SPORTS

Moore, Reader pace Piketon in opening round win

Derrick Webb
Reporter
  • Casey Moore and Blake Reader combined to score 47 points in Piketon's win over P. West Monday.
  • Moore had 31 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Reader scored 16 points and had 9 boards.
  • The Redstreaks advance to play in a Division III sectional final at 8:30 p.m., Friday night.

WAVERLY - For just a couple of minutes, Portsmouth West made it seem like Piketon's season was in peril.

But just as they had all night long, the Redstreaks' duo of Casey Moore and Blake Reader put an end to that.

Moore and Reader combined to score 47 points in a 63-47 win over the Senators Monday night in a Division III sectional semifinal at Waverly's Downtown Gym.

"Blake is probably the most energetic person on the team," Moore said of his teammate. "He brings that next level of energy for us and when we can feed him in the post, he's deadly. I can almost guarantee he's going to put the ball in the hole when that happens."

Reader was just as complimentary of Moore.

"When we're down, Casey is the guy we look to," he said. "He can drive to the bucket, get us up and score two or three in a row. And overall, he's one of the best teammates on the team."

Reader began Monday's contest with two straight buckets to put the Redstreaks (12-11) up 4-0 with 6:21 left in the first quarter. Moore later scored two of his own baskets, keeping that four-point lead in place at 13-9 heading into the second.

After Scott Lightle connected from long range to begin the third, Reader and Moore eight straight Redstreaks' points to stretch the lead to 27-16 and cap off a 9-0 run. At the break, Piketon led Portsmouth West 31-23.

Behind L.T. Maynard, the Senators made things interesting in the third.

Trailing 39-27, Portsmouth West ended the third on a 16-7 run, cutting the deficit to 46-43 heading into the fourth.

But Moore and Reader led the troops on a 10-0 run to begin the final eight minutes, putting the game out of reach for good.

"Basketball is a game of runs," Moore said. "We just can't get rattled when our opponent makes their run. We took our shots and we delivered them right back."

Moore finished with a game-high 31 points alongside five rebounds and three assists — he also was 11-of-11 from the free throw line. Reader ended the night with 16 points and nine boards while Scott Lightle contributed with five points and seven rebounds. Point guard Travis Veach scored just three points ran the offense well, dishing out eight assists.

The Redstreaks advance to take on the winner of Eastern Brown and Northwest at 8:30 p.m., Friday in Waverly.

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

Stat Book

Portsmouth West: 9-15-19-4 — 47

Piketon: 13-18-15-17 — 63

Portsmouth West: 19-55 FG, 4-11 FT, 5-28 3pt. (Maynard 3), 30 rebounds (Boggs 8), 20 turnovers, 6 Assists (Maynard 2, Frasure 1). Scoring: Maynard 5 0-1 13, Patrick 5 0-1 10, Boggs 3 2-4 8, Frasure 2 1-1 6, Blacker 2 0-2 4, Caudill 1 0-0 3, Davis 1 0-0 2, Bradford 0 1-2 1.

Piketon: 24-51 FG, 14-20 FT, 1-3 3pt. (Lightle 1), 31 rebounds (Reader 9), 16 turnovers, 13 Assists (Tr. Veach 8). Scoring: Moore 10 11-11 31, Reader 8 0-0 16, Lightle 2 0-0 5, Zimmerman 1 1-2 3, Tr. Veach 1 1-5 3, Ta. Veach 1 0-0 2, Greene 1 0-0 2, Blanton 0 1-2 1.