Crestview headed to district title game

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

DEFIANCE — Entering Wednesday’s Division VI district semifinal game at Defiance High School, it had been nearly two weeks since Crestview had played an actual basketball game.

The second seeded Knights finished their regular season against Lima Central Catholic on February 20, then elected for sectional bye, which played them in the district semifinal against Ayersville. Aside from some early jitters, the layoff didn’t seem to affect Crestview too much as the Knights downed the No. 4 seed Pilots 54-47 and earned a spot in Friday’s district championship game.

“I’m proud of our guys for making enough plays to get the win,” Crestview head coach Doug Etzler said. “It was the first time playing in a tournament game for several of our guys and we made some nervous mistakes.”

Lead by Jeremiah Peake’s 11 first quarter points, Ayerville led 16-15 after the first quarter. For the Knights, Hayden Perrott scored eight points in the opening quarter and Owen Heckler dropped in a trey.

The Knights ramped up the defensive pressure in the second quarter and held the Pilots to just three points on a trey by Peake, who went on to finish with a game high 24 points. Perrott scored six of Crestview’s 10 points in the quarter, all on free throws, and the Knights led 25-19 at halftime.

Liam Putman stepped up in the third quarter with six points and Perrott added four more and the Knights held a 39-35 lead entering the final stanza. To their credit, the Pilots (14-10) stayed within striking distance for most of the fourth quarter. Early in the quarter, a bucket by Dylan Dunn and a foul shot by Dane Ewers trimmed Ayerville’s deficit to 39-38, but Crestview never relinquished the lead.

“It was big to play with the lead,” Etzler said.

Back-to-back baskets by Will Sheets pushed the lead to 43-38 and a short time later, a trey by Perrott and another bucket by Sheets made it 48-41.

Perrott finished the game with 21 points and Sheets had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

“Hayden got off to a great start offensively and Will stepped up down the stretch to get us some inside baskets,” Etzler said. “Another big key to our win was Liam’s defensive performance. To hold Ewers to six points was huge.”

The Knights were 19-of-35 from the floor and 13-of-23 from the foul line, while Ayersville was 17-of-39 shooting and 8-of-13 from the free throw line. Crestview finished with a commanding 30-18 rebounding advantage.

Crestview (14-9) will face Spencerville in an all-NWC district final at 6 p.m. Friday at Defiance. The two teams met in the conference opener on December 12, and the Bearcats rolled to a 65-39 victory.

“They have a great team and are very well coached,” Etzler said. “They are very skilled on the offensive side of the ball and extremely physical on defense. It’s a big challenge in front of us on Friday but we will do our best to be prepared and ready to compete.”

Friday’s Crestview vs. Spencerville game will air live on WERT 1220AM/104.3FM.

Box score

Crestview  15  10  14  15 – 54

Ayersville   16   3  16  12 – 47

Crestview: Hayden Perrott 6-7-21; Liam Putman 4-0-8; Cash Hammons 2-2-6; Hudson Perrott 1-2-4; Owen Heckler 1-2-5; Will Sheets 5-0-10

Ayersville: Owen Lloyd 1-1-4; Jeremiah Peake 9-2-24; Dylan Dunn 3-2-8; Dane Ewers 2-2-6; Jackson Stambaugh 2-1-5