St. Paul pulls away from Buckeye Central to advance

OLIVESBURG — A tweak here or there was the difference. The St. Paul boys basketball team trailed Buckeye Central two-plus minutes into the third quarter of Tuesday's Division IV sectional semifinal at Crestview High School. But once the Flyers changed up a few defensive assignments, they outscored the Bucks by nine points over the final 13-plus minutes of a 58-51 victory. With the win, the No. 3-seeded Flyers improved to 15-8 and advanced to the 8 p.m. sectional title game Friday night back at Crestview against No. 5 Mohawk (14-8). "One reason we wanted to play is just because of this," St. Paul coach Mike Smith said. "It took our kids a little adjusting to do what we wanted. We changed up on our assignments, and I thought it made a difference for us as far as what we were able to do in the full court. "We were able to get out, get quick shots off turnovers, then got the lead up to eight points and spread the floor," he added. "We were outstanding at the foul line (20 of 24) and looked comfortable in that situation, which is big for us." St. Paul led 9-8 after one quarter, then trailed 12-9 two minutes into the second quarter as the Bucks (3-20) were limiting the Flyers to one shot against their zone defense. Buckeye Central took a 24-21 halftime lead, and maintained that narrow lead into the third quarter. But the Flyers then surged ahead, closing the third quarter on a 14-6 scoring run to take a 41-35 lead into the final eight minutes. The Bucks were able to get within four (41-37), but a steal and layup by the Flyers with 6:52 left gave them a lead that didn't dip below the 6-to-8 margin the rest of the way as free throws put the game away. "Win and move on," Smith said. "I just think you can play a little uptight in games like these, and we didn't shoot the ball well in the first half. But we played with more energy and shot it better in the second half, and I think that will benefit us on Friday." Jordan Shepherd led the Flyers with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Brandon Furlong scored 15 points and Nick Winslow scored 11. Shepherd had scored 20-plus points in three straight games for St. Paul. "He just finished really well inside and did a nice job on the offensive glass," Smith said of Shepherd. "I thought we got good contributions from a lot of different kids. "Nate (Winslow) only had six points, but his job defensively on really wearing out their point guard was instrumental in us getting the lead out to 10 points," he added. "He just sold himself to it, and wore him down to the point where they had to take him out and sit him for three or four minutes. I liked the way we spread the floor, and we looked really composed down the stretch and did the things we had to do to win the game." Friday's game is the fourth straight sectional title game appearance for the Flyers, who take on a fast-paced Warriors team from the Northern Ten Conference. Austin Tusing averages 16.7 points and 2.7 steals per game for Mohawk, which has won 11 of its last 14 games after a 3-5 start. Five of the eight losses are to teams with 16-plus wins. "A very good team, and I don't think we have to worry about pace," Smith said of Mohawk. "They like to push the ball and pressure on defense. They run a lot of zone, we haven't seen them play a second of man defense. "They are a young team that has gotten better throughout the course of the year," he added. "They can shoot well and are very athletic. It should be an entertaining game." Smith said one of the biggest keys to the game for the Flyers is being organized against Mohawk's defensive pressure. "We have to attack their zone, get to the glass and get second-chance shots," he said. "We're excited for the chance to play for another title for the second straight Friday, which is goal No. 2 for our kids." BUCKEYE CENTRAL (3-20) Aiden McDougal 4-3—14; Tyler Rose 1-0—2; Alex Kanney 4-0—9; Brady Kerschner 3-0—6; Jake Heefner 8-0—16; Damian Dean 2-0—4. TOTALS 22-3—51. ST. PAUL (15-8) Adam Baker 0-2—2; Scott Adelman 2-0—4; Nick Winslow 3-5—11; Brandon Furlong 4-5—15; Nate Winslow 2-2—6; Jordan Shepherd 7-6—20. TOTALS 18-20—58. B. Central 8 16 11 16 — 51 St. Paul 9 12 20 17 — 58 3-point FGs: (BC) McDougal 3, Kanney; (SP) Furlong 2