“I kind of like that,” said Lions coach Brandon Peterson.
Witherow scored a game-high 18 points, hitting two 3-pointers in the final two minutes to give his team the lead for good as the seventh-seeded Lions beat the Knights 45-41 in a Division VII second-round game on Thursday night at Piqua High School’s Garbry Gymnasium.
“I don’t know what it is, but I feel like Legacy is my rival and I just alway show up against them,” Witherow said. “After losing the ball when it was tied (at 40) and that could’ve put us up, that got me mad and I was like ‘I’m going to hit one more shot.’ I got the ball and just let it fly.”
Senior Gus Carrier scored 14 points as Emmanuel improved to 19-4 and won their first tournament since 2020.
“That was their big goal to break that cycle,” Peterson. “To get win No. 19, it’s big. I’m just proud of them. We’ve been talking survive and advance. That’s where we’re at and we’ll get back to work.”
Legacy junior Jacob Thompson scored 14 points and sophomore Elijah Grant added 12 as the Knights finished their season 5-18.
Emmanuel jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead on a 3-pointer by Witherow. The Knights stormed back with an 11-3 run, tying the game at 13 after back-to-back baskets by Grant and Thompson.
Emmanuel reclaimed the lead early in the second quarter and extended it to 20-13 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Carrier, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half.
Legacy grabbed the momentum, outscoring the Lions 13-2 to end the period, capped by a buzzer-beating layup by Grant.
Legacy freshman Brody Seitz hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give Legacy its biggest lead at 32-22.
Emmanuel kept chipping away, tying the game at 35 on two free throws by Jae Ferryman with 47.2 seconds remaining in the quarter.
“We told them all week that it’s a new season, but also that tournament basketball is completely different,” Peterson said. “They just kept their composure the entire game. We never were worried, we just knew we had to take it possession-by-possession.”
With six minutes remaining, Drye hit a 3-pointer to give Legacy a 38-35 lead. Neither team scored for more than three minutes until Witherow’s steal and layup cut the lead to one point with about 2:50 to go.
A putback by Thompson with 2:11 remaining pushed Legacy’s lead back to three points at 40-37.
Witherow responded with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Emmanuel the lead for good. He hit four 3-pointers in the game after going 2-12 in the previous two games combined.
“He knows he has the freedom to shoot, but he’s been down on himself because he’s been in a slump,” Peterson said. “Today, I didn’t say anything and I felt like if it comes, it comes and I felt like it would.”
Witherow hit a game-winner earlier this season at Catholic Central. On Feb. 15, Witherow hit a 3-pointer from the right corner to lift the Knights to a 52-51 overtime victory at Greenon, despite missing his first six attempts in the game.
“Ever since I was little, the 3-pointer was always my shot,” Witherow said. “I’ve just been working on it.”
Lions senior Alex Pinkleton and Ferryman each hit a free throw down the stretch to seal the victory.
Peterson praised his coaching staff for the game plan they put together against Legacy. The Knights have won one of the top post players in the area in the 6-foot-10 junior Thompson.
“He has always been our toughest opponent in the post,” Peterson said. “You try to dig on him and create the double (team), but he’s just so strong. When he gets it, you just hope he misses it.”
Emmanuel (19-4) advanced to face ninth-seeded Fort Loramie, which beat second-seeded Lehman Catholic 45-37 in the other game at Piqua.
The Lions’ last tournament victory came in the 2019-2020 season when they beat both Legacy and Catholic Central to advance to a district final game for the first time in school history.
“It’s big,” Witherow said. “We haven’t won one in five years. It’s a good feeling. Obviously we give all glory to God.”
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