Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Sweet, sweet revenge.
One of Ironton’s two losses this season came way back in December by a 54-46 final at Wheelersburg.
Saturday was the chance for the Fighting Tigers to get their lick back, and they didn’t miss — literally.
The Tigers (22-2) shot just under 50 percent from the field and connected on nine triples, shooting their way to their first district crown since 2015 with a 63-47 victory over those same Pirates in a Division V district final.
“This is a community thing. We had a bit of an early start to the season with everything that happened in football, and I think these kids were looking for something to hold onto,” Ironton coach Drew Stevens said. “Everybody bought into the program, the assistant coaches have been fantastic and it’s been all about the betterment of the team.”
“Wheelersburg got us at their place, and to see these kids get their revenge on this stage while also winning a district title … there’s a lot of relief and I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Maddix Markel and Carson Freeman each knocked down 3’s to start the day, both assisted by Ashton Layne, allowing Ironton to quickly jump ahead at 7-2.
Freeman and Markel each connected again from distance, as did Brycen Mullins, to mark five treys in the first quarter to put the Tigers ahead 20-9 going into the second.
“Ashton is going to do what he does, and he saw the floor really well. But Maddix has been incredible throughout the whole tournament,” Stevens said. “We’re a completely different team when he is playing well and shooting the ball really well. Carson Freeman shot the ball really well, also. Getting that early lead was so critical and the energy was contagious.”
Braylon Rucker opened the second with a pair of buckets for Wheelersburg (15-7), only to be matched by Mullins and Layne.
After Kayden Edwards scored inside off a putback, Markel proceeded to score back-to-back buckets through contact, plus the foul shots, to push the lead to 32-17.
PHOTOS: Images from Ironton’s district title win over Wheelersburg
“We were in for a fight in the beginning, and then we started hitting all of those shots and our crowd, who was amazing, just fed into everything,” Stevens said. “We’re a difficult team to beat overall, but hitting five 3’s in the first half on top of the way we play defense, it only makes things harder for opponents to try and get some footing.”
The Pirates answered with an 8-0 run behind Rucker and Xavier Miller, but Zayne Williams got a tough lay-in to fall that gave Ironton a 34-25 halftime lead.
‘Burg managed to cut the deficit to 38-31 midway through the third, but Stephen Ison splashed in a triple for Ironton to make it a double-digit game again.
Bevins connected from deep on the other end, but the Tigers had too much firepower as Mullins and Ison nailed back-to-back triples to help push the lead to 49-36 heading to the final eight minutes.
The game seemed well in hand, but Layne still scored to open the fourth before Ison drilled another triple to extend the lead to 54-36 as the Tigers put the finishing touches on their 22nd victory of the season.
“We’re a family. No one cares who gets the credit as long as there’s a W in the win column,” Stevens said. “Stephen Ison was awesome tonight. He didn’t play as well against Portsmouth, but I told him any night can be his night and he bounced back in a huge way. Zayne Williams brought a lot of energy off the bench, Kayden Edwards played a really solid game as well. This is just an incredible feeling all around.”
Markel finished the night with 14 points for Ironton, followed by 13 points and four rebounds from Mullins. Layne also helped out with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
For Wheelersburg, Rucker finished with 18 points while Bevins had 16 points. Miller added 10 points to the team’s totals.
Ironton returns to action at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in a Division V regional semifinal against Eastern Brown, who defeated Chesapeake to advance.
That game will happen at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
“I’ve lived in Ironton for 28 years, and my daughter went to high school here so I understand how much this means to the community,” Stevens said. “There’s one empty spot on our banner, and the kids said it was theirs this year. It’s something they’ll remember forever, but there’s more basketball to play and we’re excited to play in the Sweet 16.”
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