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PIKETON — Unioto coach Jeff Miller received a text message from his wife on his way to Monday night’s Division II district semifinal.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
It read, “Let’s go get 200 tonight.”
Miller’s wife, Laura, was referring to her husband’s chance to seal his 200th career coaching victory as his Shermans prepared to take on New Lexington.
His response was simple.
“Let’s go get one.”
That’s exactly what Miller’s Shermans did, handing the Panthers a 70-47 loss to advance to the program’s first district championship game since the 2014-15 season.
“That’s a huge win against a really good team,” Miller said. “You’re talking about a great win against a team with some high-quality kids. This is definitely one of this group’s bigger, better wins. [200 wins] is a cool thing for me. It’s rewarding. But it’s more so rewarding to think about the kids that have come through here who were a part of that 200. That’s the biggest thing.”
In Monday’s win, a pair of freshmen — who are becoming the usual suspects — led the Shermans (24-0) in scoring.
Milee Smith and Maggie Holbert combined to tally 37 points .. and did so in a variety of ways, hitting the 3-ball, driving to the bucket and knocking down foul shots.
If there were any doubts about whether or not pressure would be getting to them, those whispers were quickly hushed.
“Both freshmen, I don’t think, play scared,” Miller said. “Someone asked me how they’d play in the tournament. I told them they just like playing basketball. They just love it, whether that be the district, the state or the second game of the regular season. They’re going to play the same way.”
Tale of the tape
Out of the gates, Unioto took a 6-0 lead behind five points from Smith.
New Lexington (18-6) first graced the scoreboard with 4:54 left in the first quarter, thanks to a bucket from Kim Kellogg.
After Holbert answered Kellogg’s score with a triple, New Lexington’s Aubri Spicer and Chloe Dick hit back-to-back buckets for a 9-6 count at the 3:24 mark.
But that’d be the Panthers’ final score of the quarter while the Tanks were far from finished.
Over the next three minutes, Alexis Book and Addison Mohan led the Shermans on a 7-0 run to put their team ahead 16-6 and grab momentum heading into the second.
Kellogg scored again to begin the third but it was followed by a 12-0 run — which included Amaris Betts and Holbert both dialing long distance — for a 28-8 advantage.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
At that point, it looked as if a running clock was all but a sure thing.
However, the Panthers had other plans.
Behind Dick and Spicer, New Lexington stormed back on a quarter-ending 11-0 run to bring the halftime deficit to 28-19 — a sequence that completely changed the complexion of the contest.
“I felt for 16 minutes, we had controlled the first 13 exactly how we wanted to,” Miller said. “Then we just kind of went away for the last two and let them go on an 11-0 run. We were right there getting ready to make them collapse. Then, all of the sudden, we give them life. So I went in, a little fiery, but then regrouped and said, ‘Listen, here’s the good thing, you’re up nine points.’ So then, it was about regrouping, making a little run and getting the lead back into double digits.”
When the third quarter began, Betts went straight to work.
The junior sharpshooter hit a deep ball with 7:02 remaining before scoring again with 6:33 left. When she knocked down a second trey at the 5:16 mark, the Shermans had a 36-23 edge.
“She’s huge for us,” Miller said. “Even if [Betts] isn’t hitting shots, a lot of times, it’s because the defense is extended so far out. That opens up gaps for everyone else to get to the rim. So not only is she knocking down shots, when she’s not, she’s forcing the defense to stretch, which opens up things for our guards.”
Holbert decided to follow suit with a 3-ball at the 4:26 mark, making it 39-23, and Unioto was off to the races from that point forward — the Shermans’ never led by less than 11 points throughout the rest of the way.
“[Holbert] is just a grinder,” Miller said. “She’s not an elite ball-handler, she’s not an elite shooter, she’s not 5-foot-11. But my gosh man, she’s got the heart of a lion and she plays fearless. She’s not scared to pull up and hit a 25-foot shot at any time. She’s always confident.”
After taking a 47-34 lead into the final eight minutes, Unioto continued to pad its lead in the fourth quarter — an effort that was spearheaded by Smith — before putting away a victory.
Stat book
Smith led all scorers with 20 points alongside eight rebounds and three assists while Holbert ended the night with 17 points. Betts had 13 points, Amelia Uhrig added five points and 12 rebounds, and Mohan finished with seven points.
New Lexington was led by Kellogg, who tallied 15 points and 13 boards while Spicer had 14 points and five rebounds. Dick also helped, ending the evening with nine points and six rebounds.
What’s on tap
Unioto now advances to a Division II district final at 9 p.m., Friday at Southeastern High School.
The Shermans will meet with Sheridan, who beat Athens on Monday by a 73-49 final.
“We’re going to put a game plan together and I think our girls are believing,” Miller said. “That’s to our advantage. We believe, we game plan then we just go out and play.”
BOX SCORE
New Lexington: 6-13-15-13 — 47
Unioto: 16-12-19-23 — 70
New Lexington: 20-60 FG, 5-10 FT, 2-21 3pt., 38 rebounds (Kellogg 13), 23 turnovers, 7 assists (Wilson 3). Scoring: Kellogg 15, Spicer 14, Dick 9, McCoy 5, Cook 2, Wilson 2.
Unioto: 21-49 FG, 20-32 FT, 8-18 3pt., 32 rebounds (Uhrig 12), 14 turnovers, 10 assists (Smith 3, Book 3). Scoring: Smith 20, Holbert 17, Betts 13, Mohan 7, Book 6, Uhrig 5, Coleman 2.
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