Red Hot shoot sends seminols via Hiland and regional | News, sports, jobs

Photo by: Kim North

Tucker Howell, Senior of Monroe Central, sets off his piece of network on Friday evening after the Seminoles Hiland (54-33) in the Ohio Division VI-Jungen Basketball Eastern District played championship game in the Cambridge High School. The Seminols rose to the regional tournament in the program history for the first time.

Cambridge – For the first time in the program history, Monroe Central goes to the regional tournament in boys basketball.

The Seminols (22-3) combined a blasty shooting performance with a suffocating defense against Routhiland, 54-33, Friday evening for the East District Cup of Division VI in Ohio, before a steeping space in the Cambridge High School was reduced into Gene Ford high school.

“I am really proud of the efforts that we made tonight,” said Mason Lang, head coach of Monroe Central in the second year. “Hiland is a really good, well -trained team. It is well disciplined, but tonight I thought we played in ourselves and not forced any pictures. Defensively we carried out our game plan and very limited what they wanted to do. “

Monroe Central, who shot 65 percent off the ground in the semi -finals a week at Harrison Central High School in the semi -finals, only missed six out of 27 shots for a sizzling 78 percent. The seminols were 13:18 in the first half and made their first eight shots of the second half before they were missing.

“It feels pretty cool. We had a whole year to prepare for this game, ”said Tucker Howell, Senior of Monroe Central. “We took good shots tonight and carried out when we had to.”

With the Lop-Side-Side victory, but an estimated victory, Monroe Central, who revenues in the Department IV Department IV in the Union Local Department against the Hawks (21: 3), the semi-final against the Southast District winner at 5:30 p.m. at the Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. The Southeast District Championship will be played on Sunday in the 2 -year convocation center of Ohio University in Athens between Seaman North Adams and Peebles No. 11.

After a change of demonstration at the age of 10, Monroe Central scored the last seven points of the opening district and 23 of the next 30 for a commander with 33-17 half-time lead. It would never be threatened.

“It is always easier to play when you are ahead and I think we have just run with it,” said Lang. “Hopefully we just keep it going.”

Cooper Howell after 10: 7 buried a three from the right wing that lit the seminols. Caedyn Silva followed with a bonus goal from the tip of the key and Monroe Central never looked back when everyone scored the last four points of the first eight minutes.

“Allen started the second quarter with a basket and Corbin Farnsworth followed with a triple from the right wing, which forced the veteran Hiland head coach Mark Schlabach to name a time exceeding of 30 seconds.

The lead was 25-15 before an 8-0 boost increased the lead to 33-17 in the final minute of the second quarter when all eight of his team height had 14 points a quarter.

Monroe Central tickled the cord with all its six shots in the third quarter, when Tucker Howell for two buckets around the color Musklede Muskled before he preserved an autumn sweater from the left baseline, which increased the edge to 43-21 and made the Hawks over a different time.

Although the ball turned the ball around 13 times in the second half, the defense of the seminols at the opposite end of the soil was dynamite. They held Hiland for 28 percent of the shooting (14-49) for the game, including 7-to-26 in the second half and 3-on-17 from three-point range.

Silva added 12 points add four free throw and Tucker Howell with 11th Cooper Howell and Farnsworth limited five rebounds when Monroe Central was largely limited the Hawks to and Done when 27-18 led out of the glass.

“I think Tucker and Cooper checked the boards, especially at the defensive end,” said Lang.

Nick Wigton was the only double -digit goal scorer for Hiland at 13, far below his season average.

“Chance defended him most of the night and he did a really good job,” praised Lang. “Chance has a lot of length that Wigton made it difficult to shoot over him. I'm really proud of him. “

The 6-5 Allen enjoyed the role of the stopper.

“We knew that if we could stop him, we had a good chance to win,” he said. “He is her big scorer, but we did a job with him tonight. That was the key. “

Monroe Central ended with 18 sales, seven more than Hiland.

This will be the third time that a Monroe Central Basketball team has reached the regional, since Troy Baker led the Lady Seminoles 2008-09 and 2021-22 there.