Lexington edges Ashland in tight OCC affair

ASHLAND — Lexington and Ashland locked into a tight defensive duel on Friday night with the Minutemen finally finishing on top 50-49 in an Ohio Cardinal Conference encounter at Arrow Arena.

An under-the-weather Max Waldruff set the pace for the Minutemen with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Teammates Dylan Spears and Danny Shaffer each added 10. Lexington needed everything it could get to finally turn back Ashland (0-4 overall, 0-2 in the OCC).

“There record is misleading, and we told our guys that,” Lexington coach Scott Hamilton said. “We also told them that we can’t rest if we have a lead cause they can come back in a few possessions.”

That fact manifested itself late as the Minutemen (3-2, 2-1) tried to nurse a 50-42 lead with just over a minute remaining. But Ashland scored the final seven points of the game before its rally fell just short.

“Our defensive intensity and pressure allowed us to get several turnovers which let us make a few baskets,” Ashland coach Jason Hess said.

The two teams dueled to a 12-12 first-quarter stalemate, before Lexington edged in front 22-18 at halftime. The Arrows pulled within 32-30 heading to the final period, but could never get over the hump.

The Minutemen dominated the rebounding battle 49-29. That statistic helped Lex overcome 17 turnovers, compared to just eight for Ashland.

Lexington returns to action on Dec. 21 at home against Clyde, while Ashland participates in the Steve Smith Classic.