Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — For the first time since 2018, South Webster is heading back to a district championship game.
Behind a stellar and dominant effort from Eli Roberts, the Jeeps (21-3) put the pedal to the metal in the second half to earn a 62-47 victory over Symmes Valley in a Division IV district semifinal on Thursday at Ohio University.
“We knew we had to stay together and play as a team,” Roberts said. “Coming in here on a college floor, we knew it’d be a nice experience playing in front of these fans and all these people. But we knew we just had to stay together and play as a team.”
Symmes Valley’s Aydan Taylor is guarded by South Webster’s Tyler Sommer during Thursday’s Division IV district semifinal at Ohio University.
CREDIT: Renee Nemeth/SOSA
Symmes Valley (13-11) showed no fear of attacking, though Roberts’ 6-foot-7 frame made it tough to convert buckets early as he had four first quarter blocks.
However, SV’s Ethan Smith was finding different ways to get shots up. Whether they were jumpers, shots from deep or simply pump faking and then shooting, his shots were falling early.
“We weren’t really expecting [Smith] to come out and have 10 first quarter points,” Roberts said. “I was guarding some of [Symmes Valley’s] bigger guys so my presence was known in the paint [in the second half] so Smith wouldn’t just keep going to the rim like he was.”
Smith scored 10 of the Vikings’ 13 points, while the Jeeps used a balanced attack between Roberts, Tyler Sommer and Dylan Shupert to force at 13-13 tie after the first quarter.
PHOTOS: Images from South Webster’s district semifinal win over Symmes Valley
SW’s Hunter Barnard and Owen Mault converted back-to-back buckets, putting the Jeeps ahead 17-13. Roberts and Mault then scored again, but the Vikings’ Tanner Corn drilled consecutive triples to bring the deficit to within 21-19 before the Jeeps took a 23-20 lead into the break.
Roberts and Shupert opened the third with consecutive buckets, pushing the lead up to 27-20, and Roberts continued to score inside. He later stepped out to knock down a triple for a 35-28 advantage.
He was just warming up, though.
The Jeeps’ leading scorer continued shooting with a hot hand, knocking down two more triples and scoring 18 points in the third quarter alone, willing his team to a 43-34 lead.
“I just couldn’t make a shot in the first half,” Roberts said. “But I came out in the second half and my teammates still trusted me. They gave me the ball, I started shooting it and it was going in.”
With momentum on their side, the Jeeps went back to attacking the inside as Jack Timothy scored back-to-back buckets, pushing their lead to 48-35 — a lead that never dipped under double digits throughout the rest of the night.
Roberts finished the night with 31 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and five blocks, while Mault added seven points and five rebounds. As a team, the Jeeps passed out 14 assists.
“We trust each other. Every one is talented enough to knock down shots,” Shupert said. “We just pass to open shots and don’t take any bad ones.”
For Symmes Valley, Smith finished with 23 points and four rebounds while Will Jones had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.
South Webster returns to action in a Division IV district final at 6:15 p.m., March 8 at Ohio University’s Convocation Center against the winner of Notre Dame and Trimble.
“We just have to keep our heads and stay humble,” Roberts said. “We need a good week of practice.”
BOX SCORE
Symmes Valley: 13-7-14-13 — 47
South Webster: 13-10-20-19 — 62
Symmes Valley: 17-55 FG, 10-17 FT, 3-17 3pt., 32 rebounds (Jones 10), 8 turnovers, 2 assists (Jones 2, Corn 2). Scoring: Smith 23, Jones 11, Corn 6, Cade 3, Holland 2, Shafer 2.
South Webster: 25-58 FG, 6-9 FT, 6-18 3pt., 39 rebounds (Roberts 12), 13 turnovers, 14 assists (White 3, Roberts 3). Scoring: Roberts 31, Shupert 9, Mault 7, Sommer 5, Barnard 4, Timothy 4, White 2.
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