Brock Netter, Staff Writer
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
ATHENS — All gas, no brakes.
That’s the pace Unioto played at on Thursday and because of it, the Shermans are bringing a district championship trophy back to Frenchtown.
Behind a lock-tight defensive effort that held Waverly without a 3-point field goal or a single free throw attempt, Unioto earned a 56-32 victory to secure the program’s first district title since 2021.
CREDIT: Raymond Gleadle/SOSA
“Waverly deserves a lot of credit. They’re a really young team, and came in with a good game plan that had us getting off to a slow start,” Unioto coach Matt Combs said. “[Waverly] Coach [Kyle] Bradley has done a great job getting his team to this point and I’m sure they’ll be back for the next couple of years. But our guys made the adjustments and did what we needed to win. I couldn’t be happier or more proud of them.”
Thursday was a full-circle moment when Combs had a few moments to reflect.
After spending 22 years and winning three district titles at Vinton County, it was special for him to bring a title back to his alma mater in his first season as its head coach.
“When [former Unioto coach Matt] Hoops turned the program over to me, the main thing I wanted to do was continue the standard of excellence he established and represent him in the right way,” Combs said. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach for sure, and me being able to bring a district back to Unioto is very special. Lord willing, I can coach for years, but at the end of the day, these kids only get four years of high school and I’m proud of them for achieving what they set out to do.”
In the early going, Waverly attacked inside behind Sawyer Myers and Kage Alexander to take an early 6-2 lead. However, the Shermans responded behind five points from Blake Hoops, a triple from Caden Cutright and a bucket from KB Perkins for a 10-0 run, seizing a 12-6 lead after the first eight minutes.
PHOTOS: Images from Unioto’s district final win over Waverly
Perkins went on a roll, scoring five points early in the second while Jaxon Zickafoose later buried a corner triple, extending the lead to 25-14 — Unioto eventually went into halftime ahead 27-14.
“We ended that first quarter on a really good note, and KB getting that bucket was a big moment,” Combs said. “It was 6-5 for awhile and we had a little trouble getting over the hump. But ending with a bucket gave us that momentum we really needed.”
Throughout the rest of the night, it was all Shermans.
The defense, led by Cutright, forced 15 turnovers and never let the team’s lead slip under 10 points throughout the rest of the night.
“We didn’t create a ton of turnovers, but our ball pressure was really good and we contested some shots,” Combs said. “I thought our physicality on the cuts and taking away some of the things they wanted to do was a huge part of the game.”
Meanwhile, on the other end, Perkins, Hoops, Zickafoose and Blake Fitch continued to move the ball and score buckets at will, building the lead to 20-plus points before celebrating as the final buzzer sounded.
Hoops finished the night with a game-high 16 points for Unioto, followed by 10 points each from Zickafoose and Cutright. For Waverly, Myers finished with 10 points.
As Waverly’s season comes to a close, Unioto advances to a Division IV regional final at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Ohio University’s Convocation Center against either Indian Valley or River Valley.
“We’re a confident team with a group of guys who like one another, but we have to be more consistent moving forward,” Combs said. “Sometimes, tournament basketball isn’t pretty and you have to grind it out, but we’re a team that doesn’t mind the work. Our guys play with energy and fire, and we’re excited for regional play.”
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