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WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Skye Salyers was in his bag on Friday.
Miami Trace’s 6-foot-4 senior seemed to be everywhere in the second half, practically willing his teammates to a rivalry win.
Salyers’ 15 second half points paced his Panthers to a hard-fought 61-54 win at Washington – a win that kept Miami Trace perfect at 11-0 overall and 4-0 in the Frontier Athletic Conference.
“It’s a big deal because last year, [Washington] was the team that kept us from winning the Gold Ball,” Salyers said. “So getting this win, here first, it’s really big for us going forward.”
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
It wasn’t all hunky-dory, however.
Washington (7-8, 2-3 FAC) gave the Panthers’ defense fits in the first half and Noah Haithcock led that charge. When the junior hit a 3 to beat the second quarter’s buzzer, it gave the Blue Lions a 26-21 lead and all momentum heading into the break.
“I think we realized we were playing soft and not good,” Salyers said. “We realized we needed to clean it up and [Miami Trace head coach] Ben [Ackley] got us talking in the locker room. We came out ready to go. Just got it done.”
Haithcock teamed up with Jeston Everhart to give Washington an early 7-1 lead, forcing a MT timeout with 5:55 left in the first quarter after a 3 from Everhart.
The Panthers answered with a scoring burst of their own, using points from Salyers, Julian Baker and Adam Guthrie to cut the deficit to 11-10 by the end of the quarter.
When Salyers scored with 7:19 left in the second, it capped an 11-4 run and gave the Panthers their first lead of the night at 12-11. It was short-lived, however, as the Blue Lions went back in front at 15-14 and, eventually, 17-15 with 3:18 remaining.
Guthrie then gave MT a 21-20 lead with 1:35 left but that’s when Everhart and Haithcock went back to work. The duo spearheaded a half-ending 6-0 run with a pair of triples to send WCH into the break with a five-point lead.
PHOTOS: Images from Miami Trace’s win over Washington
“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a fight. The more aggressive team was going to win,” Baker said. “We knew that we needed to be more aggressive. I was just attacking and doing what I could to help my team win.”
Guthrie scored immediately in the third quarter before Trey Robinette followed with a bucket of his own, cutting the Blue Lions’ lead to 26-25 with 5:48 to play. Salyers then buried a 3 at the 4:19 mark to force a 28-28 tie and he never looked back.
He hit a second triple with 3:03 to go, putting MT ahead 31-30, and the lead never traded hands again.
“In the second half, when I got my first couple of points, I realized that no one was keeping up with me and I just needed the ball,” Salyers said. “I wanted to win this game badly. I didn’t want to let this one slip away.”
The second 3 that Salyers hit was the start of a game-changing 14-0 run — one that gave the Panthers a 42-30 advantage, and complete control, at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Washington gave its best effort to get back into the game, cutting the deficit to as small as two points at 49-47 with just 1:15 to play — an effort led by Haithcock, who played like his hair was on fire throughout the fourth quarter.
But it was all for naught as freshman guard Gage Bowers hit 10-of-10 free throw tries in the final eight minutes, sealing an important victory in conference play.
Statistically, Salyers ended the night with 22 points alongside three assists. Guthrie followed with 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Bowers finished with 12 points and three rebounds.
Haithcock led Washington with a game-high 29 points and eight rebounds while Everhart added 17 points and four boards.
While Washington looks to get back into the win column on Tuesday at McClain, the Panthers play the same night, hosting Jackson.
“We just don’t let our record get to us,” Baker said “We have to practice hard every time we go into practice. We can’t let our heads get too big.”
BOX SCORE
Miami Trace: 10-11-19-21 — 61
Washington: 11-15-4-24 — 54
Miami Trace: 18-42 FG, 22-30 FT, 3-10 3pt., 23 rebounds (Guthrie 8), 8 turnovers, 12 assists (Guthrie 3). Scoring: Salyers 22, Bowers 12, Guthrie 10, Robinette 8, Baker 7, Whitaker 2.
Washington: 13-41 FG, 19-28 FT, 6-15 3pt., 20 rebounds (Haithcock 9), 16 turnovers, 5 assists (Heath 2, Chijevsky 2). Scoring: Haithcock 29, Everhart 17, Chijevsky 6, Heath 2.
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