Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ZANESVILLE — Tomi Hinkle and her Fairland Dragons were not going to be denied Tuesday evening.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
Fairland’s senior leader, as she has all season long, sparked her teammates to a statement win over previously undefeated Unioto in front of a jam-packed house at Zanesville’s Winland Gymnasium.
She was one of four Dragons to reach double-digit scoring figures while they used a massive third quarter to extend their season with a resounding 88-61 victory over the Shermans in a Division II regional semifinal.
“Defensively, we did a great job. [Unioto] might be the best offensive team we’ve played,” Fairland coach Jon Buchanan said. “They’ve got lots of shooters and lots of ball-handlers. So we were worried about getting stops, and they still scored the most points we’ve given up all year long.”
Both teams came out of the gates using different strategies.
Unioto (25-1) struck from inside, while Fairland (26-0) went back to its bread and butter of letting the ball fly from long range, no matter how deep the shot was.
All five Unioto starters scored early, while Fairland connected on 3-of-5 attempts beyond the arc to knot the game at 11-11. The Shermans then went on a 5-0 run behind Amelia Uhrig underneath the bucket to take the lead, one they held at the end of the first quarter by a 17-16 tally.
Continuing a white-hot start for both teams was Unioto’s Alexis Book and Hinkle, who traded 3’s to open the second. Unioto later held a 23-21 lead, but Hinkle hit a runner followed by a triple from Bree Allen, giving the Dragons a 26-23 lead.
The Shermans continued to hang around and keep things close, but Kamryn Barnitz and Bailey Russell each connected from distance to end the half, putting momentum on Fairland’s bench with a 38-30 lead.
PHOTOS: Images from Fairland’s win over Unioto
“That was big,” Buchanan said. “I feel like our kids executed at that point. Those were play calls that we got shots off of. A lot of the 3’s and the plays we made were just made by playing the game. But [during that stretch], we executed really well then. Obviously, if the ball goes in, those plays look better. It did and our kids were really locked in.”
The Dragons canned eight 3’s in the first half and didn’t slow down when the third began.
Barnitz and Allen connected on back-to-back triples, giving the Dragons their biggest lead of the game up to that point at 44-30, capping a game-changing 12-0 run.
And, quite simply, from that point on, Fairland kept its foot on the gas.
Continuing to bomb away, Barnitz, Hinkle and Allen all connected from long range, while they also began to run the floor and score in transition. Their advantage continued to grow as it hit 20 points before being capped at 63-45 to end the third.
They shifted into cruise control the rest of the way against one of the best opponents they’ve played all year.
“We made shots and we were able to run the floor, whether it was a made or missed shot,” Buchanan said. “That’s especially true in the second half with easy lay-ups in transition. That’s part of us. That’s how we want to play. But we’re super proud of our kids and how they competed.”
Hinkle finished with 19 points to lead Fairland, followed by 18 points and five rebounds from Barnitz. Russell added 17 points while Allen had 13 points and nine rebounds.
For Unioto, Milee Smith led all scorers with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists, followed by Uhrig and Book with 10 points each.
While the Shermans’ season comes to an end — one that included the program’s first regional appearance since 2015 — Fairland advances to a Division II regional final at 7 p.m., Friday back at Zanesville High School.
The Dragons will now meet with Granville — a 42-6 winner over John Glenn — with a trip to a state semifinal at the University of Dayton on the line.
“I think we have to continue to do what we’ve been doing,” Buchanan said. “We have to keep doing a good job defensively and be dynamic while playing fast on the offensive end. We need to move the basketball and be unselfish. We’ve done a great job of that all year long. Hopefully, we can continue to be who we are.”
BOX SCORE
Fairland: 16-22-27-25 — 88
Unioto: 17-13-15-16 — 61
Fairland: 30-57 FG, 16-19 FT, 12-24 3pt., 35 rebounds (Allen 9), 14 turnovers, 16 assists (Godby 4). Scoring: Hinkle 19, K. Barnitz 18, Russell 17, Allen 13, Bruce 9, Godby 7, R. Barnitz 5.
Unioto: 24-57 FG, 8-12 FT, 5-15 3pt., 23 rebounds (Smith 7), 14 turnovers, 5 assists (Smith 4). Scoring: Smith 23, Book 10, Uhrig 10, Mohan 5, Betts 4, Marshall 3, Himes 3, Holbert 3.
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