By Noah Dalton
LINTON — Mitchell High School concluded their stretch of five consecutive games on the road on Saturday with their toughest challenge during that run, a battle against the eighth ranked team in Indiana’s 2A division, Linton-Stockton.
The Miners, who entered the game on a dominant run winning 11 of their last 12 games, continued to play at a high level against the Bluejackets, on their way to a 78-52 win.
Linton got off to a hot start, scoring the first 15 points of the game, while holding Mitchell scoreless for the first four minutes of the game.
That stretch proved to be the coldest of the night for the Bluejackets, but they were unable to overcome their slow start despite improved play as the night went on.
According to Mitchell head coach Clint Roesler, the early stages of the game were rough for his team, in part because they struggled to adjust to Linton’s physical style of play.
“We tried to talk about the level of physicality that we had to play tonight to be able to battle them. I can say it, but going out and seeing it and feeling it are two different things and I think we got caught off guard with it,” said Roesler.
“Unfortunately, the first quarter, we kind of got off to a slow start with that. They’re a very good shooting team. Knocked down some shots in the first quarter as well and we just struggled.”
They kept fairly even with the Miners for the second quarter, finishing the first half training by 16 points, 35-19, after Linton’s 15-0 start.
The Miners’ took firm control of the game once again in the third, outscoring Mitchell 25-11 in the period to take a 30-point lead and all-but-secure their eventual win heading into the final quarter.
Linton’s Paul Oliver was the top scorer for the night with 26 points, getting there on an efficient 12/17 from the floor. Connor Daily (19 points) and Reuben Goodman (15 points) also scored in double-figures for the Miners.
Gavin Robinson was Mitchell’s scoring leader with 23 points. Behind him were Blake King, who had seven points and the pair of Kaden Mullis and Gavin Martin, who each scored six.
Mitchell’s’ next game will be their final of the regular season and also Senior Night for the team, as they host Shoals at The Hive on Tuesday.
Roesler said the team will look to take the frustration of a difficult season for the Bluejackets, who are now 6-16 for the year, and turn that into a win over the Jug-Rox, as they now look ahead to the sectional tournament.
“In the locker room after the game, I said ‘who in here is frustrated with how the season has gone?’ And, every single person in the room raised their hand, including the coaching staff, obviously,” explained Roesler.
“We have however long we go in the tournament plus the senior night game, we have to take those frustrations out in a positive way in practice. We’ve got to take our frustrations out on Shoals and come out and have a quality game against them and then use that to have some momentum going into the tournament.”
