait Kaufman’s teams of the past have exhibited: strong, tough and stingy defense.

“The focus has been, can we guard in the half-court?” Kaufman said. “It was better tonight — guarding the basketball, our talking and scout stuff. That’s all really been an emphasis for us. We don’t think it’s been great, but tonight it was as good as it’s been, and I think that carries over to this next week.”

Coming off one of its best games to date, Smithville will look to build on its game against Minster with an eye on closing out a league title.

“It was really good," Kaufman said about his team’s performance against Minster. "I thought we were as connected as we have been all year. Our huddles, our timeouts and our scout discipline — all that stuff was really good.

“It was the best it’s been all year. It was a pretty scripted game as far as what we could expect, but we’re looking for that same talk and same execution in some of these games that are a little less scripted.”

Finding that feel will be the key, not only for this next week, but also for Kaufman’s Smithies as they eye a playoff run in the upcoming OHSAA tournament.

“We sure are hoping so,” Kaufman said when asked if he felt the defense was finding itself. “We have athletes, but defense is a feel. It’s toughness, and it’s rebounding the basketball. There are a lot of components there.”

Continuing to put it all together is what Kaufman is looking for, and from its high-pressure defense designed to force turnovers to its half-court defense focused on getting stops, Smithville showed a little of it all against Minster. Now the Smithies hope to continue that progress as they check goals off the board and prepare for bigger things to come in tournament season.