Brock Netter, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
SOUTH WEBSTER — When it comes down to the nitty gritty, there’s no one who can contain Eli Roberts in winning time.
Going into Tuesday’s matchup with Vinton County, the junior standout was averaging just a shade under 25 points per game alongside nearly 10 rebounds.
Those numbers remain solid after Roberts’ 32-point, eight-rebound evening, a performance that led South Webster to a 71-60 victory over the Vikings in non-conference action.

CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
“Man oh man, what a player he is. We made him work hard for about 26 of those points, but he’s such a great talent,” Vinton County coach N.J. Kight said of Roberts. “We threw a ton of different looks to try and contain him. At points it worked and we were in a rhythm, but he’s a really tough matchup and when he’s hitting outside shots, it’s a tough task.”
Nine teams have tried to knock off the Jeeps (9-0), and nine teams have come up short. This is an experienced team with a veteran head coach in Norm Persin that’s simply clicking on all cylinders.
“We have a ton of good players, and we all know what our roles on this team are and we’re all performing well,” South Webster’s Tyler Sommer said. “This one came down to knowing who their shooters were and shutting them down. They had a couple players play a really good game, so we had to step up our game and be sure to score more than they did.”
Part of doing so was getting off to a fast start, and that wasn’t an issue for the Jeeps. They were letting it fly from deep as Roberts connected on three triples while Brock Campbell hit a pair as well — which allowed SW to keep a lead throughout the entire first quarter before ending it with a 22-13 advantage.
PHOTOS: Images from South Webster’s win over Vinton County
They built that edge to 26-15 following back-to-back buckets from Jack Timothy, but momentum was soon about to change.
Off the bench for Vinton County (7-2), Hayden Reynolds provided a spark with five points as part of an 8-2 run to bring the deficit to 28-23. That spark turned into a full flame as Cobra Sharp and Ashton Allman poured in buckets to help the Vikings end the half on a 21-6 run, taking a 36-32 lead into the locker rooms.
“South Webster is a great team, but we also knew that the 3-point shot isn’t their forte. So we had to weather the storm and just continue playing our game,” Kight said. “We started getting stops and corralling rebounds, that was the key to us getting ahead in the second. Transition buckets started happening, we were getting into our offense quicker and controlling the game by doing what we wanted to do.”
Both teams spent the third exchanging baskets, though Vinton County continued to remain ahead by a possession. That was until Roberts got a bucket to fall plus, the foul, to tie the game at 46-46. Sommer and Christian White then each connected to put the Jeeps back ahead 50-46 going into the fourth.
Roberts then began to take the game over.
Already at 24 points, he turned his aggression up and began attacking. Roberts scored the first four points for the Jeeps, and continued his roll by scoring eight of the opening 13 points in the frame, pacing a 63-54 lead.
“Getting off to a fast start and getting shots to fall was great, but I tailed off and got cold in the middle,” Roberts said. “I had to turn it back up, get to the free throw line and work my way back up to playing in the form I was back in the first quarter. This was a good team win. We have a lot of guys who play their roles and when we’re putting everything together, it’s led to wins.”
However, Vinton County wasn’t going away quietly as Garrett Brown scored a three-point play and then buried a deep triple to bring the Vikings to within 63-60 with less than two minutes left.
WATCH: @BVLocalSchools’ Tyler Sommer & Eli Roberts discuss tonight’s victory over Vinton County, Roberts’ 32-point night, the teams 9-0 start, rebounding in the second half and keeping a level head moving forward. pic.twitter.com/g4cwI7K7Fu
— Brock A. Netter (@SirBrockNetter) January 3, 2024
VC then had a chance to tie the game and managed to force a loose ball. But the Vikings were whistled for a foul before gaining possession, leading to a pair of free throws from Sommer.
That started the beginning of the end, which was, eventually, a Jeep victory.
Following Roberts’ final stat line, Sommer finished with 13 points while Campbell added 11 points.
For Vinton County, Sharp finished the night with 19 points and Brown added 14 points. Allman also helped out with 12 points and six rebounds.
South Webster returns to action on Friday at home in SOC III play against Wheelersburg, while Vinton County travels to McClain for non-conference action that same evening.
SPONSORED BY SCHMIDT FAMILY RESTAURANT GROUP
