WINTERSVILLE — The second quarter made the difference in the outcome of the game.

The Indian Creek boys’ basketball team led Wellsville by just two points at the end of the first quarter, however, the Redskins scored the first 14 points of the second and did not look back en route to a 50-38 victory against the Tigers in an OVAC Tournament pool play game Friday night on Coach D Court.

“We do pretty well when we execute our offense, and we did that in the second quarter,” Indian Creek (9-13) head coach Joe Dunlevy said. “That has been our thing all year. When we bear down and run our offense, we can score.”

A three-pointer gave the hosts a 5-2 lead before Indian Creek increased its advantage to 9-4 later in the quarter. The boys in black scored in the waning seconds of the quarter to cut their deficit to 10-8 at the end of the quarter.

The boys from Jefferson County broke the game open in the second as thanks to a 14-0 run they built a 24-8 advantage. The Orange-and-Black went more than six minutes without a point before hitting a foul shot with 1:48 left in the half. The boys in white took a 27-11 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Indian Creek extended its advantage in the third as a basket gave the victors a 33-11 lead with 4:21 left in the quarter to cap a 23-3 run. The Redskins went on to take a 37-17 advantage into the fourth.

The boys from Columbiana County battled back in the fourth as the Tigers pulled to within 43-36 thanks to a 19-6 spurt in the quarter. The Redskins responded with a basket of their own, and Creek was able to hold on for the 12-point win.

“It was the opposite of the second quarter,” Dunlevy said about the fourth quarter. “They were able to run their offense. They were able to take care of the ball. They hit some shots. They were able to get to the line and stop the clock. The other guy on the bench is yelling, ‘don’t foul. We don’t have to foul,’ and we fouled anyway.”

Three players produced double digits in points for Indian Creek. Individually, Caleb Bodo tallied a game-high 20 points. Nickey Eddy delivered 12 and Mason Lester scored 10.

For Wellsville (9-12), Tyrell Watkins collected a team-high 11 points, while Jeron Jackson contributed 10. Watkins also had three rebounds, while Darnell Roe had four steals.

“At this time of the year, it’s your 21st or 22nd game, and it is easy to see film on a team,” Dunlevy said. “If you havent seen film on a team and don’t know what to expect, that is your fault. They did exactly what we thought they would do.

“I have to give them credit. They have got a young team. We got up really big, and they battled back. They made us nervous. I have to give credit to their coaching staff and to their players. We were up by 20 at the end of the third quarter, and they cut it down to seven.”

The game was the final home game for Indian Creek’s six seniors – Carl Bonecutter, Kyle Shultz, Jomar Johnson, Bodo, Eddy and Lester.

“We have six seniors, and they are pretty much the only ones who played tonight,” Dunlevy said. “No. 14 — Caden Saffle — played in the game tonight. He played in three of the quarters. It was nice he was able to play. He has missed most of the year. He was inhured. We expected him to play more this season. He missed 15 games. I am glad he has wo years left. He works really hard. He’s going to be pretty good.

“We talked to the seniors before the game. I said I have enjoyed coaching them. They are a great group of kids. I wish I could have done a better job for them in terms of wins and losses. They are great human beings. They are great kids. They really are.

“This year went by fast. Things go fast when you are having fun. We have had fun. I just wish I could have gotten them some more wins. They are great kids. They will be back in the gym tomorrow to start getting ready for Indian Valley.”

The Redskins have come on strong at the end of the season.

“We are trying to play 32 minutes of consistent basketball,” Dunlevy said. “Last year, we were a really low seed in the tournament, and Indian Valley was the two or three seed. They ended up making it to the ditrict final before losing to Maysville, who went to the state tournament and ended up as the state runner-up.

“We went out there, and we played our best game of the season. We are looking to do the same thing this year.”

Wellsville is scheduled to play United in a regular season game tonight at home.

Indian Creek — the No. 10 seed — is slated to play No. 3 seed Indian Valley in an Ohio Division IV Eastern District Sectional Semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday night on the road.

“They have a lot of the same kids back this year,” Dunlevy said. “Their best player scored 24 points against last year. He is a sophomore. He is their quarterback. They won the state title in football this year.

“I have really enjoyed this year with these kids. We don’t have any problems in the building. We have a little team manager, and they treat him like gold. They are a great group of kids. This year went by really fast. It is easy to coach when you have a great group of kids and you are having fun.”

Creek won the jayvee game, 48-40. Austin Adkins had 13 points for the Tigers.

WE: 8- 3- 6-21–38

IC: 10-17-10-13–50

WELLSVILLE SCORING: Jackson 3 3-3 10, Ramsey 1 0-0 2, Wyse 0 0-0 0, Roe 0 5-6 5, Watkins 5 1-5 11, Adkins 2 2-3 6, Mackey 2 0-0 4. TEAM TOTALS: 13, 11-17: 38

INDIAN CREEK SCORING: Bonecutter 3 0-0 6, Bodo 7 3-4 20, Eddy 4 4-5 12, Lester 4 2-2 10, Saffle 0 0-0 0, Shultz 1 0-0 2, Johnson 0 0-0 0. TEAM TOTALS: 19, 9-11: 50.

Three-point goals: Wellsville 1 (Jackson); Indian Creek 3 (Bodo 3)