Balanced attack lifts Marquette past struggling Putnam County

OTTAWA – It certainly doesn’t hurt Marquette’s chances when junior guard Alec Novotney goes off for 15 points in a quarter and 30 for a game like he did last Friday in a win over St. Bede, the last time the Crusaders took the Bader Gym court.

But having a little more balance in the scoring column, that proved just as successful against Putnam County this most recent time around.

Lucas Craig and Matt Graham – two starters known a little more this season for their rebounding and playmaking skills, respectively – teamed up for 25 points to lead the Cru to a 61-40 Tri-County Conference victory over the Panthers on Friday night.

Craig popped in 15 points, seven in the third quarter, and snagged a team-best seven rebounds, while Graham netted all 10 of his points in the second half.

Novotney still had a solid game with 14 points, and MA’s No. 2 scorer this season, Griffin Dobberstein, added 11, but the more balanced attack made things a little easier, including staving off a third-quarter charge that nearly got PC back in the ballgame.

“I thought Lucas Craig had probably his best offensive game of the season, and he rebounded well, too,” Marquette coach Todd Hopkins said. “The same with Matt Graham. We’ve been talking to him, telling him, ‘You need to shoot it, you can make it,’ and he did a nice job in the second half burying some shots. It makes us better when he does that.

“We have to clean up our rebounding. We gave up too many second chances, but give Putnam credit. They played hard and out-hustled us in the third, no question. We hit the coast button too early, but we got it back in the fourth with a nice run to get the lead back. …

“We’ll have to play better tomorrow (at Newark), because they beat Aurora Christian, and they’re hot right now.”

Marquette (9-10, 2-3 in the Tri-County) got out of the gate well, getting five points each from Novotney and Dobberstein in a first period in which it hit 9 of its first 14 shots. Still, it took scoring 11 of the last 12 points in the quarter to come away on top, 20-9.

In the second quarter, Putnam County began to assert itself more on the boards and actually outrebounded the Cru 20-11 in the middle two stanzas. The Panthers trailed by as many as 16 in quarter two, but despite Craig’s efforts in the third, they played the home team virtually even thanks to its work in the paint. Six players scored, with Braden Bickerman and Johnathon Stunkel each netting three.

But after a 3-pointer by Miles Main and a putback by Jaden Stoddard early in the fourth cut the deficit to 12 points, 50-38, the Crusaders put the game away by scoring the next 11 points, five of those from Graham.

“Jonathan did a great job on Novotney tonight,” said PC coach Harold Fay, his club now 0-23. “We just tried to contain, don’t try blocking his shots, because he’s a good player and he’s going to hit some. … Unfortunately, they had some others step for them.

“The two things all year for us have been shots underneath – scoring in the post, having the shots right there but rolling off – and the second-chance opportunities, where we’ve struggled on the offensive glass. We did those pretty well in the third quarter tonight, but we need to keep working on it … but even the way the season’s going, the kids don’t quit.

“They challenge, they compete, and they work hard. We’re holding it together.”