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CHILLICOTHE — Survive and Advance.
That’s the goal each time the ball is tipped in the postseason and for the first half on Tuesday, it appeared that Unioto was going to coast into the next round.
However, Sheridan turned the heat all the way up midway through the game and, eventually, cut a 21-point deficit to four in the closing minutes.
But despite eight fourth quarter turnovers, the Shermans managed to hold off the Generals’ comeback bid, earning an 81-75 victory in a Division II sectional semifinal.
Unioto (18-5) got off to a red-hot start as senior Ashton Crace scored 10 quick points to give his team a lead they’d never relinquish.
CREDIT: Cindy Hoops/SOSA
“In warm-ups, I do the same thing. I make some, I miss some,” Crace said. “I just had the mindset that I didn’t want this to be my last game with this being my last home game. I have a good team around me, so if I’m not scoring, I know they’ll pick it up.”
Crace scored a pair of layups before connecting on a pair of corner 3’s while Blake Hoops also dialed it up from downtown. Blake Fitch added a pair of mid-range jumpers to the mix and Caden Cutright capped off the quarter with a pair of triples of his own — including one off of a steal on an inbounds pass.
Meanwhile, Sheridan (13-10) struggled from the field in the quarter. But the Generals turned a trio of offensive rebounds into six second-chance points, cutting Unioto’s lead to 26-15 after eight minutes of action.
The second quarter would be much of the same for the Shermans as Crace added another seven points while KB Perkins scored a pair of layups. Fitch caught fire late in the stanza, knocking down three jumpers, including one from deep to cap off a 10-point quarter of his own.
Sheridan’s Raine Rodich and Tyce Whiteman did what they could to stay in the game, but when Fitch found Perkins inside for a buzzer-beating layup, the Shermans took a 46-27 lead into the break.
After Fitch added in a pair of free throws to start the third, the Shermans took their biggest lead of the night at 48-27.
But that’s when the Generals started to make their comeback as Rodich, Evan Anderson and Owen Cains created havoc defensively and on the drive. Sheridan began to chip away by forcing turnovers and scoring with the clock stopped, cutting the lead to as low as 10 points before Cutright found Newton Hoops on the wing for a triple, extending the lead back to 13 late in the quarter.
The Generals grabbed full momentum in the final minute of the third when Landon Russell scored a putback before Anderson converted a pair of free throws with less than a second to play, making it a 68-58 game after three.
The fourth saw the Shermans do everything — and then some — they could to hold off the surging Generals.
Blake Hoops scored a pair of driving layups, plus Crace added a layup of his own. Rodich and Cains continued to score inside, but the Tanks were able to keep it a multi-possession game — thanks, in part, to clutch free throw shooting from Fitch and Perkins.
Crace also added a highlight reel block off the glass early in the quarter to help the Shermans survive, but most importantly advance, with an 81-75 victory.
Crace and Fitch each led Unioto with 23 points with Crace shooting 9-for-10 from the field while pulling down seven rebounds. Fitch went 10-for-10 at the free throw line to go along with five assists. Perkins added 11 points and eight rebounds, Blake Hoops tallied 10 points and Cutright added eight points and three steals.
“When I get [the ball at the foul line], I just take a breath, two dribbles and just calm myself,” Fitch said. “It’s all routine. I’ve practiced it a million times.”
Rodich led the Generals with 23 points while shooting 11-for-13 from the charity stripe. Cains added 16 points, and Anderson and Whiteman finished with 13 points each.
Unioto will advance to Saturday’s sectional title game where they will take on No. 14 seeded Logan Elm at Miami Trace High School. The Braves shocked No. 3 Washington by a 39-38 final in overtime on Tuesday.
“Defense, boxing out and rebounding … we had a [big] lead and we let [Sheridan] come back,” Fitch said. “So we just have to do what we know how to do. Defense, rebounding and offense will take care of itself. We can’t take anyone for granted.”
BOX SCORE
Sheridan: 15-12-31-17 — 75
Unioto: 26-20-22-13 — 81
Sheridan: 25-48 FG, 22-28 FT, 3-12 3pt. Scoring: Rodich 23, Cains 16, Anderson 13, Whiteman 13, Russell 6, Holden 2, Weaver 2.
Unioto: 27-39 FG, 18-24 FT, 9-14 3pt. Scoring: Crace 23, Fitch 23, K. Perkins 11, B. Hoops 10, Cutright 8, N. Hoops 5, J. Perkins 1.
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