Knights subdue the Pirates 58-14

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

CONVOY — If No. 13 seed Continental had hopes of upsetting No. 5 seed Crestview, those hopes faded pretty quickly.

The Knights jumped out to an early double digit lead and rolled to a dominating 58-14 win over the Pirates in the Division IV sectional semifinals at Ray Etzler Gymnasium on Wednesday.

“I am proud of the way our guys prepared for this first tournament game and was very pleased with our intensity defensively,” Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said. “Everyone contributed and that is what you need at tournament time.”

Crestview led 13-3 after first quarter with Wren Sheets scoring five points and Hayden Perrott and Braxton Leeth each draining a triple. Sheets and Tommy Hefner combined for all 10 of Crestview’s second quarter points and the defense gave up just two points on the way to a 23-5 halftime lead.

Hefner went off in the third quarter, scoring 13 points, Sheets added five more and Perrott nailed another trey and the Knights saw their lead balloon to 48-9 entering the fourth quarter. Sheets finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Hefner led all scorers with 18.

With a continuous clock and reserves playing in the final period, Will Sheets put in six points and Leeth and Liam Putman each added a basket.

Crestview was 23-of-47 shooting and 7-of-8 from the foul line with 22 rebounds and nine turnovers. Continental (3-20) was just 5-of-20 from the floor and 2-of-6 from the free throw line with 15 rebounds and a whopping 26 turnovers.

The Knights (16-7) will travel to Miller City for the sectional championship game at 7 p.m. on Friday. The fourth seeded Wildcats ( 19-4) advanced with a 43-31 win over No. 10 seed Kalida on Wednesday.

“Going to Miller City for the sectional final is going to be a huge challenge for us,” Etzler said. “They have won 19 games and have a very good team with a lot of pieces that can hurt you. We will do our best to put together a plan and hope to put forth a great effort on Friday night.”

Box score

Knights 13 10 25 10 – 58
Pirates 3 2 4 5 – 14

Crestview: Hayden Perrott 2-0-6; Kellin Putman 1-0-2; Braxton Leeth 2-0-5; Tommy Hefner 8-0-18; Jaret Harting 2-0-4; Wren Sheets 5-5-15; Liam Putman 1-0-2; Will Sheets 2-2-6

Continental: Carson Etter 2-0-4; Mason Rayle 3-0-8; Jonathan Etter 0-2-2