Boys Basketball: Te’Mar Lewis helps Worthington Kilbourne get by Hilliard Darby
Saturday, December 2, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Worthington Kilbourne’s Te’Mar Lewis drives past Hilliard Darby’s Aiden Hambel during the Wolves’ home win Dec. 2. Photo: Lorrie Gardner
Te’Mar Lewis knew he needed to work on his defense in the offseason. It’s a point of emphasis for the Worthington Kilbourne boys basketball team – especially against a team like Hilliard Darby to open the season.
The sophomore guard put his work on display in the Wolves’ 52-44 win over the visiting Panthers in a non-league game on Dec. 2.
Lewis jump-started an 8-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters with a steal and a layup. The play, which came with 3 minutes, 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave Kilbourne the lead for good.
“Defensively, I try to go for the ball more,” Lewis said. “I try to be in the right place, slide my feet and be active with my hands. In practice, we do a lot of defensive drills – sliding drills. That’s really important to us because if we don’t play defense, we don’t win games. Everybody competes at practice and on the defensive end, everybody is loud. That just helps the team more and more.”
Guarded by Worthington Kilbourne’s Cam Fisher, Hilliard Darby’s Cooper Gilkerson goes hard to the basket during the Panthers’ road loss Dec. 1. Photo: Lorrie Gardner
Lewis, who scored five points and added three rebounds during the decisive run, finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, seven steals, and four assists to lead the Wolves (1-0).
“Te’Mar prides himself on trying to get steals and being a good defender,” Kilbourne coach Ron Lewis and Te’Mar’s father. “For us, we’re just trying to follow our rules – what we do in practice – every single time. We just try to lock down defensively because we know (Darby has) shooters. They’re a tough team and they’re going to run their stuff (well). We just wanted to be right there with them.”
Aidan Gallogly, who hit a pair of 3s in the first quarter, finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and a pair of blocks for Kilbourne.
The Panthers (0-1) return just one player with varsity experience in Cooper Gilkerson, who had four points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Taking care of the ball and playing solid defense are normally a staple for Darby, but those things plagued the Panthers, coach Chris Maul said.
Worthington Kilbourne’s Aidan Gallogly drives past the Hilliard Darby defense during the Wolves’ home win Dec. 2. Photo: Lorrie Gardner
“I thought (Kilbourne) won almost every loose ball,” Maul said. “The toughness battle belonged to Kilbourne, for sure. Second-chance points, transition – really all those little things that win games – I thought they controlled. To me, that’s the difference in the game.”
Maul’s son, Ty, led with 16 points and added a pair of rebounds to pace Darby.
Alexander Perie had 10 points and two rebounds, Kade Romine hit a pair of 3s and added five boards. Landon Whalen had six points and seven rebounds and Aiden Hambel had four assists.
“We try to hold (opponents) to single-digit quarters and we didn’t do that tonight,” coach Maul said. “These are our guys and they’re going to compete and get better.
“The close losses early, you always wish you had back. But it’s good growth – no one but one kid ever played a varsity minute before. So, the pace of the game and the toughness of the game – a good OCC-environment – is good for the young guys to experience.”