The Miami Trace Panthers picked up the Sectional Title and now advance to the Districts with a 44-37 win over Washington Court House.
On a night where neither team shot the ball well, it came down to free throws down the stretch as Miami Trace Senior Blake Pittser hit 5 of 6 in the final minute to seal the deal.
The night started slow with the Panthers holding a 7-2 first quarter lead, Washington shot just 17% while the Panthers shot 18%. Washington outscored Miami Trace in the second 17-12 as they improved their first half shooting to 53% and were able to tie the game going into halftime at 19.
Miami Trace started the third quarter on a 9-3 run but the Blue Lions stayed close trailing by one 31-30 to start the final period. Washington jumped out first in the fourth and held the lead until the 3:42 mark and Miami Trace took the lead for good with 2:28 remaining in the game. Washington had to foul and The Panthers made their free throws.
Miami Trace (19-3) shot 13-43 for 30% on the night including 4-17 from beyond the arc but made up for their bad shooting from the floor by shooting 14-18 from the free throw line for 78%. They committed 10 turnovers. Blake Pittser led all scores with 19 points and Deandre Pettiford added 12.
Washington (8-16) shot 44% going 13-32 from the field and made 5-12 three's for 42% but were just 6-14 from the free throw line for 43%. They committed 20 turnovers. Jarrett Patton led the Blue Lions scoring 13 points.
Miami Trace now moves on to the District tournament this Thursday at the Convo in Athens to face Athens High School. Game time is 6:15 p.m. with coverage on Buckeye Country 105.5FM/iHeartRadio at 6:05 p.m.