Hillsboro advances to sectional final WATCH THE VIDEO
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
CHILLICOTHE — It was a South Central Ohio League kind of night Tuesday at Southeastern High School.
Following the first game in which the co-SCOL champion Miami Trace (14-5) was defeated by the Waverly Tigers, 59-34, it was the Hillsboro Indians, also a co-SCOL champion, who stayed alive in a physical contest with their league and cross-county rival, defeating McClain, 51-39.
The win gives the Indians an opportunity for the sectional championship in their Division II SE District Sectional bracket, as they will take on the Waverly Tigers (10-11) Friday night at 7 p.m. at SEHS. The winner will advance to the district tournament at the Convocation Center in Athens.
The game Friday will be a family affair for the head coaches of Hillsboro and Waverly, as HHS head coach Tim Davis and Waverly head coach Travis Robertson are brothers-in-law.
Hillsboro (14-7) now has defeated the Tigers eight straight times, twice in the sectional tournament the past three seasons. Earlier this season, HHS defeated the Tigers 49-43 and 46-36. HHS has also won five straight games, ending the regular season with four straight wins.
"I'm just very pleased with the way our kids kept their composure," Davis said. "We knew coming in that (Tuesday) we were going have to grind it out. When we went into halftime at 20-21, we knew the second half was going to be exciting."
The first half was close, with HHS leading 10-9 after the first frame and MHS (9-12) leading 21-20 at halftime. After three quarters, HHS jumped ahead with a six-point lead at 36-30.
"I thought the atmosphere affected us," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "They (HHS) go up two, no big deal. They got up four, the crowd gets a little louder, they go up seven ... hit a three, and I felt like we tried to catch it up all in one possession. We kind of lost our composure. You have to have experience in that setting, which Hillsboro has."
Then came the fourth frame, where the Indians broke away in the final four minutes for their 12-point win.
After McClain's Zach Matracia brought the Tigers within three points at 39-36, Tyrand Cumberland, Aric Carroll, Chase Gilliland, Dow Kiefer and Jarrod Hart combined to outscore the Tigers 12-3 to end the game.
Carroll led all scorers with 13 points. Leading MHS in scoring was Jared Loftis with 11 points.
HHS also had double-figure scoring from Hart and Cumberland with 10 points each. Kiefer finished with nine points.
"Our full-court pressure worked out extremely well in the second half," Davis said. "It led to some easy baskets, go tus going offensively. It also got Greenfield to speed up a little faster than what they would like, and we were able to capitalize on their rush shots."
In that span of the final 4 minutes, Cumberland began with a jumper, followed with a 3-pointer right in front of the HHS student section by Carroll for a 44-36 lead. After a free throw by Loftis, Gilliland answered with a jumper. Following an MHS turnover, Kiefer sank a free throw, and with .54 left in the game, Hart made a inside basket. Cumberland sealed the win with two free throws, leaving just 24.3 left on the clock.
The early stages of the fourth had Kiefer score the first three HHS points, with Tanner Vanzant scoring the Tigers' first two points of the fourth with 6:57 remaining. Vanzant scored again in the fourth with 4:59 remaining. Vanzant ended the game with six points. He was one of three Tigers to score six points with Pryor and Matracia achieving the feat.
"Dow has been playing hard for the last couple weeks. We knew Dow was going to be able to come in and give us a good effort rebound-wise. Dow stepped in, and we didn't miss a beat. He rebounded extremely well for us and had some put backs for us," Davis said. "Dow is the type of kid we need coming off the bench to give us that type of energy ... that type of boost, and we are just very pleased with his effort tonight."
With the fourth being led by the Indians, that wasn't the case in the first three quarters, as both teams played close basketball.
In the opening frame with HHS leading by one points after eight minutes, it was the Tigers who had trouble scoring at the close, with put-back baskets on second and third chance opportunities.
"I wasn't real pleased in the first half, to be honest," Eaton said. "I didn't think we were patient or disciplined in the first half. We had our moments, but we kept trying to tell them to just do it one possession at a time. We would cross half-court and we just thought we had to go, and you don't. You just have to chip away."
Carroll began the first with a 3-pointer, but Pryor answered with a jump shot. HHS moved their lead to 10-3 following points from Cumberland and another 3-pointer by Carroll, made possible by a steal by Hart with 2:46 left in the frame. The Tigers ended the first with six straight points by Scott Balzer and Loftis. Balzer finished with five points.
HHS began the second with four points from Hart to extend their lead to 14-9. Loftis, Vanzant and Pryor tallied six straight points in a span of two minutes, taking the lead at 15-14.
MHS didn't hold the lead for long once Cumberland sank a basket. Then the Indians lost the lead 28 seconds later when Loftis scored on the inside.
With their leader Matracia on the bench due to having three fouls, Pryor and Loftis put the Tigers up once halftime arrived, as Loftis sank a jumper with seconds remaining for a 21-20 lead.
Though HHS began the second half with a turnover, Carroll and Hart put the Tribe up 24-21 with put-back buckets. Loftis cut the HHS lead to one point, but Cumberland, off a pass by Devante Ames, gave HHS a three-point lead at 26-23. Ames finished with four points.
The lead went away quickly once Zach Uhl made a put-back basket while being fouled. Uhl, who scored five points, tied the game with the ensuing free throw, leaving 4:19 left in the quarter.
HHS and MHS exchanged baskets with Matracia, Ames, and Uhl all making two-point baskets, but it was Gilliland who put HHS back in the top spot with a 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark of the third. Gilliland tallied five points.
"I just told them (during a timeout) that we need to relax and play our style. On offense, it looked like we were rushing ... playing a little timid," Davis said.
The game was the final contest for seven MHS seniors. Those seniors are: Jake Dillon, Zach Uhl, Scott Balzer, Tanner Vanzant, Jared Loftis, Aaron Pryor and Zach Matracia.
"It's been the most rewarding season I've ever had, and it's hard to start out 0-7 and come back to win nine games," Eaton said. "I can't be more proud of our kids. Very few kids in this day and age would fight like that and put it back together ... put our program back where it belongs by winning a bunch of games at the end. That is not a credit to me or to anyone else, that is a credit to our kids.
"I've said it over and over, this wasn't the most successful season, but by far the most rewarding."
HHS led 31-30 after the 3-pointer but extended their lead with baskets by Kiefer and Cumberland for an 8-0 run to end the third.
GAME NOTES: HHS out-rebounded MHS, 31-22 … Both teams had 13 turnovers … Pryor finished with six rebounds leading MHS … Uhl had the second-most rebounds for MHS with five … MHS had two blocked shots … HHS won the steal battle, 8-5 … MHS had nine assists to seven by HHS … MHS had one technical foul (HHS missed both free throws) … Matracia took a charge in the third quarter … Eli Hogsett took a charge in the fourth quarter ... Fans can buy tickets for the HHS-WHS game this week at Hillsboro High School. HHS will get 25 percent of the proceeds if purchased from HHS. Tickets can be purchased during school hours from the athletic dept.
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Following the first game in which the co-SCOL champion Miami Trace (14-5) was defeated by the Waverly Tigers, 59-34, it was the Hillsboro Indians, also a co-SCOL champion, who stayed alive in a physical contest with their league and cross-county rival, defeating McClain, 51-39.
The win gives the Indians an opportunity for the sectional championship in their Division II SE District Sectional bracket, as they will take on the Waverly Tigers (10-11) Friday night at 7 p.m. at SEHS. The winner will advance to the district tournament at the Convocation Center in Athens.
The game Friday will be a family affair for the head coaches of Hillsboro and Waverly, as HHS head coach Tim Davis and Waverly head coach Travis Robertson are brothers-in-law.
Hillsboro (14-7) now has defeated the Tigers eight straight times, twice in the sectional tournament the past three seasons. Earlier this season, HHS defeated the Tigers 49-43 and 46-36. HHS has also won five straight games, ending the regular season with four straight wins.
"I'm just very pleased with the way our kids kept their composure," Davis said. "We knew coming in that (Tuesday) we were going have to grind it out. When we went into halftime at 20-21, we knew the second half was going to be exciting."
The first half was close, with HHS leading 10-9 after the first frame and MHS (9-12) leading 21-20 at halftime. After three quarters, HHS jumped ahead with a six-point lead at 36-30.
"I thought the atmosphere affected us," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said. "They (HHS) go up two, no big deal. They got up four, the crowd gets a little louder, they go up seven ... hit a three, and I felt like we tried to catch it up all in one possession. We kind of lost our composure. You have to have experience in that setting, which Hillsboro has."
Then came the fourth frame, where the Indians broke away in the final four minutes for their 12-point win.
After McClain's Zach Matracia brought the Tigers within three points at 39-36, Tyrand Cumberland, Aric Carroll, Chase Gilliland, Dow Kiefer and Jarrod Hart combined to outscore the Tigers 12-3 to end the game.
Carroll led all scorers with 13 points. Leading MHS in scoring was Jared Loftis with 11 points.
HHS also had double-figure scoring from Hart and Cumberland with 10 points each. Kiefer finished with nine points.
"Our full-court pressure worked out extremely well in the second half," Davis said. "It led to some easy baskets, go tus going offensively. It also got Greenfield to speed up a little faster than what they would like, and we were able to capitalize on their rush shots."
In that span of the final 4 minutes, Cumberland began with a jumper, followed with a 3-pointer right in front of the HHS student section by Carroll for a 44-36 lead. After a free throw by Loftis, Gilliland answered with a jumper. Following an MHS turnover, Kiefer sank a free throw, and with .54 left in the game, Hart made a inside basket. Cumberland sealed the win with two free throws, leaving just 24.3 left on the clock.
The early stages of the fourth had Kiefer score the first three HHS points, with Tanner Vanzant scoring the Tigers' first two points of the fourth with 6:57 remaining. Vanzant scored again in the fourth with 4:59 remaining. Vanzant ended the game with six points. He was one of three Tigers to score six points with Pryor and Matracia achieving the feat.
"Dow has been playing hard for the last couple weeks. We knew Dow was going to be able to come in and give us a good effort rebound-wise. Dow stepped in, and we didn't miss a beat. He rebounded extremely well for us and had some put backs for us," Davis said. "Dow is the type of kid we need coming off the bench to give us that type of energy ... that type of boost, and we are just very pleased with his effort tonight."
With the fourth being led by the Indians, that wasn't the case in the first three quarters, as both teams played close basketball.
In the opening frame with HHS leading by one points after eight minutes, it was the Tigers who had trouble scoring at the close, with put-back baskets on second and third chance opportunities.
"I wasn't real pleased in the first half, to be honest," Eaton said. "I didn't think we were patient or disciplined in the first half. We had our moments, but we kept trying to tell them to just do it one possession at a time. We would cross half-court and we just thought we had to go, and you don't. You just have to chip away."
Carroll began the first with a 3-pointer, but Pryor answered with a jump shot. HHS moved their lead to 10-3 following points from Cumberland and another 3-pointer by Carroll, made possible by a steal by Hart with 2:46 left in the frame. The Tigers ended the first with six straight points by Scott Balzer and Loftis. Balzer finished with five points.
HHS began the second with four points from Hart to extend their lead to 14-9. Loftis, Vanzant and Pryor tallied six straight points in a span of two minutes, taking the lead at 15-14.
MHS didn't hold the lead for long once Cumberland sank a basket. Then the Indians lost the lead 28 seconds later when Loftis scored on the inside.
With their leader Matracia on the bench due to having three fouls, Pryor and Loftis put the Tigers up once halftime arrived, as Loftis sank a jumper with seconds remaining for a 21-20 lead.
Though HHS began the second half with a turnover, Carroll and Hart put the Tribe up 24-21 with put-back buckets. Loftis cut the HHS lead to one point, but Cumberland, off a pass by Devante Ames, gave HHS a three-point lead at 26-23. Ames finished with four points.
The lead went away quickly once Zach Uhl made a put-back basket while being fouled. Uhl, who scored five points, tied the game with the ensuing free throw, leaving 4:19 left in the quarter.
HHS and MHS exchanged baskets with Matracia, Ames, and Uhl all making two-point baskets, but it was Gilliland who put HHS back in the top spot with a 3-pointer at the 1:53 mark of the third. Gilliland tallied five points.
"I just told them (during a timeout) that we need to relax and play our style. On offense, it looked like we were rushing ... playing a little timid," Davis said.
The game was the final contest for seven MHS seniors. Those seniors are: Jake Dillon, Zach Uhl, Scott Balzer, Tanner Vanzant, Jared Loftis, Aaron Pryor and Zach Matracia.
"It's been the most rewarding season I've ever had, and it's hard to start out 0-7 and come back to win nine games," Eaton said. "I can't be more proud of our kids. Very few kids in this day and age would fight like that and put it back together ... put our program back where it belongs by winning a bunch of games at the end. That is not a credit to me or to anyone else, that is a credit to our kids.
"I've said it over and over, this wasn't the most successful season, but by far the most rewarding."
HHS led 31-30 after the 3-pointer but extended their lead with baskets by Kiefer and Cumberland for an 8-0 run to end the third.
GAME NOTES: HHS out-rebounded MHS, 31-22 … Both teams had 13 turnovers … Pryor finished with six rebounds leading MHS … Uhl had the second-most rebounds for MHS with five … MHS had two blocked shots … HHS won the steal battle, 8-5 … MHS had nine assists to seven by HHS … MHS had one technical foul (HHS missed both free throws) … Matracia took a charge in the third quarter … Eli Hogsett took a charge in the fourth quarter ... Fans can buy tickets for the HHS-WHS game this week at Hillsboro High School. HHS will get 25 percent of the proceeds if purchased from HHS. Tickets can be purchased during school hours from the athletic dept.
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