John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
KINNIKINNICK — Thanks to a lockdown defensive effort in the second half of a win over Paint Valley on Tuesday, Zane Trace is now two games ahead of everyone else vying for a Scioto Valley Conference title.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
After needing a late second quarter 3 from Landen Jarrell to take a one-point halftime lead, the Pioneers (10-2, 7-0 SVC) upped the defensive effort and offensive efficiency en route to a 56-49 victory — the team’s seventh league victory in as many tries.
“We have a really close-knit team, especially on defense,” ZT senior Nalin Robinson said. “We saw some things were [PV] was getting some free shots in the first half and kind of tightened up on that and took those away. We’re happy about our defensive effort tonight, overall.”
Paint Valley (9-4, 5-2 SVC) got off to a quick start when Braylon Robertson splashed two triples in the first quarter as the sophomore scored 10 points in the opening eight minutes to help the Bearcats take a 15-11 lead after one.
The Pioneers received two baskets each from Robinson and Xzander Ream, but also had five turnovers, giving the scrappy Bearcats extra possessions. Robertson made the most of the extra chances, making all of his three attempts, while also assisting on a corner 3 from Todd Fairrow.
Zane Trace began to take care of the ball at a higher level in the second, cutting down on the turnovers while also attacking the basket for scores in the paint.
Each time they seemingly came close, the Bearcats made a play on the other end to extend their lead.
PHOTOS: Images from Zane Trace’s win over Paint Valley
A third triple from Robertson gave Paint Valley a 26-21 edge late in the first half, before a corner 3 from Brock Jarrell and a hard baseline drive from Ream tied the game for the Pioneers.
Dax Estep got into the scoring column for the Bearcats with a nifty turnaround jumper, forcing a Zane Trace timeout with 1:42 left in the second.
Neither team could convert on their next two possessions, leading to the Pioneers holding for the final shot of the half. After using a high ball screen from Robinson, Landen Jarrell found an opening to hit a step-back 3 in the waning seconds of the half to give Zane Trace a 29-28 lead at the break.
“We knew we had to stop Braylon, who can shoot, and Dax,” Landen Jarrell said. “I think we did a good job of that and I helped [teammate] Landen [Robinson] with that. He did a really good job of it. Defense is our thing. We just have to keep playing.”
As the third quarter began, the Pioneers deployed Landen Jarrell to swarm Robertson on the defensive end, while Robinson continued to hound Estep.
Doing this kept the Bearcats from getting into their offensive sets, thus making life extremely difficult on the Bearcats. Robertson would be held to only two points in the second half while the Pioneers expanded their lead, thanks to Ream and Kyle Stonerock efficiently scoring on the offensive end.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Pioneers were very efficient on the offensive end, shooting 56.1% and only committing 11 turnovers, including only six over the final three quarters. On the defensive end, the Pioneers held the Bearcats to just 38.6% from the field. Ream led all scorers with 23 points on the evening, while Robinson pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Landen Jarrell passed out four assists for the Pioneers, while Miller had a game-high five helpers for the Bearcats. PV out-rebounded the Pioneers, 24-21, and made more 3’s (6-4), but the efficiency from the field was the ultimate undoing for the Bearcats.
The Pioneers dominated the third to take a 43-35 lead into the fourth, where the lead would eventually grow to 51-39 after Ream buried back-to-back triples midway through the fourth.
“I’ll tell you what, [Ream] was really smart tonight and he took good shots,” Nalin Robinson said. “He attacked when he wanted to. He put us up in key moments, hitting those back-to-back 3’s, and he was key. I think, personally, that he’s the most athletic player in the conference. A player like that can give you a lift at any moment.”
It felt as though the game was going to easily go to the Pioneers when they took a timeout with 2:32 to play and a 53-41 lead.
But nobody told the Bearcats that it was over.
After a tough inside score from Cole Miller, Estep hit back to back 3’s from the top of the key to cut the lead to four with just under a minute to play.
The Pioneers kept the Bearcats in the game by missing three straight free throws, with the last one giving the Bearcats a chance to make it a one-possession game. But outstanding defense from Robinson forced a highly contested 3 to harmlessly bounce away to Ream, who was fouled and stepped to the line to put the game on ice.
The win gives the Pioneers a two-game lead in the SVC over Paint Valley and Westfall.
Statistically, Ream led all scorers with 23 points alongside three assists while Robinson added nine points and 12 rebounds. Stonerock finished with 10 points and Landen Jarrell had four points and four assists.
The Bearcats were led by Robertson with 17 points while Estep and Cole Miller ended with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Zane Trace will now look towards Saturday, where it travels to Unioto in conference play. Meanwhile, the Bearcats will try and bounce back on Wednesday at Circleville.
“Defense is key,” Nalin Robinson said. “We don’t want to have games where our opponent is at 50 or 60 points. We have to get really crisp on executing our offense as well. We can’t let other teams dictate us. We just need to be who we are and stay in attack mode.”
BOX SCORE
Paint Valley: 15-13-7-14 — 49
Zane Trace: 11-18-14-13 — 56
Paint Valley scoring: Robertson 17, Estep 13, Miller 12, Fairrow 3, Cooper 2, Free 2
Zane Trace scoring: Ream 23, Stonerock 10, N. Robinson 9, L. Robinson 4, L. Jarrell 4, B. Jarrell 3, Langley 2
POWERED BY HORIZON
