ATHENS — It never fails. Going from playing in high school gymnasiums to huge college venues, teams always seem to struggle shooting the ball.
That was certainly the case for the Unioto boys’ basketball team Sunday, March 1, when the Sherman Tanks faced Logan Elm in a Division IV district semifinal at Ohio University’s Convocation Center.
However, while the Shermans struggled mightily in the first half shooting the ball, so did the Braves. Unioto was finally able to get comfortable in the second half, and used a third-quarter blitz, outscoring the Braves 17-3 to go from a four-point halftime lead to an 18-point bulge heading into the fourth quarter. From there, the Shermans cruised to a 48-22 victory.
No. 2 seed Unioto improved to 19-3 and advanced to the district championship game against Washington Court House at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 5, back at the Convo.
The Shermans connected on just 7-of-23 shots in the first half and led 15-11. However, their defense wasn’t making life easy on the Braves, who went just 4-for-21. Logan Elm was never able to figure it out and shot just 16 percent for the game (8-for-49).
Unioto’s shooting struggles continued early in the third quarter, but the Shermans were able to get a few easy baskets in transition, and once that happened, they started making shots. They connected on 7-of-12 shots in the third quarter and went 15-for-24 in the second half.
“We know we can shoot the ball well, but this is obviously a completely different environment to shoot in,” Unioto senior guard Jaxon Zickafoose said. “You go from high school courts all season to a big college dome, so the shots felt a little off, but coach told us to keep shooting, keep your head up, and stay confident. That’s what we did in the second half. We have a lot of good shooters on our team. Once we hit the first in the second half, it was a relief, and we took off from there, and everyone started hitting. It’s just nice to get the first one out of the way, but we aren’t done. We have a lot more to do.”
Unioto coach Matt Combs said he was pleased with the way the Shermans played defense, especially when they weren’t shooting the ball well.
“We have been a defensive team first all year, and that’s who we are,” Combs said. “We did a good job of taking away the three-point and had good ball pressure, and we needed it because it took a while for our offense to get going. The first half was a struggle for us. In the second half, we were able to get some transition points. We just had to stick with it, but our defense held us in until we could get our offense going.”
The first two minutes of the third quarter were a struggle, but when Isaac Coy scored inside, it opened the floodgates for the Shermans. Five different players — Jack Welsh, Zickafoose, Blake Fitch and Brayden Harsha — all scored after Coy did, and Welch capped the run with an NBA-3-pointer to end the third quarter. When the dust had settled, the Tanks had built a 32-14 lead.
Unioto started the fourth quarter on a 10-1 run to seal the deal.
Zickafoose led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, Fitch scored 11 points and dished out five assists, and 6-foot-8 Dawson Mitchell had 11 points and eight rebounds. Welch added seven points, Harsha chipped in five points, and Coy scored four points and had three assists.
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 (formerly Twitter) at @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Unioto basketball overcomes shooting struggles to win
Reporting by Tom Wilson, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
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