Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — “We’re coming back to the Convo.”
The echoes of those six words rang throughout Eastern Brown’s locker room and as the players emptied out into a nearly cleared-out Convocation Center.
The magnitude of the moment, as well as what lied ahead, hit them like a truck and in the best way possible.
Although the Warriors (21-3) nearly gave up a 12-point fourth quarter lead, they had enough steam left to cross the finish line with a 43-39 victory over Zane Trace in a Division V district semifinal.
“Survive and advance. That’s all that matters, and we did that,” Eastern Brown coach Rob Beucler said. “If we handled the ball and ourselves better in the fourth, we wouldn’t have had to hang on by a thread to win. But it’s a learning experience. Our season is still going, so we’ll definitely take the win.”
It marks the Warriors’ first victory inside the sometimes unfriendly confines of the Convo since 2013. And now, they’ll attempt to capture their first district championship since 2010.
“We’ve had a lot of good teams and good players over the years, and it would be great to bring one back,” Beucler said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve played in a regional, and we have great support from our students, parents and fans that deserve to celebrate a district title. The girls brought one back, so we have to be ready to do the same.”
Zane Trace’s Grady Stewart was on fire early, connecting on a trio of triples that quickly had the Pioneers ahead 11-4.
However, Sam Ramer came off the bench for Eastern Brown and quickly splashed a pair of 3’s. Those shots, combined with buckets from Braxton Vance and Carter Cluxton allowed the Warriors to end the frame on a 10-2 run and take a 14-13 lead after the first.
Jaidon Florence continued the hot shooting for the Warriors, knocking down a pair of treys alongside an inside bucket from Matthew Dick, to push the lead to 22-17.
“Sam and Jaidon provide us with a lot of shooting, and their ability to hit shots off the bench has been huge all season,” Beucler said. “Zane Trace switched to a zone defense and that’s what sprung Sam loose in the first, and Jaidon, in the second quarter. That’s tournament basketball. Every shot counts and we needed those ones.”
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
The Pioneers (18-6) got a pair of 3’s from Noah Kysor and Lantz Stevens to counter, but the Warriors ended with buckets from Dick and Cluxton to take a 28-23 lead into the break.
That’s also the point where the Warriors began to create some distance.
The Pioneers struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout the third. Meanwhile, Dick and Vance scored inside before Cuxton connected from deep for a 7-2 run that extended the lead to 35-25.
Ultimately, the Warriors won the frame 10-4 and took a 38-27 lead into the fourth.
“They tried to press us, and we beat them in transition to hit a couple shots,” Beucler said. “But for us, defensively, our zone bothered them a little bit and made things tough for them to get the ball inside for easy looks. We made them take outside shots, and lucky for us, they weren’t hitting them like they were in the first quarter.”
Eastern extended its lead to 41-29, but Zane Trace wasn’t going down without a fight.
Roman Berry connected on a 3, followed up by Stewart and Stevens going 3-for-4 at the line. Berry splashed another triple and McCullough split a pair at the line, completing a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to just 41-39.
Although Eastern Brown had its issues at the free throw line in the second half, shooting 4-of-12 at the stripe, it managed to tally two of those makes with 37 seconds left in the, creating enough distance to punch their district final ticket.
“We missed eight free throws and committed five turnovers. Things like that are what get you beat at this level, but we fought through it,” Beucler said. “Zane Trace deserves credit for putting the pressure on us and making the rally they did. But our kids held it together and somehow found a way.”
Florence ended with 10 points, while Dick and Ramer added eight points each for the Warriors. McCullough finished with 12 points and five rebounds for Zane Trace.
Eastern Brown returns to action at noon on Saturday in a Division V district final against top-seeded Chesapeake, who defeated Wellston to advance.
That game will happen at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
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