Wittenberg Tops Marian For Another Zimmerman Memorial Classic Championship

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Josh McKee

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The Wittenberg men's basketball team has made a habit of winning its home midseason holiday tournament. But rarely have the Tigers dominated their opponents as thoroughly as they did in 2011 after dispatching Marian in the Charles B. Zimmerman Memorial Classic final, 70-50.

Wittenberg improved to 7-3 on the 2011-12 season after leading from wire-to-wire in both games of the 2011 tourney — an 80-54 first-round win over Monmouth (Ill.) and a 70-50 victory over Marian. The Knights, who defeated Olivet 68-62 in the first round, dropped to 9-5 on the season.

The tourney crown was Wittenberg's 25th in 29 years hosting a midseason competition. It was the fifth time that the Tigers have beaten Marian in the championship game.

The Tigers jumped out to a 12-4 lead through the first five minutes, and expanded it to 11 by halftime. The Knights never were able to sustain a rally against Wittenberg, which dominated the rebounding battle 44-25, limiting Marian to just nine offensive caroms, compared to 19 for the Tigers.

That translated into a 19-11 edge in second-chance points for Wittenberg. The Tigers' depth was also a big factor as Marian was outscored 19-5 in bench points.

Most importantly, the Knights had no answer for senior Clayton Black (Lancaster, Ohio/Lancaster) in the post. In earning his second straight Zimmerman Classic Tournament MVP award, Black poured in 24 points and eight rebounds as he hit 9-of-10 shots from the field and 6-of-7 shots from the free throw line. Sixteen of Black's points came after the intermission.

Black was joined on the all-tournament team by senior Josh McKee (New Carlisle, Ohio/Tecumseh), who finished with 13 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists. Three other players finished with six points, including sophomore Scott Masin (New Carlisle, Ohio/Bethel), who also contributed six rebounds, two blocked shots and two steals to the total team effort.

Marian, which was limited to 40 percent shooting from the field and hurt itself with 4-of-10 shooting from the free throw line, put two players on the all-tournament team as Aaron Evans finished with 13 points and Alex Sylvester added eight points, six rebounds and five assists. Jake Stafford was the Knights' leading scorer in the final as he finished with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists.