Rio men complete season sweep of Midway

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - It's pretty safe to say that a 14-3 deficit and turnovers on four of their first five possessions was not the kind of start that the University of Rio Grande envisioned.
     Fortunately, the RedStorm still had ample opportunity to erase their less-than-desirable start and that's exactly what head coach Ryan Arrowood's did.
     Junior Trey Robertson (Waverly, OH) led a quintet of double-digit scorers with a game-best 20 points and added a game-high six assists for good measure as Rio erased its early 11-point shortfall and rallied in the second half for an 84-68 victory over Midway University, Tuesday evening, in River States Conference men's basketball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm improved to 17-6 overall and 8-3 in conference play with the win, while also remaining unbeaten in 10 all-time meetings with Midway.
     The Eagles slipped to 8-12 overall and 5-6 in the RSC with the loss.
     The visitors took advantage of Rio's early carelessness with the ball, going 4-for-6 from the floor en route to a 9-0 and eventual 14-3 lead following a three-pointer by Decoreio Smith with 14:07 left in the first half.
     While the RedStorm failed to tie or gain the lead, they did cut the deficit to one point on three occasions inside the final 4:15 of the opening stanza, including 36-35 at the intermission.
     A free throw by redshirt junior Jaelin Johnson (Fairmont, WV) knotted the score just nine seconds into the second half and a layup by senior Eric Butler (Orlando, FL) exactly one minute into the final period gave Rio its first lead, 38-36.
     The RedStorm pushed their advantage to five on three different occasions before a three-pointer by Smith with 13:47 left and a pair of free throws by Smith with 13:00 remaining put the Eagles back on top, 50-48.
     But - just as they did in a December win at Midway - Rio Grande used an extended run to pull away for good.
     The RedStorm reeled off 22 of the game's next 28 points over a span of nine-plus minutes, turning the two-point deficit into a 70-56 cushion after a bucket by Butler with 4:40 left in the game.
     The Eagles got no closer than 11 points the rest of the way and Rio's largest lead of the night came with the game's final margin of victory.
     Robertson scored 11 of team-high total in the second half, while freshman Bransyn Copas netted a career-high 16 points in the winning effort and senior Eythan House (Montrose, Australia) scored all of his 13 points over the final 20 minutes.
     House also finished with a career-best 11 rebounds, while Johnson and junior Keylane Lasisi (Paris, France) had 11 points each.
     Rio also got five blocked shots and three steals off the bench from junior Jaylin Fox (South Haven, MI), while House also had three steals.
     The RedStorm shot 49 percent for the game (29-for-59) and 74 percent at the foul line (20-for-27), but was 16-for-28 overall (57.1%) and 14-for-17 at the charity stripe (82.4%) in the second half.
     Midway shot just 36.8 percent overall (28-for-76) and 32 percent from distance (8-for-25), while only making it to the free throw line six times.
     Creshaun Brown scored a team-best 18 points in a reserve role for the Eagles, while Smith and Miguel Shaw netted 15 points each in a losing cause.
     Will VanHook tallied 11 rebounds and four assists for MU.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Saturday when Oakland City University visits the Newt Oliver Arena. Tipoff is at 1 p.m.
     The Mighty Oaks are in their fourth season under former Rio Grande head coach Ken French.