Friday night was Homecoming at New Washington High School — but coach David Todd’s Switzerland County Pacers didn’t prove to be obliging guests, outlasting a fired-up New Washington team in the opening quarter before pulling away to an easy 57-28 win.
An emotional Mustang team hoped to pull off a Homecoming upset, and early turnovers by Switzerland County kept the game close through the first quarter — ending with the team tied at 5-5 after eight minutes.
Switzerland County found its offensive footing in the second period, but were only able to pull out to a 22-16 lead by halftime.
“We came out in the first half and tried to get the ball inside,” Coach Todd said. “New Washington was really fired up and played with a lot of intensity.”
For all of their intensity, New Washington simply couldn’t find its shooting touch, and simply couldn’t sustain any offense long enough to pose a threat to the Pacers.
The fire left the Mustangs after halftime, as the Pacers began to methodically dismantle the hosts with crisp ball movement and timely shooting.
The Pacers also took good care of the basketball, committing only two turnovers during the entire second half.
“Taking care of the basketball and defending is key for us,” David Todd said. “When we do that, we play a lot better in all phases of the game.”
The Switzerland County defense allowed New Washington to score only 12 points during the entire second half — and only three in the final quarter although the Pacer coach cleared his bench early in the rout.
B.J. Shelton led all scorers with 14 points, pacing a balanced offensive effort that saw the Pacers get contributions from 10 different players. The junior forward made three three-pointers in the game, and also added four rebounds and four assists.
Mat Deaton continued his impressive play with 10 points and some key rebounds; while Josh Snow added nine points and Josh Reagan had six.
Ben Hickman had five points; Ryan Owings contributed four points; Chancey May had a three-pointer; and both Travis Webster and T.J. Sefton had two points.
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In the junior varsity game, Switzerland County cruised to a 47-25 victory.
Jordan Pavy was the leading scorer, finishing with 11 points; while Bryan Levell and Aaron Moore had seven points each. Zach Getz had six points; T.J. Sefton had five; Michael Otter had three; and Devon Ballard, Kris Hetrick, Josh Snow, and Cliff Meyer all had two points each.