South Central tops New Riegel to advance

GREENWICH — The South Central boys basketball team returned to the district tournament for the first time in four years with a 67-43 win over New Riegel in a Division VII sectional title game on Feb. 26. The Trojans (11-12) will face Crestline (13-10) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (March 5) in a district semifinal at Galion High School. The winner will advance to a district title game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Lima Senior against either Arlington (20-3) or McComb (9-14), who also play Thursday in Lima. South Central defeated Crestline, 70-57, way back in the second game of the season on Dec. 2 in Greenwich. In the win over New Riegel, the Trojans trailed 11-9 after one quarter, but took a 29-21 halftime lead after a 20-12 scoring edge in the second quarter. Leading 40-31 through three quarters, the Trojans broke it open with a 27-12 scoring advantage in the fourth quarter. The Trojans shot 27 of 49 from the field, including 9 of 17 from the three-point line. Wes June paced South Central with 17 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Bryan Chaffee added 12 points, six steals, and three assists, while Wyatt Hall had 11 points and Brayden Viock had 10 points. Dom Paynter added eight points and seven assists.