Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

WILLOW WOOD — The Symmes Valley Vikings were good. The Sciotoville East Tartans were just better.

Although the Vikings game played well, it wasn’t enough as the Southern Ohio Conference champion East Tartans took a 68-54 win on Friday.

“We didn’t play bad. We gave it everything and they just took it. East is a good, solid team,” said Vikings’ coach Donnie Saunders.

“I was proud of our kids and our seniors. East just proved why they deserved to win the league.”

Akia Brown scored 24 points to lead four Tartans in double figures. Blaine Scott had 13 points, Drew Lowe 11 and Will Shope 10.

The Vikings (7-13, 4-10) we led by Shawn Belville with 18 points and Jarod Sheppard with 12.

Belville scored eight points and the Vikings were down just 11-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Sheppard had seven points and Belville six more in the second quarter, but Brown scored 11 points including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that gave East a 36-19 halftime lead.

Brown got six more points in the third quarter as the Tartans (16-4) went ahead 53-43. Payton Hayes hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored all eight of his points in the third quarter for the Vikings.

Scott had six points including 4-of-5 from the foul line as East added to its lead in the fourth quarter. Chayden Renfroe and Collin Webb scored four points each for Symmes Valley.

After playing St. Joseph on Saturday, the Vikings will next play Green at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Meigs High School in the Division IV sectional tournament.

Sciotoville 11 25 17 15 = 68

Sym. Valley 10 19 14 11 = 54

SCIOTOVILLE EAST (16-4): Kyle Flannery 1 0 0-0 2, Will Shope 2 2 0-0 10, Drew Lowe 1 2 3-4 11, Brady Douthat 1 0 0-0 2, Akia Brown 9 1 3-4 24, Zane Scott 0 0 1-2 1, J.D. Hatcher 1 0 3-4 5, Kanyon Bruton 0 0 0-0 0, Blaine Scott 3 0 7-9 13. Totals: 18 5 17-25 68. Turnovers: 12. Fouls: 13. Fouled out: None.

SYMMES VALLEY (7-13, 4-10): Levi Cade 0 0 -0 0, Chayden Renfroe 2 0 0-1 4, Collin Webb 4 0 0-0 8, Shawn Belville 8 0 2-4 18, Derrek Smith 1 0 0-2 2, Payton Hayes 1 2 0-0 8, Laken Gothard 0 0 0-0 0, Forrest Humphrey 1 0 0-0 2, Jarod Sheppard 5 0 2-3 12. Totals: 22 2 4-10 54. Turnovers: 7. Fouls: 18. Fouled out: None.