FRANKFORT – North Montgomery had their hands full in their Sectional 25 semi-final against Tri-West. Not only were they facing the senior laden Bruins, but they were doing so without one of their leading scorers in senior Jakob Kirsch. The Chargers were able to stay within striking distance in the first half before Tri-West pulled away for the 53-27 victory to advance to Saturday’s sectional final.
The Chargers game plan was simple in the first half. Be deliberate on offense, keep the ball out of the Bruins hands and keep the game within striking distance. The pace worked as they trailed just 8-3 after one.
North found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter outscoring the Bruins 9-4 over the first four minutes of the quarter to tie the game at 12 only to see Tri-West close the quarter on a 6-2 run and lead 18-14 at the half.
“I thought we executed our game plan really well in the first half,” said Charger head coach Chad Arnold. If we don’t commit nine turnovers, we may have taken the lead into the locker room.”
When asked what changes they made between the first and second quarter, Coach Arnold was quick to give his players the credit. “We didn’t make any changes in the second quarter,” he said. “We made a few more plays and executed better. We played hard and kept it tight.”
Tri-West used their athleticism and experience in the second half, as they outscored North 35-13 for the final margin of victory.
“I’m proud of the kids tonight,” Arnold said. “I thought we played really hard and were able to keep it close early.
The Chargers finish the 2021-2022 campaign at 2-21. They were led in scoring by freshman Kelby Harwood’s 12 and Jarrod Kirsch’s eight. They shot 23 percent from the field, 7 of 31 and 70 percent from the line, 7 of 10. They pulled down 23 boards, led by Treyce Pittman’s 9.
Tri-West shot 45 percent from the field 19 of 42, just 14 percent from beyond the arc, 3 of 21 and 50 percent from the line, 9 of 18.
Friday was the final game for Charger seniors, Jakob Kirsch, Nolan Graham, Pittman and Benjamin Pietsch.
“They’re good kids who are going to be successful in life,” Arnold said of the foursome. “It’s great to have good kids in your program to help lead the younger guys, and they definitely did that.”
Tri-West (14-9) advances to Saturday’s final where they’ll face Danville who was an 82-55 winner over Frankfort.
Tri-West 53, North Montgomery 27
Score by Quarters
Tri-West 8 10 17 18 - 53
North Montgomery 3 11 4 9 - 27
Tri-West (14-9)
FG-FGA FT-FTA PTS: Ethan Depinet 8-18 2-6 19, Max Robertson 3-10 2-2 9, Sam Goodin 1-4 404 6, Grant Oldham 2-3 0-1 4, Drew Miller 2-4 0-0 4, Dylan Bear 2-4 0-0 4, Ian Rench 1-1 0-2 2, Isiah Yarber 1-2 0-1 2, Landon Gardner 1-3 0-0 2, Alex Covey 0-12 1-2 1; Totals 22-63 9-18 53
North Montgomery
Kelby Harwood 4-11 3-4 12, Jarrod Kirsch 2-14 3-4 8, Treyce Pittman 1-4 1-2 3, Ross Dyson 1-6 0-0 2, Nolan Graham 1-1 0-0 2; Totals 9-37 7-10 27
3-Pt Shooting:Tri-West 3-21 (Robertson, Gardner, Depinet), North Montgomery 2-6 (Kirsch, Harwood)
Rebounding: Tri-West 27 (Robertson 6), North Montgomery 23 (Pittman 9)
Turnovers: Tri-West 3,
North Montgomery 17