“Survive and advance in the tournament, we’ll take it,” said Braves coach Chris McGuire. “It wasn’t pretty, but I’m proud of the guys. A lot of guys stepped up, did a lot of great things. We’re happy to move on to the next round.”
Junior Cooper Bair scored 13 points and senior Drew Mitch added 11 as Shawnee improved to 15-3.
Brandon Crump scored a game-high 17 points for Stivers (4-7).
“We put forth a great effort,” said Stivers coach Mark Parker. “We just lost to a better team. … We gutted it out, but that team is the No. 1 seed for a reason. I give them all the credit.”
The Braves led 13-6 after the first quarter and 27-18 at the half.
“I thought we did a good job defensively,” McGuire said. “We knew we had to protect the basket as much as possible, keep them from getting to the rim and force them to take tough 2s, tough 3s. I thought we did a good job with that and we were able to get some easy baskets during that stretch.”
The Braves went on a 8-3 run to start the second half, extending their lead to 35-20 on a 3-pointer by Patrick Fultz. The Braves hit eight 3-pointers in the game.
“We’ve got multiple guys that can do it and they’re getting more comfortable with their shot,” McGuire said.
Bair hit three 3-pointers for the Braves.
“He hit some open shots, which he’s been doing lately,” McGuire said. “I thought he did a good job of handling the ball. He’s one that’s been within his role the whole time, practices hard every day, does what we ask all the time. He trusts these guys and these guys trust him. They were able to put him in some good spots. He played huge minutes for us tonight.”
A year ago, Stivers advanced to a D-III regional final game, but the remainder of the postseason was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team also got a late start this season as Dayton Public Schools didn’t begin playing until midway through the season. Parker credited his four seniors — Antonnio Aubrey, Cordell Burrus, Eryk Charlton and James Pippert — for the leadership over the last two seasons.
“The seniors have built this program and they’ve made a big difference,” Parker said. “They endured through last season and then didn’t get a full season (this winter). My hat goes off to them and my heart goes out to them for what they’ve been through the last two years.”
The Braves advanced to face Cincinnati Summit Country Day in a district final game on Friday, March 5, at Vandalia Butler at a time to be determined. The Silver Knights (18-5), who won the Miami Valley Conference Scarlet Division, beat Georgetown 47-33 to advance to the district final.
“I know they’re good,” McGuire said. “It looks like their scores are low, so they’re trying to play slower tempo, possession basketball. We’ve got some experience with that.”
Shawnee is seeking its first district title since 1977.
“We’ve got an opportunity to do something that the school and community hasn’t had for a long time basketball-wise,” McGuire said.
Indian Lake 55, West Liberty-Salem 37: The Tigers season came to an end at the hands of a Logan County rival in a district semifinal game.
Indian Lake’s Caleb Wurster scored a game-high 17 points as the Lakers advanced to a D-III district final game for the first time in school history.
“Indian Lake worked really hard to get their shots,” said Tigers coach Darrin Leichty. “I felt like we defended well in the second quarter and kind of got back into things. We had some foul trouble to deal with. Indian Lake moved the ball so well and that’s why they hit so many shots in the second half.”
West Liberty-Salem’s Nick Burden had 12 points as the Tigers finished 15-9.
“I’m proud of these guys,” Leichty said. “We won eight of 11 games to finish the season. We were playing our best basketball at the end of the season and that’s exactly what you hope for as a coach.”
The Lakers (14-11) will face Cincinnati Taft on Saturday, March 6, at Northmont High School at a time to be determined.
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