District finals: Crestview vs. Hicksville

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Crestview and Hicksville will meet in Elida Friday night (7 p.m.), with a district championship and a trip to next week’s Division IV regionals at Bowling Green State University on the line.

Crestview (21-3) advanced to Friday’s district title game with a heart stopping 72-67 double overtime win over Ottoville on Tuesday. Javin Etlzer’s triple with 15 seconds left in regulation sent the game to overtime, then the Knights used late treys by Kalen Etzler and Drew Kline to second the game to a second overtime. From there, the Knights hit 10 of 14 foul shots to cement the victory. It was the 17 straight win for the Knights, and it avenged a regular season loss to Ottoville.

“Our kids are excited, they get another opportunity to play for a district title,” Crestview head coach Jeremy Best said.

After a very physical game against the Big Green, the Knights have had a short week to prepare for the Aces.

“We keep practices very focused on our next opponent (Hicksville), not long, but intense, sharp focused practices,” Best said.

The Knights and Hicksville met February 3 at Hicksville, and the end result was a 72-51 Crestview win. Derek Stout scored 25 in the game while Javin Etzler finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hicksville was without Parker Thiel (injury), but Payton Tunis scored 21 points, but now, the Aces are fully healthy.

“Every team at this point in the season is different,” Best said. “Each game is different and that’s what makes tournament basketball what it is. Hicksville is and has been a very, very good ball club all season. They have continued to prove this into the postseason. We respect this and are excited to play another game.”

Hicksville qualified for the district championship game with Tuesday night’s 54-43 win over Wayne Trace. The victory avenged a regular season loss to the Raiders. The two teams wound up sharing the Green Meadows Conference championship.

While looking at his team and the season, Hicksville head coach Tony Tear found a silver lining in the team’s late season injuries.

“The injuries helped from the standpoint of it got guys some experience, and forced them into spots where they had to be more aggressive,” Tear explained. “It also helped the guys that got hurt, as they got some time to rest and get some fresh legs. They had logged a lot of minutes, and it may have been a blessing in disguise to get them a rest and help them feel fresh going into the tournament.”

Despite being at full strength now, Tear knows the Aces are facing a big challenge.

“They are an elite team, and it’s hard to find any weaknesses,” Tear said. “They have great guard play, guys that can shoot all over floor, and they have size at every position. They are a physically strong team that plays great defense, executes offensively, and they are well coached.”

“We will have to be on point in every aspect of the game to compete with these guys, but we are looking forward to the challenge,” Tear added.

Friday’s Crestview vs. Hicksville game will air live on WKSD 99.7FM, and will stream live at www.thevwindependent.com.