Pointers edge Warriors to advance to district tournament

WAVERLY — There’s just one goal in tournament basketball: win.

No matter how good or back or by how much doesn’t matter and the South Point Pointers did just that as they fought off a bad night at the foul line to beat the Eastern Brown Warriors 50-48 in the Division 3 sectional finals.

The Pointers overcame 10 of 27 free throw shooting to hold off the Warriors.

South Point's Xathan Haney (11) puts up a shot from beyond the arc during Friday's sectional finals game against the Eastern Brown Warriors. (Photo by Tim Gearhart)

“We played a good game other than our foul shooting. We have to make free throws. We’re a better foul shooting team than what we showed tonight,” said Pointers’ coach Travis Wise. “But the name of the game at tournament time is survive and advance and we did that.”

The Pointers will now play the winner of Wheelersburg and Lucasville Valley at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 3, at the Ohio University’s Convocation Center in the district semifinals.

Wheelersburg and Valley will meet on Saturday.

Caleb Lovely scored 6 points including 4-of-6 at the foul line while Xathan Haney knocked down a 3-pointer and scored 7 points for South Point who took a 14-12 lead.

Braxton Vance scored 4 points with Kade Walkup and Wyatt Haupt each hitting 3-pointers.

Both teams scored 14 points in the second quarter and it was 29-26 at the half.

Elijah Wilburn had 4 points, Ethan Layne and Lovely hit 3-pointers  for the Pointers.

Grady Barber drilled a 3 -pointers and scored 9 points for the Warriors.

The Pointers opened up a little breathing room in the third quarter by extending their lead to 43-35.

South Point's Brayden Hanshaw (13) tries to make a save under his own basket during Friday's sectional title game against the Eastern Brown Warriors. (Photo by Tim Gearhart)

Josh Childers and Carter Smith hit 3-pointers and Brayden Hanshaw had 4 points as 6 different players scored for South Point in the quarter.

The Warriors had 4 different players score in the quarter.

The Pointers hung on to win despite converting only 3-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Barber hit another 3-pointer and scored 6 points and Walkup also had a trey and scored 5 points for Eastern in the quarter.

Lovely had 12 points and 7 rebounds to pace the Pointers. Hanshaw added 9 points and 7 boards while Haney had 9 points and 5 rebounds.

Barber scored a game-high 19 points for Eastern (17-7) with Walkup getting 14 points.

Eastern 12 14 9 13 = 48

South Point 14 14 15 7 = 50

EASTERN BROWN (17-7): Kade Walkup 0 4 2-4 14, Landen Koehler 0 0 0-0 0, Wyatt Haupt 0 1 0-0 3, Drew Edmisten 0 0 0-0 0, Luke Haney 1 0 1-2 3, Braxton Vance 4 0 1-5 9, Pryce Murphy 0 0 0-0 0, Grady Barber 5 2 3-4 19. Totals: 10 7 7-15 48. Fouls: 20. Fouled out: Vance.

SOUTH POINT (14-9): Caleb Lovely 2 1 5-9 12, Carter Smith 2 1 1-4 8, Elijah Wilburn 2 0 1-2 5, Xathan Haney 2 1 2-2 9, Josh Childers 0 1 1-2 4, Ethan Layne 0 1 0-0 3, Brayden Hanshaw 4 0 1-6 9, Ethan Hunt 0 0 0-2 0, Jalyn Anderson 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17-41 10-26 50. 3-pt goals: 6-14. Rebounds: 31 (Lovely 7, Hanshaw 7, Haney 5). Assists: 12 (Haney 3, Hanshaw 3). Steals: 8 (Lovely 2, Smith 2, Haney 2). Turnovers: 8. Fouls: 16. Fouled out: None.