John Bruce, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
PIKETON — Turnovers and free throws.
CREDIT: Heather Thompson/SOSA
Those are two things that worked in Green’s favor, and made all the difference on Monday evening.
With a stifling defensive effort, the Bobcats (19-5) forced 22 turnovers that led to a 52-40 win over Paint Valley as they punched their tickets into a Division IV district final for the first time since 2018.
All season long, Levi Sampson has been the go-to guy for the Bobcats, and he led the early charge by opening the game with four straight shots to give the Bobcats an 8-2 lead with 2:21 to play in the first quarter.
From that moment on, the Bearcats (17-7) deployed Robertson onto Sampson, using his strength to attempt to slow the senior forward. However, using Robertson on the interior opened up the perimeter for a star-making performance from freshman Jon Knapp.
After a post fade from Dax Estep, Knapp buried a corner 3 on his first touch of the night to give the Bobcats an 11-4 advantage after one quarter.
PHOTOS: Images from Green’s district semifinal win over Paint Valley
Paint Valley upped its defensive effort and physicality, limiting the Bobcats to one shot per possession, while also being more efficient on the offensive end. The Bearcats won the second quarter by a 15-9 margin behind Estep and Robertson’s five points each.
Robertson closed out the half with a hard driving layup through contact to cut the deficit to 20-19 at halftime.
The Bearcats continued their defensive onslaught to begin the third, forcing four turnovers in six possessions and took their first lead of the night with a pair of baskets from Cole Miller. Knapp then tied the game with a transition 3, but Todd Fairrow splashed a triple from the top of the key on the opposite end to quickly give the Bearcats a 26-23 lead halfway through the third.
That would be the biggest, and final, lead for the Bearcats.
Levi Blevins scored on a fast break before McBee canned a trey in front of his own bench for a 28-26 edge. Paint Valley was able to force a tie after three quarters as Estep pulled down a strong rebound and scored a put-back bucket in the closing seconds of the quarter to pull things even at 31-31.
In the early minutes of the fourth, the Bobcats were able to get scores from Knapp and Sampson, while Paint Valley added points from Miller. That’s all before the play of the game completely swung the tide.
Following a turnover by Green at mid court, the Bearcats had a two-on-one fast break that went awry as Abe McBee knocked the ball away. Gabe McBee picked it up and drove down the court before finding Knapp in the corner for a triple that stretched that lead to 42-33 with 4:30 to play.
Baskets from Miller and Robertson brought some life to Paint Valley, before a deep triple from Robertson cut the nine-point to two with 2:15 to play.
Despite the Bobcats going ice cold from the field, they were able to put the game itself on ice behind an array of deflections turnovers. Those led to free throws from Gabe McBee before a put back from Knapp made it a 46-40 game with 1:20 to play.
Coming out of a timeout, the Bearcats continued to turn the ball over, giving the Bobcats ample opportunities to salt the game away at the charity stripe. Sampson and Abe McBee each converted 3-of-4 free throws to put the game, and the Bearcats’ season away.
Knapp led all scorers with 22 points, including four 3’s for the Bobcats. Sampson earned a hard-fought double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds while Abe McBee scored 10 points and handed out a game-high five assists.
For Paint Valley, Estep finished with 14 points. Miller added 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Robertson accounted for 10 points.
The Bobcats will square off again at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday at Ohio University’s Convocation Center against top-seeded and undefeated Fairfield, who beat Western to advance.
BOX SCORE
Green: 11-9-11-21 — 52
Paint Valley: 4-15-12-9 — 40
Green: 18-49 FG, 11-15 FT, 5-16 3pt., 25 rebounds (Sampson 12), 12 turnovers, 9 assists (A. McBee 5). Scoring: Knapp 22, Sampson 16, McBee 10, Blevins 2, McBee 2.
Paint Valley: 16-42 FG, 5-12 FT, 3-15 3pt., 31 rebounds (Miller 9), 22 turnovers, 5 assists (Estep 2, Robertson 2). Scoring: Estep 14, Miller 11, Robertson 10, Fairrow 3, Cooper 2.
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