Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — In what has been a banner year, quite literally, for Ironton, it nearly went up in smoke on Tuesday.
Portsmouth threw everything it had at the Tigers, and had a final chance to push the game into overtime with less than three seconds left.
However, the basketball Gods smiled on the Tigers as the missed shot secured a nail-biting 49-46 victory over the rival Trojans in a Division V district semifinal in Athens.
“We just keep punching. That’s what we’ve done all year and this was no different,” Ironton coach Drew Stevens said. “It’s a bit of a blessing and a curse playing the same team three times, we knew what they were going to do, but they also knew what we were going to do. It definitely wasn’t our best game, but to come out with a win against a tough Portsmouth team that had us on the ropes is all that matters at this stage.”
Maddix Markel couldn’t be stopped in the opening four minutes. He scored Ironton’s first nine points to put his team ahead 9-6.
Ironton (21-2) later took an 11-6 lead, but Portsmouth answered with buckets from Connie Thomas, Logan Adkins and Daequan Woods to end the quarter on a 7-0 run for a 13-11 lead.
The Trojans (15-10) kept their foot on the gas in the second, going on a 6-2 run, courtesy of Thomas and Olynshay McKinley, extending the lead to 19-13.
Ironton fought back behind Ashton Layne and Stephen Ison to cut the gap to one point, but the Trojans remained ahead 23-22 at the break.
“We got out-rebounded and played really sloppy in the first half, and Portsmouth deserves credit for that,” Stevens said. “They’re one of the only teams that can match up with us athletically. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy by any stretch, especially in this environment with 16-17 year old kids. It’s tough, but we have to figure out how to push through that.”
PHOTOS: Images from Ironton’s district semifinal win over Portsmouth
Ironton found a groove early in the third with baskets from Markel, Layne and Carson Freeman for an 8-2 run to take a 30-25 advantage.
The Trojans pushed back as Thomas and Adkins recertified themselves to cut the deficit to 36-33 before Adkins scored a runout basket at the buzzer to bring the game to within a point.
The fourth was a battle between Layne and Markel against Thomas and Adkins.
Both duos took turns trading baskets all the way to 44-43, with Ironton ahead, before Brycen Mullins stepped up and buried a huge 3, pushing the Tigers’ lead to 47-43.
“There was a point that we were up seven, and Portsmouth cut it down to one. Brycen had his struggles tonight, but hitting that 3 was a big time shot,” Stevens said. “He’s our quarterback on the floor and he runs the show. It was a game-changing play, one that we needed at that moment.”
Mullins split a pair at the line, but Woods later answered on the other end with a triple to cut the Tigers’ lead to 48-46.
Ironton, however, had issues putting the game on ice as it shot 1-of-4 at the free throw line to make it 49-46.
Portsmouth had one final chance to tie the game, but its shot fell short to ice the game and push the Tigers into the next round.
“Carson Freeman played great defense in the second half and he’s brought that type of intensity since seventh grade,” Stevens said. “I was so happy for Maddix having the kind of game he did, knowing that they were going to double Ashton all night. He stepped up so huge. He looked at me before we left and said, ‘Coach, I got you tonight.’ He delivered on that.”
Markel finished the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Ironton, followed by Layne with 17 points and six rebounds.
For Portsmouth, Thomas finished with 17 points and four boards while Adkins added 14 points. Woods chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.
Ironton returns to action at 2 p.m., Saturday in a Division V district final against Wheelersburg, who defeated Fairland to advance.
That game will happen at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
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