Newman boys start fast, finish strong in win over Byron

STERLING – Facing a Byron team that finished third in the state last year in Class 2A, Newman Central Catholic was locked in from the start.

Scoring the game’s first 10 points, the Comets rode that cushion all the way to a 69-65 win over the Tigers. Evan Bushman hit seven 3-pointers to score a game-high 24 points, and George Jungerman had 21 as Newman (3-2) bounced back after two straight losses.

The Comets took advantage of Byron turnovers early on and led wire-to-wire in the win. The Tigers had at least 14 turnovers in the game, many of them live-ball giveaways.

“It’s really important to get those fast-break layups, especially when you have John (Rowzee) running to the rim and me and Evan shooting the 3,” Jungerman said. “It’s nice to have.”

Rowzee finished with 10 points, and Garret Matznick scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter. Matnick helped close out the game with a number of big rebounds, also going 6-of-10 at the line as Newman snapped a two-game losing streak to the Tigers.

Newman led 12-6 after the first quarter, 35-27 at halftime and 49-41 after three.

“We came in thinking they may not be on their best game, so we had to take advantage of that,” Bushman said. “We just rebounded well, we shot really well, and things were just clicking for us.”

After a Newman steal, Bushman pulled up from deep and drilled his seventh 3-pointer to make it 59-46 with 4:19 left.

The Tigers (0-1) made their push in the final minute, though Carson Newton fouled out late with 22 points. Kaden McGough scored 15 points off the bench as Byron hit 17 3s in the loss.

Bushman said the points off turnovers and hitting open looks provided momentum for the Comets. He thought the team played slow in losses to South Beloit and Sherrard to finish the Oregon tournament. That was not the case Tuesday.

“We knew we had to play fast and quick, and we did that tonight, and it showed,” Bushman said. “We had a good game.”

Newman’s 1-3-1 defense led to some 3-pointers given up, but it also created havoc at times.

“I thought getting those turnovers is what really helps us score points, not playing in the half court as much,” Newman coach Ray Sharp said. “I thought Byron shot the ball extremely well tonight.”

Sharp said a competitive win like this helps the team moving forward.

It wasn’t all good for Newman, though. Renner Rosengren went down with an apparent knee injury and was on crutches after the game. He had a nice behind-the-back dribble before finishing one of his two baskets off the bench.

Byron coach Matt Huels said facing the 1-3-1 was a tough challenge for the first game of the year. Defensively, he thought the team lost track of Bushman too many times.

“There were times the kid was getting wide-open 3s, and they weren’t even really doing anything to get him open,” Huels said. “We just left him, or we let him catch it and shoot it.”

The Tigers were also without junior Caden Considine.

“Not having Caden tonight really hurt,” Huels said. “To have a two-year varsity kid out, who played a ton of minutes for us in the past, that would have helped. Definitely with the rebounding and helping with the post and finishing. But it’s hopefully a learning experience for us with some things we need to clean up.”