South Webster knocks off Trimble, claims first district title since 2013

Carson Francis, Staff Writer

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.

ATHENS — As if Norm Persin’s career resume wasn’t already impressive enough, he added another historic accolade on Friday.

After two stints at Oak Hill, the latter of which saw him win the 2009 Division IV state championship — and stops at Wilmington, Chesapeake, and Valley — he took the reins at South Webster, looking to take the program back to the promised land.

Friday night’s 51-34 Division IV district final win over Trimble not only sent the Jeeps back to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013, but it also clinched career win number 800 for Persin.

“It’s a great honor when you win that many games,” Persin said after the game. “I’ve put a lot of time into the game of basketball, so it’s a great feeling for me, but more importantly it’s all about our kids.”

It was a slow-paced start as both teams played intense defense throughout the first quarter. The Jeeps (22-3) found themselves out in front, however, as Eli Roberts rewarded himself with a late bucket inside to push the South Webster lead to 10-6.

The second played out very similarly.

The Tomcats (15-9) found success from inside, but every time they inched closer, the Jeeps had an answer.

This was most evident when Trimble’s Brady Jajczyk connected from long range late in the frame, only for Dylan Shupert to bury a triple on the next possession seconds before the buzzer — extending the Jeeps’ lead to 21-17 going into the break.

Shupert picked up right where he left off in the second half.

The junior knocked down another 3 from the top of the arc on the Jeeps’ opening possession, pushing the lead to 24-17. The next time down the floor, Shupert found Hunter Barnard for another two points, forcing Trimble into a timeout with 6:38 left.

“[Shupert] gets overshadowed, so he doesn’t always have the best defender on him,” South Webster’s Tyler Sommer said. “He’s really quick, and he does what he needs to do to help us out.”

SW continued to pour it on in the third.

After Trimble cut the lead to four, Roberts highlighted an 11-0 run that saw him score seven straight points. When he hit a top-of-the-key triple, it put an exclamation point on a 37-22 lead at the end of the third.

“I had a really rough first half, so I came out trying to get to the rim,” Roberts said. “I tried to get back into my groove so I could continue to produce for our team.”

“We got Eli [Roberts] going in the second half. As he goes, we go,” Persin said. “When he’s playing well, our whole team plays well, because it draws the defense towards Eli, and we can find other people. That’s important to us.:”

South Webster fed off of its momentum in the fourth and kept its foot on the pedal.

The Jeeps stayed out in front by knocking down their free throws, and even when Trimble showed some late life, SW stymied any hope of a desperation comeback attempt before celebrating the ending of an 11-year title drought.

Roberts finished the night with a game-high 16 points while Tyler Sommer added 11 points. Shupert also chipped in with nine.

“We were sluggish early. We didn’t turn the ball over and our defense was outstanding, but we just couldn’t buy a bucket,” Persin said. “In the second half, we got going, we got Eli going, and everyone else started to chip in.”

South Webster advances to Tuesday’s Division IV regional semifinal against either Fairfield or Federal Hocking. That contest is slated for an 8 p.m. tip-off, back at Ohio University’s Convocation Center. 

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