Zaiden Wittekind’s career-high 33 lifts Tigers past Marauders | News, Sports, Jobs

Marietta’s Zaiden Wittekind goes up for a 3-pointer during a game against Meigs Friday at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

MARIETTA — At one point in the second quarter of Marietta’s game against Meigs Friday night, Zaiden Wittekind buried a 3-pointer and then had a slam dunk in a 30-second span.

When the Tigers got the ball back, Wittekind looked at teammate Trey Hawkins and said “Trey, give me the ball.”

Hawkins obliged, and Wittekind finished with a career-high 33 points to help Marietta roll to a 72-34 win.

“When I’m on, give me the ball,” Wittekind laughed when asked about his offensive mindset.

“Career-high feels amazing, but it matters more that we got the win, especially because of what happened last year with (Meigs), losing in a close one. It’s more important that we won this year. That’s what I care about the most.”

Marietta defends swarm Meigs’ Carson Davis (24) during Friday’s game at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

That’s what all the Tigers cared most about. Their preparation reflected exactly how much they cared, according to head coach Austin Gardner.

“This one was circled on the calendar,” said Gardner, whose squad dropped a 46-45 decision last year in Pomeroy. “We wanted to get this game. Obviously, they’re really good, and they got a lot of really good players. I felt like this is the best our guys locked into a scouting report this year to personnel stuff, to what they do, and they just did a really good job executing. They took film room, practice and preparation to the game better than I’ve seen in my four years here. So that was a testament to those guys taking everything and putting it to action.”

Owen Riley and Logan Grosklos knocked down 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the game, and the Tigers never looked back.

Wittekind converted a basket-and-one before draining a pair of treys to help Marietta take a 21-7 lead. He had 11 points after one and 19 at halftime, when Marietta held a 35-11 advantage.

“He was in tune,” Gardner said. “He was locked in. He wanted this game, and you could tell. I think it shows what we’re capable of. Now, it’s just the consistency piece and putting it together for 32 minutes.”

Marietta’s Lucas Miller, right, guards Meigs’ Owen Tracy during Friday’s game at Sutton Gym. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Wittekind finished 12 for 18 from the floor, including 5 for 7 from beyond the arc, a facet of his game that has gotten better and better throughout his high school career.

“My freshman year, I couldn’t shoot at all,” said Wittekind, a Malone University signee. “Coach came to me and said ‘got to work on your 3-pointers.’ My college coach told me, ‘You can do everything, but you’ve got to get your shot there.’ So I’ve been really working on that every day, especially in the off season.”

Wittekind also was 4 for 5 from the free-throw line, grabbed six rebounds and tallied three assists and three steals. Trey Hawkins chipped in 11 points, five dimes and three steals. Grosklos added eight points. Riley notched nine boards and five assists while Lucas Miller handed out four assists.

Defensively, the Tigers brought their A-game.

Meigs (7-3) was held to 34.1% (14 for 41) from the floor. In the second quarter, the Marauders were held scoreless for more than six minutes as Marietta used a 12-0 run to increase its lead to 33-9.

Marietta players celebrate on the bench after a made basket in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game against Meigs. (Photo by Jordan Holland)

Owen Tracy led the Marauders with 14 points while first team All-Ohioan Carson Davis finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Davis, listed at 6-foot-8, is a long-range shooter but had a tough time getting shots to fall with Hawkins hounding him throughout the night.

Colben Beucler, one of Meigs’ other top scorers, was limited to two points.

“We picked up full court the entire game, just applied token pressure trying to wear those guys out and disrupt some of their flow on offense,” Gardner explained. “We denied Beucler the ball the entire game, trying to take one of their three leading scorers out of the game, and our guys did a really good job of that. We switched through their three best players and made it difficult. Davis is going to take shots and he’s going to make tough ones too as a really good player that he is. Trey made it difficult on him the entire night.”

Wittekind added 11 more points in the third quarter as Marietta put the game in running-clock mode. His fifth and final 3-pointer early in the fourth put him at 33 points before Gardner pulled the starters from the game.

“That was an awesome win against a really good team there, and then just keeping our momentum going,” Gardner said. “It was awesome just to be back in Sutton Gymnasium where our guys are comfortable and confident. The crowd was great, the atmosphere was great.”

The Tigers went 2-0 this week after claiming an overtime victory over Fairbanks Tuesday. Wittekind finished with seven points in that game, but Hawkins and Riley both put up big numbers.

“It makes it a matchup nightmare for teams,” Wittekind said. “Most teams don’t have three really great defenders that are going to be able to guard three guys that can drop 20 on any given night. It makes us very dangerous.

“I came out slow against (Fairbanks). I wanted to start off better tonight. I came out really hot and kept it going the whole game. It felt amazing.”

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.