Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

When you don’t practice or play late in the season for two weeks, restarting schedule against the No. 1-ranked Division 4 team isn’t really what you want to do.
The New Boston Tigers had been practicing and playing and that contrast in preparedness was evident on Thursday as they beat the St. Joseph Flyers 56-46 in a Southern Ohio Conference game.
The Flyers last played on Jan. 16 when they won at Coal Grove 67-60. St. Joseph coach Chris Barnes said the rust was evident.
“After three weeks off, we gave up too many easy layups. But we played really hard,” said Barnes.
“But we did a lot of good things. J.C. had 14 points and seven boards, Jackson Rowe played well considering he’s been sick for the last two day, and Drew Brown came in and gave us a pick me up.”
Besides Damron’s 14 points, Matt Sheridan had 9 points as nine different players scored.
New Boston (16-1, 10-0) was led by Tanner Voiers with 19 points. Kyle Sexton had 12 and Grady Jackson 11.
Voiers hit a 3-pointer and scored 7 points, Sexton had 6 points and Chase Clark hit a pair of 3-pointers as New Boston took a 21-11 first quarter lead.
Damron had 6 points and Sheridan hit a trifecta and scored 5 points to account for all of the St. Joseph scoring.
Voiers duplicated his first quarter as he scored all of New Boston’s points. Jackson Rowe hit a 3-pointer and scored 5 points to lead the Flyers as they trailed 29-22 at the break.
Jackson had 7 points as he, De’Von Jones and Voiers all hit 3-pointers in the third quarter and the Tigers stretched the lead to 48-30.
Jimmy Mahlmeister scored 4 points for the Flyers.
In the fourth quarter, New Boston just held on to the lead despite the Flyers storming back as Brown hit a pair of 3-pointers and Damron had 4 more points.
The Flyers host Portsmouth Clay on Friday and Western at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
New Boston 21 8 19 8 = 56
St. Joseph 11 11 8 16 = 46
NEW BOSTON (16-1, 10-0): De’Von Jones 1 1 0-0 5, Grady Jackson 4 1 0-0 11, Tanner Voiers 4 3 2-2 19, Kage Truitt 0 0 1-2 1, Kyle Sexton 5 0 2-2 12, Chase Clark 0 1 1-2 7, Brady Voiers 0 0 1-2 1. Totals: 14 7 7-10 56. Fouls: 9. Fouled out: None.
ST. JOSEPH (7-4, 4-3): Jackson Rowe 1 1 0-0 5, Matt Sheridan 3 1 0-0 9, J.C. Damron 6 0 2-2 14, Jared Johnson 1 0 0-0 2, Michael Mahlmeister 1 0 0-1 2, Jimmy Mahlmeister 2 0 0-0 4, Max Weber 1 0 0-2 2, Jacob Salisbury 1 0 0-0 2, Drew Brown 0 2 0-0 6. Totals: 16 4 2-5 46. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: None.