ATHENS – Playing in their first district championship game since 2012, the Chillicothe boys basketball team ran into a buzzsaw against top-seeded Steubenville on Wednesday, March 4.
The Big Red jumped out to a 16-4 first-quarter lead, sparked by an array of 3-pointers, and the Cavaliers had no answer as Steubenville steadily pulled away for a 64-47 win in a Division III Southeast District final at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
Chillicothe’s defense did all it could in holding high-scoring Steubenville, which entered the game scoring 80 points or more in 10 games, including eclipsing the 90-point mark five times. However, the Cavaliers could not slow the Big Red down enough to get within striking distance after their slow start.
Steubenville finished with 11 3-pointers in the game – seven in the first and four in the second half. If they weren’t making threes, they were taking the ball to the basket, and they rebounded well, especially on the offensive end.
“We know how tough it is to shoot at the Convo, and we wanted to force them to shoot the ball from the perimeter, but they proved they could shoot it from out there, and when you got guys who can get downhill, and they can shoot from the outside, it makes it tough,” Chillicothe coach Pat Beard said. “I just challenged our kids in the second half to just come out and play basketball. Show your community, your fellow students that you know how to play the game, and I thought we did that in the second half.”
After connecting on three 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 16-4 lead, the Big Red (23-1) made four more 3-pointers in the second quarter to push their lead to 34-17 at halftime.
Led by junior Caydon Cox, the Cavaliers (17-7) found their footing in the third quarter and was able to cut the deficit to 11 at 45-34, but just when it seemed like Chillicothe had some momentum, the Big Red quickly shut it down by scoring five points in the final 25 seconds of the quarter to push their lead to 50-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
“At times, we were able to battle, and we thought we were going to make it a game, but give credit to Steubenville, they are an outstanding team,” Beard said. “We were just outmanned, but our guys competed, especially in the second half, and that’s what I’m proud of.”
Cox led the Cavaliers with 22 points, including 15 in the second half. Andrew Hamman finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, and Cooper Stoneking, the lone senior starter, chipped in eight points, all in the second half, five rebounds and three assists.
“Getting here is big for our program,” Beard said. “Since I got here, we’ve been talking about culture and the work it takes to be a good basketball team. Our guys worked hard in the offseason, and I’m glad their work paid off. One of our goals was to get to a district final, and we got here, so they now know what it takes, and I’m sure that will motivate them even more in the offseason.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X at twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Chillicothe boys basketball’s district title run ends in loss
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
