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CHILLICOTHE — Throughout 32 minutes of game play, Miami Trace hit just one 3-point field goal on Tuesday.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
To be specific, the Panthers were 1-of-12 from behind the arc — a shooting percentage of 8.3 percent.
But the one triple they did hit, a ball that hit nothing but nylon, occurred after the most important sequence of the game in the most important moment.
With Chillicothe nursing a 33-32 lead after a bucket from Tayvion Galloway with less than a minute to play, MT’s chances of a win looked grim.
However, junior guard Bryson Osborne didn’t get that memo.
“We threw it to Andrrew [Guthrie] and he was getting doubled,” Osborne said. “He kicked it out to Brady [Armstrong] and somebody was on him, and I was wide open. I just knocked it down.”
That he did.
Osborne connected with the bottom of the net on a deep 3-ball to give Miami Trace a 35-33 lead with 23.3 seconds left. The Cavaliers, try as they might, couldn’t find an answer on the other end while the Panthers (6-0, 4-0 FAC) escaped to remain undefeated.
“He made a shot. What I love about Bryson is that he’s never scared of the moment,” Miami Trace coach Ben Ackley said. “He’s a basketball-only kid and that’s all he does. He doesn’t care whether he scores three or thirty. That last 3 was awfully big tonight.”
Tale of the tape
Chillicothe (2-5, 1-3 FAC) took an early 5-4 lead after buckets from Galloway and Mason Siberell got the spark going. Then, Cooper Stoneking caught fire. The freshman guard hit two triples late in the first quarter to send the Cavaliers into the second with an 11-8 lead.
Stoneking started the second how he ended the first — hitting his third 3 of the ballgame and making it a 14-8 tally with 7:15 left. However, the Panthers started to chip away at the deficit.
PHOTOS: Images from Miami Trace’s win over Chillicothe
Guthrie scored through contact with 5:46 left before hitting the ensuing foul shot before later cutting the deficit to 16-15 at the 3:20 mark. The senior then hit a pair of foul shots with 2:41 left to finish a 7-0 run and give the Panthers an 18-16 advantage.
Coleden May, who combined with Guthrie to score all of MT’s 12 second quarter points, then found the bucket with 1:10 remaining to put the Panthers up 20-17 at halftime.
Chillicothe’s Tre King scored to begin the third before teammate Cayden Lee put the Cavaliers back on top at 25-22, thanks to a 3-ball coming at the 2:56 mark.
But that lead wouldn’t last long as Austin Boedeker hit a pair of freebies on the other end before putting Miami Trace up 26-25 at the 1:07 mark — the game’s score heading into the fourth.
“Andrew hit some big shots late and Austin Boedeker was huge,” Ackley said. “Coleden May’s defense was huge, our versatility to be able to do some of the things we want to do helps us out late against a team like [Chillicothe] … We just made enough plays. I’ve coached in the FAC for 13 years now and I’ve never had an easy game in this gym.”
Chillicothe again retook an advantage in the fourth at 29-28 before seizing leads of 31-30 and 33-32, thanks to buckets from King and Galloway.
But it was ultimately Osborne’s night as the junior’s heroic ending unfolded.
Guthrie to Armstrong to Osborne, and then? Catch and shoot.
“In our first five games, everything kind of fell into place for us,” Ackley said. “We had only been losing like a combined three minutes during that time. Tonight showed a lot more about our team than the first five did. We had to gut this one out. Our shooting percentage was awful, but our kids found a way.”
Stat book
Guthrie led all scorers with 14 points alongside five rebounds and a pair of assists while Boedeker also helped the Panthers out with six points. Osborne totaled five points, six boards and four helpers, and May finished with six points and four rebounds.
Stoneking led the Cavaliers with nine points while King had eight points and eight rebounds. Cayden Lee also chipped in with eight points while Galloway and Siberell tallied four points each.
What’s on tap
While Chillicothe looks to get back on track on Saturday in conference action while playing host to Jackson, Miami Trace now looks towards a mammoth meeting at rival Washington the same evening.
That matchup will provide the winner sole possession of first place in the FAC … for the time being, that is.
“We’ll go back to work tomorrow and put the scouting report in,” Ackley said. “There’s no secrets when it comes to Washington Court House. They’ll know everything we do and we’ll know everything they do. It’s going to come down to execution. They have a four-year starter and two three-year starters. They’re absolutely loaded at every spot. But I’m extremely proud of our kids. We’re going to enjoy this one tonight and get back at it tomorrow.”
BOX SCORE
Miami Trace: 8-12-6-9 — 35
Chillicothe: 11-6-8-8 — 33
Miami Trace: 13-39 FG, 8-9 FT, 1-12 3pt., 23 rebounds (Osborne 6), 4 turnovers, 7 assists (Osborne 4). Scoring: Guthrie 14, Boedeker 6, May 6, Osborne 5, Armstrong 4.
Chillicothe: 12-36 FG, 2-6 FT, 7-22 3pt., 18 rebounds (King 8), 5 turnovers, 8 assists (Galloway 3). Scoring: Stoneking 9, King 8, Lee 8, Galloway 4, Siberell 4.
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