WCH wins district as SCOL disbands

(Continued from last week.)

On Feb. 14, 1992, McClain played their usual tough defense at Waverly, but Waverly was able to squeak out a 46-43 win.

The Miami Trace and WCH wins set up a showdown for the SCOL championship, Friday, Feb. 21, at Miami Trace.

Nobody would get a gold basketball in the SCOL’s final year, but Washington could take home an undisputed SCOL title by winning this game. The best Miami Trace could hope for would be a share of the championship, due to their loss to Washington back on Jan. 17.

In the first meeting of these two teams (on the WCH floor), the Blue Lions easily took care of the Panthers, 71-55, when the WCH bench outscored the MT bench, 27-0. But this would be another game, and anyone could come out on top.

The Lions outscored Miami Trace, 12-11, in the first quarter and 18-13 in the second, to claim a 30-24 halftime advantage. But the hard-working Panthers were not ready to quit. They roared back to outscore the Lions, 15-10, in the third stanza.

At the break, WCH still held a lead, but it was only 40-39. The final eight minutes were all Miami Trace. The Panthers outscored WCH, 25-13, to take a decisive 64-52 victory over Washington.

Pittser’s 19 points were best for the Blue Lions, but Terrell Baker was the high scorer of the game when he racked up 29 Panther points. Baker’s play was basically the story of this game.

Almost as an afterthought, the Blue Lions traveled to Paint Valley on Saturday night, where Jason Pittser had a monster performance with 39 points, including six three-pointers, as the Lions clipped the ’Cats, 67-50,

Trace also finished 16-4 and grabbed a share of the SCOL championship. Both WCH and Miami Trace finished the league season, 6-2.

   The final SCOL standings for the 1991-92 season were:
   Miami Trace 16-4, 6-2
   Washington 16-4, 6-2
   McClain 10-10, 4-4
   Hillsboro 7-13, 2-6
   Wilmington 5-13, 2-6

Miami Trace drew McClain in the sectional opener at Chillicothe High School on Feb. 28. Everyone knew this would be a rugged battle down to the wire. It was.

Tiger Pat Coleman was whistled for traveling with seven seconds remaining and the Tigers on top, 52-51. Miami Trace used their ace, Terrell Baker, as a decoy. As Baker ran around, trying to get open, the ball was passed to forward Jason King, who was wide open under the basket. King tossed in an (almost) uncontested bunny shot just before the buzzer, and the Panthers had eliminated the purple-and-gold, 53-52. King’s 16 points led Trace, while Rob Snavely’s 15 were McClain’s best.

The Panthers would advance to the championship game against their old Fayette County rivals, the Blue Lions of Washington.

The game would be played in the Chillicothe High School gymnasium on March 4, 1992. The winner would advance to the Athens District Tournament. The loser would be getting the ball gloves out.

For the first three quarters, this game was very close. Miami Trace held a 49-45 lead. With 7:08 remaining in the game, the Panthers held a 53-47 lead. Then Pittser and Harris combined to bring the score to 53-52, with Trace still in the lead. The Lions reeled off 13 unanswered points, with Pittser and Travis Robertson accounting for 11 of them. Washington captured the sectional championship with a 73-61 win. Pittser’s 26 points set the pace for WCH, but Harris added 15 and Robertson 11. Baker and Hoppes contributed 15 and 12, respectively, for the losing Panthers.

Washington would have a definite size advantage in their match-up with Thornville Sheridan in the Convocation Center at Athens. The Lions opened up early against Sheridan and rolled to a 90-77 win.

The Blue Lions would advance to meet Waverly, the number-one seed in the tournament. Washington just clearly dominated Waverly, leading practically all the way and taking a 76- 60 win over the Tigers. The Lion defense held Waverly to only 11 field goals, while piling up 13 steals. Big Jeff Sword tallied 24 points, while Pittser and Harris added 16 each. WCH won in every statistic. They were district champions. This was the first district championship in the history of the school.

In the regional semi-finals, the Lions met Columbus Linden McKinley. McKinley, ranked number two in the state, was a very tall team with blinding speed. Thanks to 11 layups, McKinley ran out to a quick 29-10 advantage. Washington was forced to play catch-up. They didn’t do it very well.

Eventually, the Lions settled down and began to play their game. They went to a zone defense which slowed the McKinley team down, somewhat. The final score showed McKinley with a 74-64 win. The final SCOL basketball season was over for Washington.

When the All-SCOL team was announced, it included Terrell Baker, Jason King and Tobin Hoppes of Miami Trace, Jason Pittser and Monte Smith of Washington, Casey Chroust and Brian Long of Wilmington, Tim Parry and Nathan Walker of Hillsboro and Jimmy Vanzant of McClain. Terrell Baker of Miami Trace and Jason Pittser of Washington were named Co-Honorary Captains. Both Pittser and Baker were both first-team All-Southeast District selections, and both were listed as “Special Mention” on the All-State squad. Jimmy Vanzant of McClain received “Honorable Mention” on the All-State squad.

And, with that, the 63-year-old history of the South Central Ohio League concluded. Would it ever come back?

(Continued next week.)

Bob Patton is a Highland County sports historian and a contributing writer to The Highland County Press.