BRISTOLVILLE - Chad Oliver just wanted to do something.
Tuesday, the level of play of his Bristol Panthers weren't up to his standard as both teams committed a combined 33 turnovers at intermission.
So, the 5-foot-11 senior shooting guard took things into his own hands with 12 of his game-high 28 points in the third quarter to lift Bristol over archrival Maplewood, 61-49.
"I just tried to go out there and work hard," Oliver said. "We didn't come out with good intensity in the first half. I just tried to step it up and lead my team, get the game up and get the press going."
That press forced 39 Maplewood turnovers.
"Bristol is a team that is physical," Maplewood coach Nathan Kish said. "They're a team that is in your face. They get after you. (Bristol) coach (Craig) Giesy does a good job of getting them ready and they play hard.
"You have to be strong."
Bristol (2-0) committed 26 miscues of its own.
"We're trying to create that many turnovers," Giesy said. "We're not trying to have that many turnovers. It was a problem in Friday night's game as well. It's something we're addressing.
"With that tempo, we understand we're going to turnover the ball as well when we're trying to go that fast. We're trying to win the turnover margin by 15."
Maplewood (1-2) is trying to find leadership on this young Rockets team.
"Right now, we've turned the ball over 30-plus times every single game. We're looking for a leader. We lost a couple of key players from last year. It looks like every time we're on the floor we're intimidated by people.
"If we're going to get better and win games, we're going to have to get a little more confidence and learn how to handle that or we're going to struggle."
Luke Evan led Maplewood with 14 points, while Kevin Jones had 11. Evan collided with Bristol's Brandon Lee in the fourth quarter as the two went for the ball. Lee went under Evan, sending the Maplewood player up in the air - eventually landing on his back. Evan sat out momentarily, but returned to the game.
"It wasn't a dirty play," Kish said. "It was two guys going after the basketball. It's part of the game."
Tuesday, Oliver was all over the basketball.
"He's not a rah, rah man, but he's a, 'Here's what I'm doing, everybody better try to match me' (player)," Giesy said. "When we're down, that's his attitude. He's not about getting ticked off at other guys. He takes everything on his shoulders.
"He's becoming a great leader on the floor. He's showing what everyone else needs to do."
