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Tri-Village
junior Kyle Pipenger did everything in his power to get the
Patriots past
the number one team in Ohio in D-IV, Jackson Center.
Pipenger led all scorers
with 19 but the Patriots fell short, losing to
the Tigers 40-35. Tri-Village finishes the season
as District
Runners-Up with a 20-4 mark. CNO Photo By Dale Barger
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Patriots can’t
survive overtime
T-V season comes to an end
By George Starks
DAYTON- Tri-Village basketball coach Josh Sagester said before the
start of the game he wanted to slow things down on the run and gun
Jackson Center Tigers.
“I really want to keep this game in the 40’s,” Sagester stated. “They
(JC) isn’t very patient when it comes to the offense. If we slow it
down, we take their game away from them.”
Sagester did exactly what he wanted to do and for three quarters, the
Patriots had their way, leading at the first three stops, 9-8, 15-11
and 23-17.
Problem is, basketball is played in four quarters and at the end of
regulation, the Tigers had clawed their way back, gaining a 34-34 tie.
The extra four minutes was all the Tigers needed, outscoring
Tri-Village 6-1 and gaining a 40-35 victory.
“We took them as far as you can take them without us cutting down the
nets,” said a disappointed Sagester. “They are 24-0 for a reason and
are a great basketball team and very well coached. We just came up a
little short.”
Jackson Center entered the game with a 23-0 record and ranked as the
top team in the state in Division IV. In a phone interview earlier this
week, Sagester said you don’t win 23 games by accident.
The Patriots controlled the tempo of the game for the first three
frames, then it all fell apart. Holding the lead, the Patriots lost
that lead at the 32.8 second mark of regulation when Alex Meyer dropped
a trey to make the score 34-32, Jackson Center.
“We had a five-second violation and they hit a three that was huge,”
Sagester explained. “We led most of the game, but couldn’t finish them.
It’s disappointing because we’ve been able to finish teams all year.”
Tri-Village senior Evan Barger, hit for two with 15.9 seconds
remaining, gaining the third tie of the game and sending it to
overtime...
“They hit some shots and we didn’t,” said Sagester of the overtime
session. “We had some problems taking care of the basketball and in a
one or two possession game like this, that hurts.”
The Pats had their chances to put it on ice but couldn’t get over the
hump.
“We missed some free throws down the stretch,” Sagester stated. “We
only shot seven free throws all night and they shot 14. For some
reason, we weren’t able to get to the free throw line like we wanted.”
Jackson Center converted on 11-of-14 attempts from the foul line
compared to only four-of-seven for Tri-Village.
All but Evan Barger will return next season for Sagester.
“We lose one senior and everyone else will be back,” said Sagester.
“Hopefully we can get back here next year and get past this game.”
Tri-Village ends it season with a fine 20-4 record.
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