NEW MADISON – A bevy of strong teams competed in Tri-Village’s 13th annual Patriot Shootout on Saturday, providing a welcome challenge for the Patriots.
The Tri-Village boys basketball team played games against Chaminade Julienne, Franklin, Jackson Center and Richmond during Saturday’s competition. The field also included Belmont, Northeastern, St. Henry and West Carrollton.
“We had some quality teams,” Sagester said. “It’s always good to get those teams in your gym and get a chance to play against not only quality teams but different types of teams.
“The only way to get better is to play very good teams.”
The top thing Sagester wanted to see from his group during the shootout was for the Patriots to compete against some very good teams that also possess great size and athleticism. He also wanted to see them stay focused, defend well and understand their roles and what the team was trying to accomplish, he said.
“We definitely had our moments when we were playing well,” Sagester said. “We had some times when we weren’t playing so well. That’s summer basketball in a nutshell.”
Tri-Village, the defending Cross County Conference champion, will return its top two returning scorers in Gavin Richards and Trace Couch for the upcoming season.
“We’ve got a couple stalwarts that we have been with us for a while,” Sagester said.
They will need to find a way to replace third team all-Ohio point guard Tyler VanWinkle, though.
“The Tyler VanWinkle days are over,” Sagester said. “We’ve kind of thrown (some new guys) into the fire right away.”
In addition to hosting the Patriot Shootout, Tri-Village has played in summer leagues at Twin Valley South at Northeastern, Indiana. The team also will travel to Wittenberg University on Saturday as the summer basketball season starts to wind down.
“Our guys are coming along,” Sagester said. “They’re playing hard and trying to figure it out here right now.”
