DIVISION IV BOYS Sebring survives Lowellville's stall, 29-14

The victory puts the Trojans into Friday's district championshp game.
STRUTHERS -- It may not have been the fastest basketball game played in the state tournament this year, but it certainly would be among them.
When the Division IV district semifinal contest ended 49 minutes after it started Tuesday, Sebring finished ahead of Lowellville, 29-14, at the Struthers Fieldhouse.
"I've experienced just about everything in basketball at Sebring," said Trojans' coach Brian Clark.
"We've played against fast breaks, tough zone, man-to-man and pressure defenses, but this was different."
Standing around
Ahead 16-8 in the third quarter, the Trojans (21-1) stayed in a 3-2 zone while the Rockets' Mario Nero held the ball beyond the 3-point arc for 6 minutes, 28 seconds.
Lowellville took time out with 0:30 remaining to set up a play for Nero, who connected on a 3-pointer with 0:10 to go to make it 16-11.
"We were up by eight and they wanted to just sit there and hold the ball, because they didn't want to run up and down the floor with us," said Clark.
A key 3-pointer by Trojans' sophomore Jesse James at the start of the final quarter was big.
"We needed a possession and Jesse answered in a big way," said Clark.
The Trojans led 20-11 before Nero hit another 3, the last basket of the contest for the Rockets.
Scoring the final seven points, the Trojans worked their four-corner offense successfully in using up most of the 3:30 remaining in the contest.
Forced eight turnovers
In the first half, which lasted only 22 minutes, Sebring's aggressive half-court pressure caused eight turnovers, which resulted in three easy baskets.
The Rockets (12-10) managed only one basket with their slow-down tactics in the first quarter, falling behind 8-2.
Both teams scored six points in the second period, giving Sebring a 14-8 margin at intermission.
It took 27 minutes to play the second half.
"At halftime we decided to play position defense and make them work for everything," said Clark.
"What we did was sit back in the third quarter and rest for Friday's district championship game. Most teams wouldn't be energized by the type of ball Lowellville played, but my kids were.
"Lowellville played that way against us last year, so we expected something similar from them," said Clark.
Leading the Trojans
Dan Scarpitti scored a game-high 10 points for Sebring. Senior Joe James added seven points, while Matt Ferguson had six points, seven rebounds and four steals.
Jesse James finished with four assists and five steals and six points.
Sebring connected on 12-of-27 shots.
The Rockets hit 5-of-19 field goals.
Nero finished with eight points, including all five for the Rockets in the second half.
The Trojans will play the winner of tonight's Southern-McDonald semifinal game on Friday for the district championship at 7:30 p.m.