Tri-Village boys basketball dominates in first playoff game of tournament

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By Drew Terhall

DailyAdvocate.com

CLAYTON — The third seeded Patriots are moving on in the Southwest Division III sectional. The Tri-Village High School boys basketball team defeated Houston High School, 74-30, on Feb. 14 at Northmont High School.

It was an unusual start for the Patriots. Senior Justin Finkbine went down with an injury right after the opening tip. He did not return to the game after the first quarter.

Head coach Josh Sagester said they had to go small without Finkbine, but did have the depth to play a full bench.

At halftime, the Patriots were up 37-19. Tri-Village put up 23 points in the second quarter after getting off to a slow start in the first quarter. The press defense helped the Patriots gain momentum offensively.

The team came out in the third quarter looking to maintain their grip on the game. The defense continued to force turnovers and create some easy offense.

Sagester said he was happy with the defensive performance. Even without one of their key players, the team locked in defensively and didn’t let up any easy points.

The guards stepped up all game long, but junior Tanner Printz shined in the third quarter. Printz was making plays on the ball defensively and was rewarded for his efforts on offense. He had nine points in the third quarter.

Sagester said the guards played great during the game. Seniors Dalton Delong and Wilson Suggs had good games, but Printz stood out with his play in the third quarter.

“I thought our guards were good. We got some really good play from them tonight. Tanner Printz was really good for us. He’s a good player, he struggled at times. Now is a good time to get it going,” Sagester said.

The team put up another 23 points in the third quarter to lead 60-23 after the third quarter. It took awhile, but the Patriots start to roll through the game after the first quarter.

Printz led the team with 17 points. Junior Braden Keating had 15 points. Suggs and freshman Trey Sagester each had 13 points. Delong finished with 10 points.

The Patriots will wait until Feb. 21 to take on the 20th seed in Northwestern at Northmont in the next round of the tournament. The game is set for a 6 p.m. tipoff. The winner of that game will take on the winner of the battle between the fifth seed in Dixie and the sixth seed in Waynesville.

Contact Daily Advocate sports editor Drew Terhall at [email protected]

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