It was an incredible night of high school basketball Saturday night at Miami Trace High School for the Battle of Black & Blue. The Blue Lion boys came out on top and the Panther girls pulled out a victory both by just 2 points.
Things got started with the boys and the home team Panthers came out hot taking a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and held on for a 24-22 halftime lead. Washington outscored Miami Trace 18-7 in the third period to take a 40-31 lead into the final frame, going on a 9-0 run. Then came the fourth quarter. Miami Trace came back from a 9 point deficit to cut the game to 3 with just seconds remaining. Panther junior guard Kyler Conn took the ball hard to the bucket and knocked down the layup and was fouled, he knocked down the free throw to tie the game with just 7 seconds left. Washington raced the ball down the court and missed two bunny shots before Richard Burns got an offensive rebound and his put back was went through the net as time expired giving the Blue Lions a 50-48 win.
On the night Miami Trace 2-19 (0-9) shot 38% from the field shooting 17-40, they were 6-14 from beyond the arc, made 8-16 free throws and committed 13 turnovers. They were led in scoring by Conn who had 14, Logan Rodgers knocked down three 3's in the first quarter to finish with 11 and Trevor Barker had 10.
Washington was led by Blaise Tayese who had 15 and Evan Upthegrove chipped in 12. On the night they shot 21-51 for 41%, 3-14 from beyond the arc and shot 8-16 from the free throw line. They committed 19 turnovers.
The night cap saw the Miami Trace Lady Panthers lead wire to wire and held on for a 2 point win, 35-33. Washington couldn't find the bucket in the first quarter, their only shot made was a layup by Hannah Haithcock, they trailed 9-3 after one quarter. Neither team shot well in the first half as Miami Trace led 18-13 after two quarters. Miami Trace shot 22% in the first half compared to 20% from Washington.
The third quarter was much of the same with the Panthers outscoring Washington 10-9 to take a 28-22 lead into the final quarter. Things got exciting in final frame as the Lady Lions outscored Miami Trace 11-7 but cut the lead to 2 but didn't have enough gas in the tank to as the Panthers held on for victory.
Miami Trace 15-7 (8-2) shot 32% on the night 12-28 from the field, 1-9 from behind the arc and made 10-20 free throws, they committed 15 turnovers. Shay McDonald led all scores including all 7 fourth quarter points to have a game high 17, Cassidy Lovett added 8. Miami Trace now plays McClain Saturday in the girls Div. II Sectional tournament at Adena.
Washington Court House 16-5 (8-1) shot 26% on the night shooting 13-50, they were 0-8 from beyond the arc, shot 7-15 from the free throw line and committed 10 turnovers. They were led in scoring by Hannah Haithcock with 13, 10 of which were in the first half. She was the only Blue Lion in double figures. Washington next plays McClain Monday at home. Buckeye Country 105.5/iHeartRadio coverage will begin around 6:45.