Jaret Beck looks for an open teammate in Pettisville’s Division IV sectional semifinal agaist Hicksville. (PHOTO BY GARY ROSALES)
By: Gary Rosales
PETTISVILLE, OHIO – In a rematch from the regular season, the two teams battled in a GMC versus BBC matchup in the Division IV sectional semifinals game. Hicksville was able to pull out a regular season win over Pettisville 55-43 just two weeks ago.
Hicksville came into last night’s game as the 7th seed with an 8-9 overall record, while the Pettisville Blackbirds established the 3rd seed with a 14-6 overall record in the Defiance District.
In the opening quarter, the Pettisville Blackbirds effectively used a 2-3 zone defense to control the tempo of the game and minimize the Hicksville Aces overall height advantage.
Pettisville was able to build an early lead with the hot shooting led by freshman guard, Joey Ripke and sophomore guard, Jaret Beck, who together scored 12 of the 19 Pettisville first quarter points. At the end of the first quarter, Pettisville led 19-12.
Hicksville was able to narrow the lead in the second quarter with a solid defensive effort, allowing only six Pettisville points. The Aces were aggressive on the offensive boards which led to easy baskets, keeping the game close throughout the second quarter.
Jackson Bergman, a 6’6” junior, and Landon Turnbull a 6’2” senior, helped pace Hicksville with 12 and 9 points at the half. Pettisville led at the intermission 25-23. Beck led the Blackbirds in scoring with eight points before break.
Pettisville was able to extend its lead in the third with a big quarter by Cayden Jacoby, a 6’6” forward, who used his size to control the boards and establish himself in the paint. The Blackbirds were able to slow down the charge from the Aces by maintaining its 2-3 zone defense and controlling the pace of the game.
At the end of the third quarter, Pettisville was up 35-30.
Both teams would battle hard in the final stanza for a chance to play in the sectional finals on Friday. The Aces would make a strong comeback during the final quarter that was led by Bergman, who dominated both offensively and defensively.
At the 3:41 mark, Turnbull was able to score off an offensive put back, with an and one opportunity that gave the Aces a lead of 41-37. The Blackbirds would not go down quietly, and with a minute left in the game, Pettisville’s Max Leppelmeier, drained a big three-pointer from downtown to cut the Hicksville lead 44-47.
But Bergman proved to be too much as he took over down the stretch, leading the Hicksville to a big sectional semifinal win over Pettisville 52-47. Bergman was the game-high scorer with 25 points while Leppelmeier and Jacoby would lead the Blackbirds with 15 and 12 points respectively.
Pettisville finished its night shooting 20 of 41 from the field and committing 8 turnovers. The Aces, with a strong shooting performance, went 18 of 32 from the field, while turning the ball over 9 times.
Pettisville finished its tournament run, and its strong season with a record of 14-7. Hicksville extends its record to 9-9 and moves on to the sectional finals with a matchup versus its GMC foe Holgate Tigers, on Friday at 7p.m. in Hicksville.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Hicksville 12 11 7 22 52
Pettisville 19 6 10 12 47
Gary can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com