SIDNEY — Troy Public Schools’ famous Pop Rocks jump rope performance team performed at halftime of Sidney’s Miami Valley League Valley Division game against Vandalia-Butler on Friday.
Junior guard Myles Vordermark was in the locker room with the Yellow Jackets and didn’t see the show, but he has enough experience jumping rope to be as knowledgeable as any of the elementary and middle school Troy performers.
Jumping rope has helped Vordemark (5-foot-11) average 4.7 rebounds per game through Sidney’s first three contests and has helped the squad average 34.3 rebounds.
Physical preparedness is one thing, but a willingness to fight with players several inches taller is another.
That’s no big deal for Vordemark — he’s happy to do it for his brothers. That sentiment is par for the course amongst the selfless-playing Yellow Jackets.
Sidney improved to 3-0 on Friday night by beating Vandalia-Butler 64-33 in a Miami Valley League crossover game. It’s the third MVL win of the season for the Yellow Jackets, which have won each game by at least 19 points.
“I was expecting to be 3-0, because I always expect to win with the boys I’ve got around me,” Vordemark said. “We always work hard, play hard. But the amount we won by, I’m actually really impressed with how my boys played.”
And how they’ve played is selflessly.
Sidney had 16 assists while scoring its 64 points on Friday and is averaging 19.3 assists per game. The squad shot 27 for 44 (61.4 percent) from the floor and shot 55.8 percent from the floor in a 72-53 win over Stebbins on Tuesday.
Rushed shots and wasted possessions have been a rarity.
“We’re brothers. We really play together and we love each and every one of each other,” Vordemark said.
The squad has been just as strong defensively. Sidney had 12 steals on Friday, and Butler finished with 16 turnovers, twice as many as Sidney.
“Our man-to-man defense has been outstanding,” Sidney coach John Willoughby said. “We try to lock down on their players, and we have the players that want to do that this year. It’s real nice. They’re able to defend, and they’re also great helpers. It’s a good combination.”
Vordemark, who scored 11 points on Friday, is one of eight new players on the squad’s varsity roster. Senior forward Jaden Swiger, who scored 15 points, is the lone returnee.
The group of new players had successful junior varsity and freshman campaigns the last two years. They’re keeping up that success at the varsity level.
“It’s been really smooth,” Vordemark said of transitioning to varsity. “Jaden Swiger has been a really good leader for us. We had a lot of JV boys that have had to step up on varsity, and he’s really led us.”
Willoughby saw potential in the group in preseason — but he also saw issues.
“Preseason, we were so up and down,” Willoughby said. “We would play real well in a scrimmage and I’d say, ‘Yes! We’re going to be something!’ Then we’d have a scrimmage where nobody wanted to be there. And I’m thinking, ‘Here we go, how am I going to get them to be ready for a game. They’re so up and down with their emotions.’
“That’s hard to coach, if your players are up and down and one little thing bothers the heck out of them and they can’t play the rest of the game. I was worried about that.
“Once the season started, we’ve been hanging in there together. It’s been great. They play together.”
The Yellow Jackets showed they can keep their cool on Friday.
Sidney scored the first nine points. After the Aviators got a bucket, the Yellow Jackets scored the last 12 of the first quarter to take a 21-2 lead heading into the second.
But Butler did better rebounding and limited Sidney’s possessions in the second while hitting some 3-pointers to cut the lead to 31-19 at halftime.
The Yellow Jackets weren’t shaken by the second quarter. They quickly pushed the lead over 20 points in the third and led 45-24 heading into the fourth, then finished with a 19-9 scoring edge in the final quarter.
“I think that’s a good indication of what this team is,” Willoughby said. “They did make a run on us, but we kept that double-digit lead going into half, and we regrouped and came out in the second half and played great. Our defense is outstanding, our ball movement is outstanding.”
Sidney’s stats reflect the selfless play.
Swiger brought down five rebounds and had three assists and three steals. Freshman guard Julius Spradling scored 15 points and had two rebounds and two assists. Vordemark had three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Junior wing guard Sam Reynolds scored 11 points and had nine rebounds, and senior forward Landon Davis scored seven points and had five assists, five steals and three rebounds.
Sidney finished with a 25-15 rebounding edge.
“That’s big on our part, because we’re not the biggest, but our guards crash the boards,” Willoughby said. “Myles is only (5-11), but he’s a great rebounder. He’s tough as all get out. Sam’s athletic enough to get every rebound, and Julius rebounds with the best of them. It helps when your guards are able and willing to get their nose in there and get those rebounds.”
The last evidence of Sidney’s selfless play came in the final minute when senior center Jaden “Curly” Scherer came off the bench. The Yellow Jackets got Scherer the ball on the right wing, and he hit a 3 — with the help of a favorable bounce off the rim and backboard.
Sidney’s bench erupted in cheers, as did the student section.
“That was the highlight,” Vordemark said. “I was extremely excited to see him hit a shot.”
Sidney will try to keep its hot start going next week.
The Yellow Jackets will travel an hour to Xenia (0-5) for an MVL Valley Division game on Tuesday. Willoughby said it will be a tough matchup. Despite the Buccaneers’ record, they’ve not lost by more than 12 points.
A showdown with Troy (3-0) looms this Friday. The contest is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. in Sidney.
