Senior Tyler Cooper led Southeastern (9-12) with 12 points, but scoring consistently was a problem throughout for the Trojans.
“We’re not a good offensive team,” Southeastern Head Coach P.J. Bertemes said. “We don’t have guys who make a lot of shots.”
Tri-Village guards Kyle Pipenger (21 points) and Drew Moore (26) led the Patriots offensively, combining to score 47 of the team’s 53 points and impressing Bertemes.
“Drew Moore is an exceptional player, you just don’t see that skill set very often today,” he said. “A lot of kids are catch-and-shoot-guys, but the hardest thing to do in basketball is to shoot off of the dribble, and I’m not sure I’ve seen a better kid who can (do that) ... He’s a tremendously tough guard for us or anybody.”
After a slow 10-6 first quarter, Southeastern strung together a modest 8-3 run to start the second, leading briefly before giving up the 19-0 run to Tri-Village that effectively put the game out of reach.
“That’s kind of been our Achilles’ all year,” Bertemes said. “We’ve struggled scoring the basketball, and we go in those (bad) stretches.”
Cooper made a couple free throws right before the half to slow the Patriots run, but the damage for Southeastern was already done.
“Unfortunately, we had that stretch tonight where we couldn’t score,” Bertemes said. “Then they have a player like Drew Moore who can score even if you have everything correct defensively.”
Tri-Village (11-10), the No. 6 seed, will play Yellow Springs in the second round on Tuesday.
The season ends for Southeastern though, and in the locker room after the game, Bertemes made sure his seniors knew how much their efforts were appreciated.
“It says a lot about a kid, whether you’re a starter or the last man on the team, that you’ve made it as a senior,” he said. “I think it says a lot about those four kids and what kind of people they are.”
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