Unioto reaches heartbreaking end, falls to River Valley in regional semifinal

Derrick Webb, Managing Editor

Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.

ATHENS — Gut-wrenching.

That’s the best way to describe how Unioto’s season ended on Thursday night. 

After leading throughout much of a Division IV regional semifinal contest with Caledonia River Valley, the Shermans found themselves down 66-63 with less than 30 seconds to play in overtime. 

With possession of the basketball, there was still hope for Unioto, but it took just five seconds for that hope to be ripped away.

Senior KB Perkins scored through contact to cut the deficit to 66-65. But there was no foul called. 

Perkins’ score came with just 4.8 seconds remaining, and the Shermans were out of timeouts. 

The Vikings noticed that and held the ball out of bounds as time expired, ending Unioto’s season and sealing an absolute heartbreaker.

“When we wanted to get into something for [two points], but we wanted to get into something a little quicker. If we could get it with 10 or 11 seconds left, [River Valley] would have to inbound the ball at least,” Unioto coach Matt Combs said. “We had a 3-point option off of it, but the two was there. But once it took so long, they didn’t have to take the ball out and credit to them for understanding that.”

In the first quarter, Unioto (23-4) fired on all cylinders.

River Valley took a quick 4-2 lead but Caden Cutright knocked down a 3 to put the Shermans ahead 5-4 and they carried that advantage late into the second.

Blake Hoops dialed long distance with 4:31 to go, making it 10-6, just before Perkins nailed two free throws, followed by another 3 from Cutright, pushing the lead to 15-8 at the 3:43 mark.

Hoops added his second triple with 2:24 for an 18-10 lead before the Shermans took that eight-point edge, at 23-15, into the second.

The Vikings (24-2) countered, using a mix of Carter Myers and Sawyer Weston to do so. 

Myers splashed in a 3 to cut the deficit to 25-20 before Weston later sank back-to-back buckets for a 30-27 count with 2:19 to play. Myers then tied the game at 30-30 with an old-fashioned three-point play, capping a 7-0 run, and River Valley took a 32-30 lead on a bucket from Weston with 1:10 left.

Unioto’s KB Perkins was able to score through contact with under a minute to play and when he hit the ensuing foul shot, it gave the Shermans a 33-32 lead at the break. But it was apparent that River Valley had awakened.

“We turned the ball over too much in the second quarter and we struggled a little getting into our offense,” Combs said. “That allowed [River Valley] to go on a run, and we couldn’t get a stop,” Combs said. “I thought at halftime, we spread out our offense a little more and I thought that helped us in the second half for sure. It helped keep [River Valley] at bay, especially when it’s a situation where it’s really handsy out there. So we had to try and spread them out and get them to chase. I thought our guys did a good job of that.”

Cutright began the second half with four straight free throws before Fitch knocked down a 3 with 5:17 left in the third, capping a 7-0 run to give Unioto a 40-32 edge.

That eight-point advantage once again stood at the end of the quarter, this time at 50-42. But the Vikings flipped the script in the fourth — almost a carbon copy of the second.

Myers began the final eight minutes with a pair of free throws before Weston cut Unioto’s lead to 52-48 with a 3 at the 5:02 mark. Chase Smith then nailed a triple, cutting the deficit to 52-51, before Myers followed suit with 2:33 to play, forcing a 54-54 tie.

Hoops would put Unioto ahead 56-54 but River Valley’s Chase Ebert scored to force another tie and, eventually, a four-minute overtime period. 

“In the fourth quarter, it just seemed like whenever they needed a shot, they hit one,” Combs said of River Valley. “We made a couple of mistakes but maybe missed a couple that we normally make. We had a couple of point-blank put backs that we just didn’t put in. The margin error at this level is really small. We made some mistakes. But give credit to River Valley. At the end of the day, they made a few more plays than us.”

Myers began the extra time frame with a 3 to put the Vikings ahead and they never trailed again.

When Ebert hit two freebies at the 1:10 mark, RV had a 65-59 lead. Try as they might, that deficit proved to be too large for the Shermans to overcome.

After Hoops’ 3 with 41.3 seconds left, and a basket from Perkins underneath, the Vikings ran out the clock and celebrated as a heartbroken Unioto group stood in disbelief.

“You always feel bad for your seniors,” Combs said. “Every team in Division IV is going to feel how we do right now, except one. I thanked our seniors for what they’ve done for us. There’s not a lot I can say right now to make them feel any better. So it was just, ‘Thank you,’ for what they’ve given us and for what they gave me in my first year here. I appreciate it so much.”

Statistically, Hoops led the Shermans with 17 points and nine rebounds while Perkins added 14 points, five boards and five assists. Cutright and Fitch also chipped in, adding 13 points each.

River Valley was led by Myers, who scored 21 points and brought down 12 rebounds. Weston ended the night with 19 points, five rebounds and three helpers.

The Shermans are forced to say goodbye to four seniors who have left a lasting legacy on the program — Hoops, Cutright, Perkins and Jude Little.

However, they also have a great core coming back into the fold for the 2025-26 season.

“We have a good group coming back and I think there’s a bright future,” Combs said. “We’ve got a group coming back that’s going to work really hard. But my mind is on my seniors tonight. I am thankful for the guys coming back and we’ve got a lot of really good underclassmen that have contributed to this year’s team. We went 10 deep at the beginning of the year. Seven of those guys return, so that’s a positive.”

BOX SCORE

Unioto: 25-10-17-6 (9) — 65

River Valley: 15-17-10-14 (11) — 66

Unioto: 20-47 FG, 17-18 FT, 8-15 3pt., 22 rebounds (Hoops 9), 12 turnovers, 12 assists (Perkins 5). Scoring: Hoops 17, Perkins 14, Cutright 13, Fitch 13, Welch 4, Coy 4.

River Valley: 22-43 FG, 15-22 FT, 7-19 3pt., 28 rebounds (Myers 12), 15 turnovers, 9 assists (Weston 3). Scoring: Myers 21, Weston 18, Smith 11, Ebert 6, Snyder 4, Osting 4, Pollock 2.

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