Pioneers Discover Victory over Tigers in 4th Quarter; New Lexington Bounces Circleville 48-34

Article Presented By Kingston National Bank…

After trailing for three quarters, the Zane Trace Pioneers found a way to win over the Ironton Tigers in Boys Division V District Semifinals.

The Pioneers were led in scoring by Landen Jarrell, who had 15 of their 52 points. He was followed closely by Grady Stewart and Gunnar McCullough, who had 14 points each.

The Tigers were led by Bryce Markins, who had 15 out of Ironton’s 45.

Zane Trace shot 39% from the field, and made 12 of their 19 free throw attempts, while Ironton shot 35%, and made 5 of their 8 free throws.

At just 4:30 left to go in the game, the score was tied at 39. With one minute left in the game, Zane Trace had a 47-45 lead, and went on to score five more unanswered points to seal the victory.

Zane Trace will go on to play the number one seed Minford on Friday at the Convo in Athens for the District Championship.

New Lexington 48, Circleville 34

The New Lexington Panthers came away empty on their first three possessions and Circleville’s Kole Nungester dropped in the first basket of the night. It was the last time the Tigers had the lead. Bentley Hanson hit a three-pointer to put the boys from Perry County ahead 3-2. What followed was a 13-0 run before Circleville could score again.

The Panthers maintained the separation through halftime at 22-13 and built the margin to 28-13 to open the second half. The Tigers then went on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to six points, but they couldn’t get closer.

New Lexington (14-10) will face top-seeded Meigs Thursday night at Ohio University at 6pm in the D-IV District Semi-Final. The other half of the bracket will be determined Tuesday night at Southeastern High School. Jackson faces Waverly at 6pm and after they clear Larry Jordan Gymnasium, Unioto takes on Fairfield Union for an 8:30pm tip-off.

SCORING:
CIRCLEVILLE (34): Riley Jenkin, 16; Kole Nungester, 8; Ed Kirk, 4; Blain Fowler, 4; Kiser Cassidy, 2.
NEW LEXINGTON (48): Isaiah Stephens, 19; Bentley Hanson, 15; Eli Stephens, 7; Lane Ratliff, 4, Paul Stenson, 2.