Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — Early in the second quarter of Friday’s contest, Chillicothe looked to have the defending FAC champions on the ropes.
Clicking on all cylinders, the Cavaliers had taken a 22-13 lead with 2:57 left before halftime, forcing Miami Trace into a timeout to talk things over.
And, in that timeout, head coach Ben Ackley must’ve said something inspiring, because the script was completely flipped from that point on.
The Panthers’ counter punch was a 21-0 run that took command of the game and, eventually, powered them to an impressive come-from-behind 54-47 victory in a hostile environment.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“We don’t give up,” Miami Trace’s Julian Baker said. “That [mindset] is what started. We made a shot and kept going until we [tied the game] and then we just kept scoring as much as we could.”
Senior Adam Guthrie was a huge reason why the tides started to turn.
Chillicothe kept the big fella rather in check during the first quarter. But as the game started to progress, Guthrie started to make his presence known.
He ended the night with 19 points and 14 rebounds, both team-highs.
“[Guthrie] has such a big role on our team,” Baker said. “Everybody is just kind of focused on him, so it gets other players open. So we take our shots and go score to help him out. We’re just a team.”
While the Panthers (4-0, 2-0 FAC) left with the victory, the Cavaliers were the early aggressors.
Noah Netter gave Chillicothe (4-1, 2-1 FAC) its first lead of the game with 4:01 left before Cooper Stoneking made it a 5-3 advantage with a 3-ball at the 3:18 mark in the first quarter.
Stoneking got a floater to fall and later beat the buzzer with a jumper, pacing a quarter that ended with the Cavaliers in front at 14-7.
Chillicothe picked up where it left off to begin the second, too. Netter scored for a 16-8 lead, Caydon Cox drove to the rack to make it 18-12 and Jett McCallister put the Cavs up 23-15 with 2:57 remaining before halftime.
And that’s when something clicked for Miami Trace.
PHOTOS: Images from Miami Trace’s win over Chillicothe
The Panthers got a score from Guthrie at the 2:44 mark — the start of the game-changing run — before Bowers logged two straight baskets, cutting the deficit to 22-21. When Bowers found an open Baron Phipps for a score, it gave the Panthers a 23-22 lead into halftime.
“After the first quarter, [Miami Trace coach] Ben [Ackley] had kind of a private talk with me,” Bowers said. “He pulled me to the side and just told me that I needed to do what I did against Harvest Prep and Meigs, which was to attack [the basket]. And, if [a shot] wasn’t there, just dish it out. I think, as a team, we did well getting the ball to Adam [Guthrie] and cutting off that.”
Guthrie hit the front end of two freebies to begin the third, Baker hit a 3 with 6:22 to go and both Bowers and Ty Huffman added buckets for a 28-22 score. After a lay-in from Guthrie, Huffman scored again with 2:50 to go, making it 34-22 and completing the run.
Chillicothe finally broke the streak when Netter scored at the 2:28 mark in the third, but the Panthers took a 40-30 lead into the final eight minutes.
“I think we can make it to the Final 4, at least,” Bowers said. “Our chemistry is way better this year than it was last year. Our seniors are great leaders, which helps as well. And, we’re able to shoot the ball a lot better this year. We’re also scrappy, which helps us.”
The Cavaliers did everything they could to dig out of the hole in the fourth. When Cox and Stoneking logged back-to-back scores midway through, it cut the deficit to 44-41. But Baker and Bowers answered with two straight scores of their own.
Cox scored with 2:46 remaining, once again cutting MT’s lead to three at 48-45, but down the stretch, the Panthers’ defense got the clamps out, forcing Chillicothe into poor shot selections and boxing out on the boards to preserve the victory.
Statistically, after Guthrie’s totals, Bowers posted 13 points and a pair of assists while Phipps added eight points. Baker and Huffman each ended the night with six points and tallied five and six rebounds, respectively.
The Cavaliers were led by Stoneking, who finished with 13 points, while Cox added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
While Chillicothe attempts to rebound on Monday, hosting Franklin Heights in non-league action, the Panthers will prepare for a marquee matchup on Tuesday when they play host to Jackson.
“We can get better at almost everything we do,” Baker said. “If we get better at everything we do, we’re just going to keep getting better as a team. And we can be more physical. When you don’t have many calls, you have to be physical. That’s what we did tonight.”
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