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ROCKSPRINGS, Ohio — Nelsonville-York was not the intended target, but Friday night was all about getting even for the Meigs boys basketball team.

The Marauders upped both their overall and league records to .500 this season following a hard-fought 62-58 victory over visiting Nelsonville-York in a Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division matchup at Larry R. Morrison Gymnasium.

Meigs (5-5, 2-2 TVC Ohio) never trailed in the entire contest, as the hosts broke away from a 28-all tie early in the third quarter with 22-9 run to secure their biggest lead of the night at 50-37 with 6:23 left in regulation.

The Buckeyes (7-4, 2-3) trimmed that deficit down to a single possession after a 15-4 charge allowed the guest to pull within 54-52 with 2:56 remaining. NYHS, however, never came closer the rest of the way — as Meigs made a small 8-6 run down the stretch to wrap up the four-point decision.

The Marauders shot 49 percent and had eight different players reach the scoring column in the triumph, which also ended a three-game losing skid. Meigs also started its current three-game home stand on a solid note, as MHS coach David Kight noted afterwards.

“This was a big win for us. There were several times in this game where we either tried to give it away, or Nelsonville-York tried to take it from us,” Kight said. “To our credit, we didn’t falter and we always found a way to get through the tough stretches. It’s all about the 32-minute struggle with us, and tonight typifies what we’ve been preaching since I took this job.

“I’m extremely proud of them right now for what they showed tonight. We’ve got a little momentum going to start this home stand, so hopefully we can use this as a spring board to the rest of our season.”

There were four ties and five lead changes in the contest, and half of those came in the opening eight minutes of play. Meigs hit 7-of-13 field goals in the first period, but NYHS managed to knot things up at seven (4:11) and nine (3:03) despite a 3-of-9 effort in the first period.

MHS countered with a 6-0 run to claim a 15-9 edge with 26 seconds remaining, but Colt Adams nailed a free throw with nine seconds left to pull the guests to within 15-10 after one period of play.

Marc Carter capped a 5-0 Buckeye run to start the second canto after a free throw made it a 15-all contest with 5:51 left in the half, but the hosts countered with an 11-4 surge over the final 5:27 to take a 26-19 cushion into the break.

The Marauders were 9-of-22 from the field and committed 10 turnovers in the first half, while NYHS was 6-of-18 on shot attempts and also surrendered nine turnovers.

The Buckeyes answered the second half bell, as the guests went on a 9-2 run to start the third period for a 28-all tie with 5:17 remaining. Nelsonville-York, however, never came closer the rest of the way, as MHS countered with a 15-6 charge over the final five-plus minutes to claim a 43-34 edge headed into the finale.

NYHS opened the fourth with a trifecta to pull within six, but Ty Phelps capped a 7-0 run with a field goal at the 6:23 mark to give the hosts their biggest lead of the night at 50-37.

The Buckeyes made their big run and eventually pulled to within two (54-52) after Clint Hauda nailed a pair of free throws, but the hosts answered with a 7-2 run to take a 61-54 edge with 1:15 remaining. The guests again received a pair of free throws from Hauda with 52 seconds left to pull within 61-58, but that was as close as the Buckeyes came.

Dillon Boyer added a free throw with 18 seconds left to round out the scoring and wrap up the triumph.

The Marauders — who had 24 turnovers in the contest — connected on 23-of-47 field goal attempts, including a 2-of-5 effort from three-point range for 40 percent. The hosts were also 14-of-22 at the free throw line for 64 percent.

Dillon Boyer led Meigs with a game-high 22 points, followed by Kaileb Sheets with 17 points and Jordan Hutton with seven markers. Dustin Ulbrich chipped in six points to the winning cause, while Cody Stewart added five markers.

Ty Phelps and Treay McKinney each added two points for the victors, while Alex Morris rounded out the scoring with one marker. Stewart had a team-best nine rebounds and Sheets added a team-high four assists.

The Buckeyes were 18-of-48 from the field for 38 percent, including a 3-of-14 effort from three-point territory for 21 percent. The guests also committed 21 turnovers and made 19-of-31 charity tosses for 61 percent.

Clint Hauda paced Nelsonville-York with 19 points, followed by Colt Adams with 11 points and Emmitt Reed with nine markers.