NEW MADISON – Tri-Village overwhelmed visiting Greeneview Tuesday night on its way to a 69-36 non-conference win.
Coming into the contest Patriot senior Gavin Richards needed just one field goal to reach 1,000 points, and that would come on the second score of the night for Tri-Village.
Richards took a pass at the left elbow and blew by the defender, finishing with his patented left-handed layup just out of the reach of the 6-foot 8-inch defender trying to block his shot to reach the historic milestone.
Richards would become the seventh player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in boys basketball at Tri-Village.
A brief stop in play ensued to allow congratulations then Coach Josh Sagester gave the game ball to Richard,s who went into the stands, gave hugs to family, dropped the ball off, and then he went back to work.
Richards scored 7 points in the quarter to lead the Patriots to an 18-9 lead, and he finished with 16 for the game.
Tri-Village erupted for 22 points in the second frame while holding Greeneview to just one score, a triple by Mason Schneider, the Rams leading scorer, who was held in check most of the night by Jonny Wilson.
Trace Couch scored 12 points in the second quarter and finished with the game with a game-high 27 as the Patriots took a commanding 40-12 lead at the break.
“I thought we played good in the first half,” Sagester said. “We got after it on defense, and Trace Couch took it as a challenge going after the much taller Greeneview kids never quitting. Even when he got shots blocked, his second and third effort resulted in some big scores.”
As well as Tri-Village played in the second quarter the Patriots played as bad in the third as Greeneview outscored the PATS 12-8, primarily due to the Rams’ ability to get second and third chances on the offensive glass.
“Greeneview was tougher than us in the third quarter, out-rebounding us, taking the ball away from us, and we just had a nonchalant attitude,” Sagester said. “Defensive rebounding could be an issue for us in the future if we don’t shore that up.”
The Patriots returned to form in the final stanza, scoring 21 points with a balanced attack and coasting to a 69-36 win.
“Obviously, it was a special night for Gavin Richards,” Sagester said after the game.
“He joins six other guys who have scored 1,000 points; I’ve been real fortunate to have good kids, which is a byproduct of good homes. Good players make good coaches, and I’m real proud of Gavin, not only tonight … but for the career he’s had thus far, and hopefully we got several more games yet to play. He’s put in a lot of time and earned everything he has achieved,” Sagester said.
Tri-Village with the win improved to 14-6 overall and will host the Ansonia Tigers to conclude conference play on Friday when they also will recognize the seniors on senior night.
The Patriots will conclude the regular season Saturday night with a tough matchup at Fort Loramie.
Box score:
Score by quarters:
TV….18…22…08…21 – 69
GR….09…03…12…12 – 36
Individual scores:
Tri-Village
McCullough 6, Wilson 4, Richards 16, Frech 6, Buckley 9, Ricker 1, Couch 27
Totals 1-28-10/16 – 69
Greeneview
Stewart 5, Lahotay ¬¬2, Brooks 4, Tamplin 2, Clevenger 5, Caudill 2, Schneider 16
Totals 2-9-12/20 – 36
3-pointers:
TV – 1 (Richards)
GR – 2 (Schneider 2)
