[Stardust]

Ryle breaks through

http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...0302/90212

Ryle has struggled the past couple of weeks against higher-ranked teams, but on Wednesday the Raiders made a statement by knocking off Beechwood 59-52 in Fort Mitchell.

The Raiders, ranked No. 5 in the Enquirer Northern Kentucky coaches' poll, had dropped three of their previous four games to higher-ranked teams in Holmes, Highlands and Boone County. Coach Alan Mullins said it was important for his team to get a win over the No. 3 Tigers.

"The main thing for us was that our guys proved to themselves that they can finish a game strong," Mullins said. "We've had a few tough losses of late, and it was nice to see them come from behind and control the fourth quarter."

After leading by six points at halftime, Ryle fell behind in the third quarter before outscoring Beechwood 21-10 in the final period.

The Raiders made their comeback by establishing their inside presence and knocking down free throws throughout the fourth quarter.

Junior Mitch McLeish and sophomore Bobby Stauffer led the Ryle comeback, combining for 11 points and going 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Andy Ahern also hit some big shots, knocking down three late 3-pointers.

"Our free throw shooting has been a bit of a bug for us lately," Mullins said. "We didn't shoot it great tonight, but down the stretch we knocked them down."

McLeish swayed the momentum into Ryle's favor late in the game.

With the Raiders holding a one-point advantage coming out of a timeout with 55 seconds remaining, McLeish drove to the basket, drawing a foul and eventually converting the three-point play to give Ryle a 54-50 lead.

"I wanted to get to the free throw line there, and I got the shot to fall," McLeish said. "I saw the open lane and attacked the basket."

Ryle's leading scorer was junior forward Clay Coleman, who had 10 first-half points and finished with 15. Ahern scored 14 points and McLeish added 11 for the Raiders.

Beechwood struggled to get the ball inside throughout the game, forcing the Tigers' outside shooters to put up shots to keep them in the game. Trey Beuttel did most of the damage in that department, knocking down five 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 26 points. Nick Hall also hit three shots from long-range, all coming during the third-quarter comeback.

"We knew it was going to be a tough match for us because they are so daggone big," Beechwood coach Rick Shumate said. "When we needed to get it inside, we didn't do that, and that put more pressure on our outside game."

The Tigers connected on just eight shots from inside the 3-point line but knocked down nine from long range.

Beechwood also was hurt by poor free throw shooting, converting just nine of 17 attempts for 53 percent.

Ryle (14-8) - Ahern 4 3 14, McLeish 4 3 11, Russell 3 2 8, Coleman 6 0 15, Stauffer 1 6 8, Nichols 1 1 3. Totals: 19 15 59.

Beechwood (16-4) - Beuttel 7 7 26, Pohlgeers 1 0 2, Snyder 3 0 7, Romes 0 2 2, Smith 3 0 6, Hall 3 0 9. Totals: 17 9 52.

Ryle 14 13 11 21 -59
Beechwood 8 13 21 10 -52

3-pointers - R 6 (Ahern 3, Coleman 3), B 9 (Beuttel 5, Snyder, Hall 3).