By Mark Carpenter-
They said he was too young, too inexperienced, that a varsity coaching job would be more than he could handle. For those naysayers, you might want to take another look, because it sure looks like the right choice was made. First-year West Union head coach Austin Kingsolver and his squad are going to the Convo. Kingsolver has masterfully guided his talented troops through an up-and-down season, but right now they are definitely on the “up”, savoring the school’s first sectional championship since 2007.
The Dragons earned the right for the coveted trip to the Ohio University Convocation Center by traveling to Waverly High School on Saturday, Feb. 23 and putting a “hurtin” on the Western Latham Indians, controlling the game literally from start to finish and using a huge 11-0 second quarter run to distance themselves and cruise to a Division III sectional title with a 53-35 victory.
“At the beginning of the year, the team had a list of goals they wanted to accomplish, first winning the league, second winning the Holiday Classic, and the third was to win a sectional championship,” said Coach Kingsolver in his postgame radio interview. “We watched the league slip away, but we won the Holiday Classic, and ever since then it has been about this moment, about tournament time. They’re checking things off their list and checking it twice.”
“They’re a great group of kids and they play hard. You always want to play your best at the end of the season and I think we’re doing that right now. Western is a really good team and Brewster is a really good player and we were lucky perhaps that he wasn’t 100% tonight.”
The Indians had defeated the Dragons 56-52 in regular season play, but there was to be none of that before a capacity crowd at Waverly on Saturday night. With senior Bowan Tomlin and junior Zane Kingsolver combining for 31 points, the Dragons won the 11th sectional championship in school history, dating all the way back to the first one in 1930, with Coach Kingsolver and his squad breaking a four-game “one and done” streak in sectional play for West Union boys basketball.
The gymnasium at Waverly is often a tough place to shoot the basketball and both teams on Saturday night found that out, and whether it be the atmosphere or just some tourney jitters, no one scored for nearly three minutes when Western’s Colton Montgomery garnered the game’s first basket. Tomlin matched that for West Union but Western answered with a three-pointer from Maverick Ferneau, but back came the Dragons to grab the lead on buckets by Ryan Rothwell and Clayton Madden. A basket by Lane Brewster briefly gave the lead back to the Indians, but the Dragons foreshadowed what was to come by ending the first quarter on a 6-0 run, taking a lead they would never relinquish, 12-7 at the end of one.
The defensive effort on Saturday night was one of the best of the season designed by Coach Kingsolver, as the Indians were continually pressured into low-percentage shots and could only manage one basket for the first seven minutes of the second quarter. When a bucket at the 6:23 mark by Brewster drew Western to within 16-8, the Dragons closed the proverbial door early by reeling off the game’s next 11 points. The run began with a step back triple from Tomlin, included two baskets by Kingsolver, one by Brycen Staten, and concluded with a jumper by Tomlin that gave West Union a commanding 27-8 advantage.
The Indians finally broke their seven-minute scoring drought with two Brewster free throws but when the halftime bell tolled, it was the Dragons bringing their fans to their feet and exiting the court to a standing ovation with a 28-12 lead.
As if there was any doubt as to who was going to make the trip to Athens and the district tourney, the Dragons continued to pour it on, again with an outstanding defensive effort and a 6-0 run to begin the third period, with baskets by Madden, Tomlin, and Kingsolver. After the Indians temporarily regained their composure to score twice, the Dragons slammed the door again by scoring the next six to go up 40-16. Perhaps the high point of the night for the Indians came in the final two minutes of the third quarter when they scored seven straight to close the gap to 40-23 headed to the final eight minutes of play.
Just a wee bit of doubt may have crept into the minds of the West Union faithful when the Indians scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter and then with 4:30 to go, closed the gap to 42-30, but in today’s game of basketball, there is one quick way to quelch a rally and distance yourself again, the three-point shot, and that’s exactly where the Dragons went. First it was Tomlin and then the dagger came when freshman Cameron Campbell hit the trifecta from the same spot in the corner on two consecutive possessions and the doubts were erased as the Dragons roared in front 51-30.
From that point on, it was an opportunity for Coach Kingsolver to get some kids on his bench some playing time in a sectional final and the reserves brought it home and the celebration began as the Dragons cut down the nets for the first time in 12 seasons, punching their ticket to the Convo with the 53-35 triumph.
In the win, the Dragons placed two players in double figures, Kingsolver with 16 and Tomlin with 15. Rothwell added 7 and Clayton Madden continued his fine postseason play with 6 points and his usual solid defensive effort. Cameron Campbell also scored 6 with those back to back fourth quarter three-pointers.
“The past two days we talked a lot about defense and we’ve come a long way in that department,” said Coach Kingsolver. “We thought we could pressure their guards a little bit and I think our kids executed the game plan really well tonight. I just love the way we’re playing right now, I really do.”
Western was paced by their outstanding senior guard Lane Brewster,who finished his stellar high school career with a 19-point effort, playing on a bum ankle.
Now the 13-11 Dragons will make the trip to Athens on Saturday, March 2 where they will face the Chesapeake Panthers, who earned their trip to the Convo with a 58-49 upset win over Eastern Pike. Tip off for the Dragons on Saturday is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. and a win there will send West Union to the district championship game on March 9, back at the Convo.
West Union
12 16 12 13 —53
Western Latham
7 5 11 12 —35
W. Union (53): Rothwell 3 1-2 7, Cameron Campbell 2 0-0 6, Staten 1 0-0 2, Madden 3 0-0 6, Tomlin 6 1-2 15, Conner Campbell 0 1-2 1, Kingsolver 6 4-4 16, Team 21 7-10 53.
Western (35): Beckett 1 0-0 2, Ferneau 1 0-0 3, Montgomery 1 0-0 2, Richardson 1 0-0 2, Brewster 7 4-8 19, Jordan 3 1-1 7, Team 14 5-9 35.
Three-Point Goals:
W. Union (4)- Cameron Campbell 2, Tomlin 2
Western (2)- Brewster 1, Ferneau 1
