Boys basketball: Amherst gets hot behind the arc during a 71-42 win over Midview

GRAFTON — When Amherst hit five threes in the opening quarter of Tuesday's 71-42 win over Midview, it was a clear indication of how the game was going to go. Those threes were hit by five players, and the Comets went on to hit 12 threes for the game, coming from seven players. "We talked before the game about shooting it with confidence," Amherst coach Pat Bray said. "When you shoot, shoot it like that. We've just got to remember to play with a smile on our faces." Amherst led 19-9 after the first quarter, and it was just getting started offensively. It scored 24 points in the second quarter, led by 14 from Jack Coleman, who had 19 in the first half and finished with 22 for the night. "Everything was working tonight," Coleman said. "I came out hot, hit a few threes, had a few good takes and my teammates were finding me a lot." Coleman entered the game as the Comets' leading scorer, averaging nearly 17 points per game, and although he led the team in points Tuesday, Bray was more impressed with his playmaking. "He did a nice job scoring, but he did a really nice job of sharing the ball," Bray said. "That's the stuff we're going to need in the tournament. People are going to be scouting us and think they have to double Jack, and he can kick it out to guys for three." Amherst has averaged 72 points per game as a team this season and while it didn't quite get there Tuesday, it was on pace to blow by that number until its reserves came in for a running clock fourth quarter. Through three quarters, the Comets scored 65 points and were shooting nearly 55 percent from the field as they held a 34-point lead. "It's a lot of fun, when they're having fun," Bray said. "I think tonight was the night we shared the ball the best. We had so many second and third passes tonight, and that's what it's going to take to finish out the season and make a good run in the tournament." The Comets offense has been elite all season, and that has been no different recently as they scored at least 77 points in five of their last six games coming into Tuesday. "When we all get hot, it's a lot of fun," Coleman said. "We've got our team chemistry up a lot, and when we're moving the ball like that, the crowd gets into it and it's super energetic, we all just love it." For Midview, Tuesday's loss was yet another tough night in what has been an extremely tough season. The Middies are now 2-17 and have lost 11 games in a row, all by double digits, and six coming by at least 28 points. If there was one bright spot, however, it was Brennen Newton, who scored a team-high 15 points and knocked down a pair of threes. Amherst closes out its season Friday against North Ridgeville, while Midview has three more games — Olmsted Falls, Valley Forge and Firelands. Contact Will Cunningham at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Amherst 71, Midview 42 AMHERST (71): Jack Coleman 7-5-22, Cole Scanlon 1-0-3, David Dudziak 1-0-3, Stanley Robinson 4-0-11, Peyton Leibacher 1-0-3, Cy Christensen 1-2-4, Mason Lymer 5-2-14, Evan Ferancy 0-0-0, Andrew Balicki 3-0-7, Anthony Passerrello 0-0-0, Gavin Beckler 2-0-4, Zach Anderson 0-0-0, Cameron Murphy 0-0-0, Christian Vorhees 0-0-0. Totals 25-9-71. MIDVIEW (42): Xavier Padilla 1-0-3, Brennen Newton 6-1-15, Assat Gedi 0-0-0, Luke Jockel 1-0-3, Zaire Young 0-1-1, Gavin Rico 0-0-0, Colby Sapienza 1-0-3, Trey Feierabend 0-0-0, Kelen DeSimone 3-2-8, Caleb Kennedy 0-0-0, Shay Williams 0-0-0, Xavier Young 4-1-9. Totals 16-5-42. Amherst&emsp;19&emsp;24&emsp;22&emsp;6&emsp;—&emsp;71 Midview&emsp;9&emsp;12&emsp;10&emsp;11&emsp;—&emsp;42 Three point field goals: Amherst (Coleman 3, Robinson 3, Lymer 2, Scanlon, Dudziak, Leibacher, Balicki), Midview (Newton 2, Padilla, Jockel, Sapienza). Field goals: Amherst 25-54 (46.3 percent), Midview 16-48 (33.3 percent). Free throws: Amherst 9-11 (81.8 percent), Midview 5-8 (62.5 percent). Rebounds: Amherst 24, Midview 29. Turnovers: Amherst 8, Midview 15. Team fouls: Amherst 10, Midview 13. Junior varsity: Amherst, 57-28.