Derrick Webb, Managing Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — Never a doubt.
Both Peebles’ Bo Johnson and Josh McClary confirmed that their Indians never worried about their season ending on Sunday afternoon, even though they trailed with less than two minutes to go.
They needed that confidence in the most desperate time, too. In fact, without Johnson’s heroic efforts in the final minute, that belief could’ve easily turned to regret.
Johnson scored twice in the final minute to catapult Peebles over Eastern Pike in a Division VI district championship game by a 56-54 final — the program’s first district crown since 2020.
“Did we have a doubt? No, I don’t think so,” McClary said. “I think we were fine. Defense is what won this game. It was the little things. Coach [Josh Arey] had us prepared. I’m going to say that every time because it’s what it is. Bo stepped up and everybody stepped on their end. We all combined well.”
While Johnson played the hero role, Keagan Puckett gave the Eagles fits all night long.
The freshman forward used his size to battle in the paint and a soft touch to give his team a third scoring option. He finished with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
“He got a lot of boards,” Johnson said of Puckett. “[Eastern] had a big kid [in 6-foot-7 Eric Manley] and we needed [Puckett] to step up and defend him, box out and hit the boards.”
Before tip-off, Peebles had a 2-0 lead.
A technical foul was assessed to Eastern during warm-ups and Bo Johnson sank two free throws to give his Indians an early lead.
Johnson would then score at the 7:40 mark in the first quarter for a 4-0 count before Eastern’s Aiden Werner and Eric Manley sank back-to-back buckets. The Eagles then took a 7-6 lead with 4:12 remaining, thanks to a 3 from Boston Webb.
That advantage would, however, be short-lived.
After Webb made it 13-11 with a bucket, Peebles’ Josh McClary nailed a 3 to give Peebles a 14-13 edge. When he scored again with 30.2 seconds remaining, it put the Indians ahead 16-13 going into the second.
And, all Peebles did in the next eight minutes was build on its lead.
Paxton Ryan made it 19-15 with his first bucket just before Keegan Puckett scored on two straight trips, polishing off a 7-0 run for a 23-15 count with 4:23 to go.
CREDIT: Brock Netter/SOSA
Later in the frame, McClary dialed long distance to make it 28-19. Werner answered on the other end with a triple of his own, but back-to-back buckets from McClary gave Peebles a 32-22 edge at the break.
Just when it looked as if the Indians were pulling away for good, Eastern came out gunslinging in the third.
The Eagles got a score from Webb to start the quarter before Werner later followed with a floater for a 32-27 count. When Webb hit a 3 with 5:07 to go, it capped an 8-0 run and brought Eastern to within 32-30.
Peebles’ two-point advantage would stay intact through much of the third, but Webb cut the deficit to 40-39 with 34.3 seconds to play. When Carson Peters followed with a bucket, it gave Eastern its first lead since the first quarter at 41-40.
Just before the fourth, Puckett put Peebles back in front at 41-40, and the two were neck-and-neck from that point forward.
Manley and Cade Leist gave the Eagles a 47-44 advantage with back-to-back baskets early, only to be answered by a 5-0 run from Peebles, courtesy of Johnson, who had all five points.
Later, Werner hit the front end of two free throws to give Eastern a 50-49 lead and Webb pushed that edge to 52-49 with 1:21 to go.
But Johnson simply wouldn’t go away.
The sophomore guard scored at the 1:09 mark and repeated the process with 45.5 seconds left, hitting a runner in traffic for a 53-52 lead. After Peebles earned a defensive stop on the ensuing possession, McClary nailed two free throws before the Indians closed out a victory.
“It feels good because we came here last year and lost,” Johnson said. “I feel like we haven’t been in the district championship [in awhile]. It just feels good.”
Statistically, McClary led Peebles with 19 points and five rebounds while Johnson added 18 points and four assists. Puckett chipped in with 12 points and nine boards.
Webb led the Eagles’ efforts with a game-high 21 points while Manley added 11 points and 14 rebounds. Werner also helped out, totaling 11 points, while Leist finished with six points, five rebounds and three helpers.
While Eastern’s season comes to a close, the Indians will advance to a Division VI regional semifinal at 8 p.m., Thursday at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
Peebles will meet with Portsmouth West, a winner over Valley on Sunday afternoon.
“We have to calm down,” McClary said. “We’re a fast-paced team and, sometimes, we can get out of control. So Coach just tells us to calm down. We just need to listen to Coach this entire week in practice. But we have to play defense. Offense will come but defense wins championships.”
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