Panthers win SCOL opener

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ADAMS TOWNSHIP — Rob Pittser knew his Miami Trace Panthers would have their hands full Tuesday at South Central Ohio League foe Clinton-Massie.

“Anytime you go to anybody’s gym for opening night, it’s a tough situation,” Pittser said. “To come here, where there’s so much athletic tradition in so many sports, especially in football with some of the same kids who are used to winning, and they have the white out thing going.

“It’s a lot to deal with.”

But deal with it is what the Panthers did, to the tune of a 59-51 victory, after falling in a 17-7 hole early.

“I do think (the aforementioned stuff) was a factor,” Pittser said about the Panthers’ deficit. “We spent the whole first half playing catch up.”

MT (2-0, 1-0) tied the game at 22 at halftime with the last seven points of the half and then scored the first five points of the second half.

“We put in a 1-3-1 zone in the three-quarter court. I think that slowed them just enough,” Pittser said.

The Falcons (0-1, 0-1) clawed back to tie the game at 34 early in the fourth quarter when Nick Chowning hit for three of his game-high 16 points.

“I was pleased with our effort,” C-M coach Todd Cook said after his first game for the Falcons. “We started off hot. Trace came out in man, and we were able to attack the basket and get them in foul trouble. Then they came out in the zone and we didn’t do as well attacking. We have to work more on the zone offense, getting people in the right spots and attacking the gaps. Rebounding killed us. They had 14 offensive rebounds.”

The Panthers then went on a 15-5 run and put the game out of reach. Blake Pittser and Darby Tyree hit threes while Cameron Carter sank three from the line after being fouled on a shot behind the arc during the spurt.

Carter led the Panthers with 14 points. Tyree finished with 12 while Deandre Pettiford chipped in with 13.

Miami Trace is at Wilmington Friday to take on the two-time defending SCOL champs. The freshman game starts at 4:45 p.m.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MT – 13 9 12 25 – 59

C-M – 19 3 9 20 – 51

MT (59) – D. Pettiford 3-7-13, Carter 2-10-14, T. Pettiford 3-0-6, Leach 1-0-2, Tyree 4-1-12, Creamer 2-0-4, Pittser 2-1-6, Bryant 1-0-2, Batson 0-0-0. Total 18-19-59. 3-point goals: 4 (Tyree 3, Pittser). FTM-FTA 19-27, 70 percent.

C-M (51) – Cook 2-0-4, Chowning 6-2-16, Myers 3-0-6, Uetrecht 1-2-5, Wolfe 3-0-9, Demler 0-0-0, Laake 0-0-0, Leforge 2-2-6, Greathouse 2-0-5. Total 19-6-51. 3-point goals: 7 (Wolfe 3, Chowning 2, Greathouse). FTM-FTA 6-12, 50 percent.

Seth Leach, above, and DeAndre Pettiford, at right, vie with a Clinton-Massie player for the ball during the SCOL-opener for both teams Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016 at Clinton-Massie High School.
http://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2016/12/web1_seth-Leach-and-DeAndre-Pettiford-at-Massie-12-6-2016.jpgSeth Leach, above, and DeAndre Pettiford, at right, vie with a Clinton-Massie player for the ball during the SCOL-opener for both teams Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016 at Clinton-Massie High School. Elizabeth Clark | WNJ photo
MT beats Falcons, 59-51

By Shawn Robinson

For the Wilmington News Journal

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