Bowling Green senior guards Ahmir Ruffin and Jake Amspoker scored 18 points and 16 points, respectively, on Tuesday to lead the Bobcats to a 54-47 non-league win over visiting Toledo Rogers in non-league boys basketball Tuesday.
BG coach Mason Roth says its only fitting that Amspoker and Ruffin are leading the team in putting points on the board early in the season.
“Jake Amspoker and Ahmir Ruffin have put much time and effort into improving their basketball skills this offseason,” Roth said. “Both have lived in the gym, and we hope their time will show on the court this year.”
Against the Rams, Ruffin and Amspoker combined to hit nine three-point goals as the Bobcats start the season 2-0. Rogers falls to 0-2.
Ruffin hit three treys in the opening quarter, and then Amspoker, and senior guards Kyle Sickler and Brayden Freyman hit treys in the second stanza as the Bobcats pulled away to a 28-19 halftime lead.
Amspoker and Ruffin each added a triple in the third quarter, and Amspoker had two triples and Ruffin one in the fourth as the Bobcasts finished with 11 triples.
BG junior forward Karter Shank scored eight points, Freyman scored six, and senior guard Vincent Moosbrugger and Sickler added three points apiece for BG.
For Rogers, sophomore Tray Booker scored 15, junior Kijyere McAllister and Dee Pattesron scored nine points apiece, junior Meikhi Bailey, junior Jayden Baker, and Aaron Watson scored four apiece, and sophomore Shawn Cannon added two points.
In the season opener, the Bobcats hit nine treys during a 92-64 non-league victory over Rossford as Ruffin scored 22, Amspoker scored 21 and Freyman and junior forward Tomas Meek scored 12 apiece.
BG junior guard Ja’ceous Shannon scored eight points, Moosbrugger scored six, Shank scored four, senior forward Mitch Keller scored three, and senior guard Grant Sonner and senior guard Garrett Bateson scored two points apiece.
For the Bulldogs, freshman guard John Fox scored 24, freshman guard Parker Theobalds scored 21, senior guard Anthony Quintanilla scored 11, junior forward Blake Dewey scored five, junior guard Jackson Grimm scored three, and senior forward Jackson Schultz and senior forward Michael Gilreath added two points apiece.
Roth is now 27-24 in two seasons-plus, coming off their most wins in back-to-back season in over 10-plus years (10 and 11). Last year’s team was 11-13 overall and 7-7 in the Northern Lakes League.
Amspoker and Freyman return with two letters apiece, and other lettermen include Ruffin, Sonner, and Reece Rath, who was injured during the football season and has not returned to play basketball yet.
Amspoker was third team All-NLL and honorable mention all-district last year after averaging nine points and shooting 45% from three-point territory. Ruffin averaged six points, Freyman dished out 1.5 assists per game, and Sonner had a 1.64 assists to turnover ratio.
Needless to say by BG’s ability to shoot and dish out assists, the Bobcats are guard-heavy.
“We will have a lot of guards to pick from this season,” Roth said. “This season, we have six to seven guys who will play a guard position for us.
“Jake Amspoker and Brayden Freyman will have the most experience in the back court for us. They both have played big roles since their sophomore seasons.
“Grant Sonner is coming back after starting all season for us last year. We look for Grant to expand his role more offensively this year. We will also feature some guys that have been waiting for their opportunities. Vinny Moosebrugger is a guard we are looking to come in and provide us with an offensive production.
“Jay Shannon and Kyle Sickler are two guys we will bring in off the bench to provide us with some energy and good on-the-ball pressure. Both players are quick and active on the defensive end. (Senior guard) Andrew Claypool is another guard who will be competing for playing time.”
Roth says Ruffin headlines the Bobcats’ wing play this year, adding that he is receiving some NCAA Division III offers already.
“Ahmir is coming off a good junior season, and we want him to expand his game on the offensive and defensive end. Tomas Meek is a forward we are excited about. Tomas plays with a high motor on both ends and sees the floor well.
“Garrett Bateson and Karter Shank are both coming up to varsity this season. Both provide good length on the wing. Mitch Keller is another forward who is competing for playing time.
“Reece Rath and (junior forward) Brennan Howard are two guys who are currently nursing football injuries, and hope to catch them up to speed when they’re all healed up.”
What the Bobcats lack is a true post player. BG’s tallest players are Ruffin and Shank, who both stand 6-foot-3, so Roth says everyone will play “mainly on the wng.” As a result, expect some points to be scored on the outside and in transition.
“This season, we are planning on playing an uptempo style of basketball. We are not blessed with height this season, so we will use our quick guards to pressure the basketball and try to create points off that,” Roth said.’
“Rebounding and finishing possession this season will be a key to our success. On offense, we will run a lot of motion and use our quickness and shooting ability to play to our advantage.
“We will always play five guys on the court that can shoot. We are trying to space the floor as much as possible to attack closeouts and cause defense to turn inside out.”
Roth says down the line on the roster, there are six to seven players who could step up and contribute, and some are already doing so.
“Garrett Bateson, Kyle Sickler, and Vinny Moosbrugger are all seniors who have waited patiently for their opportunity to play varsity,” Roth said. “I expect all three to step in this season and make an impact.
“Then we have a few juniors who will have a chance to make an instant impact. Tomas Meek will be a starter for us this season. Then we have Jay Shannon, Karter Shank, and Brennan Howard, who all have a chance to have a role on this team.”
Roth admits that in the newly-aligned NLL Cardinal Division, the Bobcats will face their challenges.
“The league is going to be competitive. As a coach, we are always confident that we can win the league, but if I were to pick a winner this season, Southview is the favorite,” Roth said.
“They bring back one of the best guards in the conference (Micah Bays) and have some other key players back. After that, I would predict BG, Napoleon, Clay, Fremont, and Springfield. The league will be very competitive, and no games will be gimmes this season.
“Napoleon and Southview both return first team (All-NLL) players from a year ago. Clay is another team that could surprise some teams. They have some good young talent that could cause some problems. Fremont (Ross) is a good addition to the league, and Springfield lost a lot from last season, but they’re always well-coached and play hard.”
Roth says his teams will have issues to overcome if they are going to have a shot at the title.
“Our biggest strength this season will be our depth and ability to shoot the ball. We will rely on both this season,” Roth said.
“Our biggest issue is going to be rebounding. We are far from a team with a lot of size, so we have to have all hands on deck regarding rebounding. If we don’t send five guys to the defensive glass, we will struggle.
“While we have lost some familiar faces from the past few years, we are excited about this year’s team. The kids enjoy each other’s company, and we want team chemistry to help us this season. While we are small, we will play hard and compete in a way that will give us a chance to win.”
