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Toronto boys hold off River

TORONTO – Toronto withstood the River charge.

The Toronto boys’ basketball team opened up a 14-point advantage in the third quarter only to see River battle back and tie the score in the fourth quarter. Unfazed, the top-seeded Red Knights quickly responded and rebuilt its lead before coming away with a 64-57 victory over the second-seeded Pilots in the OVAC Class 2A Tournament Consolation Final Friday night at home.

“They pressured us really well,” first-year Toronto (18-4) head coach Sean Tucker said about what enabled the Pilots to rally and tie the score. “River is a great team. Coming into tonight, they had lost three games against teams ranked in the state in West Virginia and Ohio.

“Coach (Mark) Romick is a good friend of mine. He does an excellent job.

“We had to plug guys in tonight. We have practiced for 14 days. It is hard to get the rust off. We played extremely well. We played as a team. I am proud of the boys. When each player plays their game, we are fine. We made mistakes when we started doing things outside of their realm.”

Five players scored in the game for the boys from Jefferson County – four of which reached double digits. Individually, Jake Keenan collected a team-high 16 points to lead the way. Also for the victors, Nick Sninchak contributed 14 points, Lucas Gulczynski tallied 13 points and Nate Karaffa finished with 12 points.

“We had some guys really step up tonight,” Tucker said. “We had one kid out due to a medical reason. We had some kids come off the bench and give us valuable time on the court. Nick Sninchak normally comes off of the bench, but he started tonight. He did an excellent job. Kobe Herrick also came off the bench and did a really-good job.

“We have to be ready to play defense. It is tournament time now. If you win, you advance. If you lose, you go home.”

Five players also scored in the game for the boys from Monroe County – two of which reached double figures. Individually, Isaac Curtis contributed a game-high 21 points, while Lucas Islay tallied 18 points.

The Pilots did plenty of damage from beyond the arc in the game as the boys from River hit 10 3-pointers on the night. Curtis hit seven 3-pointers on the night to account for all of his 21 points, while Islay drained three shots from long distance to account for half of his point total.

“River has great shooters,” Tucker said. “They are one of the best outside-shooting teams you will see. They have great outside shooters. They do an excellent job.”

After trailing by three points at the end of the first quarter, the Red Knights outscored the Pilots (18-4) by 14 points in the second quarter to take an 11-point lead at halftime. Then, Toronto extended its advantage to 14 points in the third only to see River fight back and close within five points heading into the fourth. The visitors tied the score at 48 with 6:42 remaining to be played in the game, but they were never able to get completely over the hump. The hosts scored the next five points to regain the advantage en route to the big victory.

“At the end of the day, these are 15, 16, 17-year old kids,” Tucker said. “We have been through a lot this season. They hardly get any rest. They run a youth league. They go at it seven days a week. They played extremely well. They got a win against a really-good team. We are excited about that.”

Curtis hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter to lift River to a 12-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The tide turned in Toronto’s direction in the second quarter. The Red Knights outscored the Pilots, 21-7, in the quarter to take a 30-19 advantage into halftime.

The boys in white started the quarter on a 9-0 run to take an 18-12 lead. During the run, Keenan converted a three-point play to give Toronto a 14-12 advantage. The boys from the Gem City never trailed again.

In the third quarter, Keenan drained a 3-pointer to put Toronto up 35-21, but the boys in gray battled back and pulled within 41-36 at the end of the quarter. Curtis once again led the way in the comeback as he hit four 3-pointers in the quarter to bring River back to within fighting distance.

River continued to roll early on in the fourth quarter, and a basket by Islay knotted the score at 48 with 6:42 still showing on the scoreboard clock.

After the Pilots tied the score, Keenan drained a 3-pointer, and he added another basket to give Toronto a 53-38 advantage. River scored the next four points to pull within a point, but they did not get any closer as Karaffa hit a 3-pointer and Gulczynski scored a basket to increase Toronto’s advantage to six points – 58-52.

River did not get closer than three points the remainder of the game.

The Red Knights and Pilots lost at home to lower-seeded teams in the OVAC Tournament Semifinals back on Feb. 14. Shadyside, the No. 4 seed, defeated Toronto, 60-46, while No. 3 seed Wheeling Central defeated River, 58-52.

The Maroon Knights went on to defeat the Tigers, 75-61, in the tournament final this past Saturday down at Ohio University Eastern.

Toronto is scheduled to open up postseason play at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home against Shenandoah in an Ohio Division IV Eastern District First Round Game. The Red Knights are the third seed in the tournament, while the Zeps are seeded eighth.

“We have a bunch of film on them,” Tucker said. “We have scouted them. They are a good team. We cannot let them play their game. We have to play our game.”

The Red Knights are hoping having the home-court advantage will play off for them.

“Absolutely, it is nice to be playing at home,” Tucker said. “We have been fighting to get the home-court advantage in our district for a long time. It is nice our district has home-court advantage through sectionals. Now, we have to step up and play. We play well at home. We could have two-straight games at home.”

The winner of the game between Shenandoah and Toronto will take on No. 7 seed Tuscarawas Central Catholic at 7 p.m. Friday night. The higher seed will hosts that game.

River is scheduled to open up play in the postseason against Newcomerstown at 7 p.m. Friday night at home in an Ohio Division III Eastern District Quarterfinal. The Pilots are the No. 3 seed in the tournament, while the Trojans are the No. 17 seed.

The winner of that game will play the winner of the game between No. 7 seed Edison and No. 8 seed Sandy Valley at 7 p.m. on March 7 in the district semifinals at a site to be determined. The Wildcats will play the Cardinals at 7 p.m. Friday at home.

Toronto 64, River 57

River 12 07 22 16 – 57

Toronto 09 21 16 18 – 64

River (18-4): Hupp 0 0-0 0, Coretti 0 3-7 3, Islay 6 3-4 18, Collins 0 0-0 0, Dietz 5 2-2 12, Curtis 7 0-0 21, Doty 0 0-0 0, Ladyga 1 1-1 3. TOTALS: 19 9-14 57. 3-Pointers: Curtis 7, Islay 3.

Toronto (18-4): Tr. West 0 0-0 0, Karaffa 5 0-0 12, Ty West 3 0-0 7, Herrick 0 0-0 0, Gulczynski 5 3-5 13, Keenan 6 3-3 16, Sninchak 5 0-2 14. TOTALS: 25 6-10 64. 3-Poitnters: Sninchak 4, Karaffa 2, Ty West, Keenan.

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