Cavaliers inch by McClain to win sectional crown

• Chillicothe inched by McClain Saturday in a Division II sectional final by a 36-32 score.
• Osh Brown led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Shawnee Smith with 10 points.
• The sectional crown marks the third straight for the Cavaliers after an 11-year drought.

FRANKFORT - Chillicothe had no business winning Saturday afternoon.

After getting outplayed and out-hustled for 24 consecutive minutes, the Cavaliers went into the fourth quarter of a Division II sectional final, trailing McClain 29-21.

But good teams find ways to win. And that's exactly what Chillicothe (21-3) was forced to do.

Behind senior Osh Brown, the top-seeded Cavaliers ended No. 5 McClain's season with a gritty 36-32 victory, capturing a third straight sectional crown — after having not won one since 2004.

"We knew it was going to be a very tough game," Chillicothe coach Pat Beard said. "It's tough to beat a good team three times in a season. You have to remember (McClain) played half the year without (point guard) Taylor Polley. To be honest, McClain is much better than a number five seed."

Chillicothe battled through a tough day from the floor, hitting just 12-of-27 field goal tries and 11-of-19 free throw attempts. McClain's defense also forced 17 turnovers and frustrated the Cavaliers for the duration of the contest.

"We can talk about how well McClain played and they did but you have to tip your hats to the resiliency and character my girls showed down the stretch," Beard said. "And the seniors sealed the deal and that's what seniors are supposed to do. Osh Brown was magnificent."

After Shawnee Smith sparked a 7-0 run to begin the fourth, senior Essence Devlin gave the Cavaliers a 30-29 lead with 5:08 remaining — their first advantage since the 6:52 mark in the first quarter.

The Tigers (13-11) then hit three of four from the charity stripe to retake the lead at 32-30.

Brown tied the game at 32 with 1:54 left before putting Chillicothe up 33-32 with the front end of two free throws.

From there, Smith and Brown hit three of four from the line to seal it.

"We're going to have to keep working hard and we have to limit the turnovers," Brown said. "We can't have as many turnovers as we did tonight. We missed a lot of free throws that we should've made and we can't have that happen."

Brown led all scorers with 18 points alongside 10 rebounds. Smith added 10 points to the mix while Devlin and Shawnice Smith rounded out Chillicothe's scoring with four points each.

Lexie Barton was McClain's high scorer with eight points as Polley and Maddy Stegbaugh added six apiece. Malea Montavon managed to score just three points but brought down a team-high seven boards.

The Cavaliers move on to face Warren — a 52-42 winner over Fairfield Union Saturday — in a Division II district semifinal at 6:15 p.m., Feb. 23 at Southeastern High School.

"It's survive and advance," Beard said. "That's what this time of the year is all about. We'll get back to the drawing board and focus on our next game now."

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509

Stat Book

McClain: 14-6-9-3 — 32

Chillicothe: 12-4-5-15 — 36

McClain: 11-44 FG, 6-11 FT, 4-14 3pt. (Barton 2), 18 rebounds (Mal. Montavon 7), 11 turnovers, 2 Assists (Mal. Montavon 1, Stegbaugh 1). Scoring: Barton 3 0-1 8, Polley 2 2-2 6, Stegbaugh 2 1-2 6, Montgomery 3 0-0 6, Mal. Montavon 1 0-0 3, Kegley 0 2-2 2, Mac. Montavon 0 1-4 1.

Chillicothe: 12-27 FG, 11-19 FT, 1-8 3pt. (Shawnee Smith 1), 26 rebounds (Brown 10), 17 turnovers, 5 Assists (Shawntel Smith 2). Scoring: Brown 6 6-11 18, Shawnee Smith 3 3-4 10, Devlin 1 2-2 4, Shawnice Smith 2 0-2 4.