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Versailles sophomore A.J. Ahrens finds the going rough as he tries to
get off a shot against two
Anna defenders Tuesday. Ahrens scored only
eight points on the night but helped spark a Tiger
come from behind win
over the Rockets in overtime, 62-45. CNO Photos by Dylan Knoop
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Versailles
takes Anna in overtime
By George Starks
Versailles- It’s no secret the name of Ahrens has become synonymous
with Versailles basketball.
For four years, it was Kyle Ahrens that was wreaking havoc on the
opposition.
Last year, little brother Justin surfaced as a freshman with his twin
brother, A.J., lurking in the shadows at the junior varsity level.
Now, Kyle is a freshman at Michigan State but Justin is picking up
where Kyle left off.
Averaging 25 points a game, the new Ahrens has carried the load on
offense.
Tuesday, in the opening round of the 5th annual holiday tournament with
Anna, Justin pumped in 28 points, but he wasn’t the only Ahrens in town
on this night.
Sitting the bench, A.J. patiently waited and took advantage of
his opportunity to play as Versailles popped the Rockets, 62-54 in
overtime.
It was a game that wasn’t pretty by any stretch.
“This game was physical,” admitted Versailles coach Scott McEldowney.
“I was concerned about this at the beginning of the year and I think
the physical aspect of the game got to us early. I think we handled it
better late in the game though.”
Going into the break, the Tigers trailed 30-26 and the Rockets went up
eight, 38-30 with3:20 left in the third.
Enter A.J. Ahrens.
Ahrens scored two big hoops after a Versailles time out, getting the
Tigers back to within a 38-34 count.
The Versailles defense took command and held the Rockets scoreless the
rest of the frame.
With eight minutes left in regulation, Versailles trailed 38-35.
Down 40-37 with 7:02 left on the clock, Ahrens scored in the paint,
getting Versailles back to within a point at 40-39.
Versailles kept it close the rest of the way as senior Brent McEldowney
would strike on a offensive rebound and then a few second later, at the
4:21 mark, hitting a trey, closing to 45-44.
As regulation ran out, the Tigers had knotted things up at 50-50.
Versailles would see its first lead since the second quarter as
McEldowney would hit yet another triple, giving the Tigers a 55-54
advantage with 2:46 showing on the clock.
“He’s shooting the ball much better this year,” said McEldowney of
Brett. “Those two threes were huge for us. These guys can all step up
and get the job done.”
Holding a 58-54 lead with 42.5 second remaining, it was A.J. Ahrens
that calmly sank two from the line, putting the game on ice, 60-54,
with 30.9 seconds remaining.
It was just over a week ago when the Tigers coach said he was looking
to beef up his schedule.
On that night, the Tigers topped Urbana, 67-54.
Anna provided the competition Tuesday with Chaminade-Julienne to follow
on Wednesday as Miami East was a part of the deal as well, losing to
the Eagles in the opening game.
“These teams are four of the best,” admitted McEldowney. “I’m glad we
won because we’re going to play a pretty tough team tomorrow night
(Wednesday).”
With the win, the Tigers improved to 8-1 on the season.
See
additional photos of this game at Facebook: Empowering Darke County
Youth
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