“I remember being on the bench and seeing him rise up and shoot over top of him,” Sarver said. “It’s a memory I’ll never forget.”
Now, it’s Sarver and his teammates turn to play for another title. The Patriots (25-3) will play Antwerp (26-1) in a D-IV state semifinal game at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon at UD Arena.
The winner will play either Richmond Heights (23-4) or Berlin Hiland (23-4) in the D-IV state championship game at 5 p.m. Sunday at UD Arena.
The Patriots beat defending state champion Botkins 45-36 in a regional final game on March 11 to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2015.
Sarver scored 20 points in the victory, becoming the third member of his family to play in the state tournament. He joined his sister, Kayla Linkous Fisherback and his brother, Colton, who both played collegiately at Cedarville University. After losing in the regional semifinals last season, Sarver was motivated to matching his siblings accomplishment this season.
“It shows how special our family is,” Sarver said. “They’re really supportive of us. They’ve always tried to push me since I was younger to be the best I could. To finally get here and say the whole family has been here is something not a lot of people can do.”
After the Botkins victory, Patriots coach Josh Sagester gave Sarver a glowing review — both as a player and a ballboy.
“He picked and choosed his moments as ballboy,” Sagester said. “He really liked his seat at the end of the bench and a little popcorn here and there. He was a good kid who never caused me any trouble and obviously his brother was pretty special and obviously his sister was, too. I think all three kids now will have played in the state tournament and that’s a pretty special feat in itself.”
Sarver recently passed 2010 graduate Drew Moore to become the program’s all-time leading scorer with more than 1,455 points. Fisherback is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,235 points. Their mother, Christy Sarver, also scored 1,042 career points during her career at Tri-Village and Franklin-Monroe.
“There’s always an argument in the family about who’s better,” Sagester said. “Right now, I don’t know, (Layne Sarver) made some pretty big plays (against Botkins). I’m really glad he’s on my team.”
Antwerp is making its first state tournament appearance after falling in the regional semifinals in both 2020 and 2021. They’re led by 6-foot-7 senior Jagger Landers, a Findlay commit, who is averaging 20 points and nine rebonds per game.
Sagester believes the Patriots scheduled has prepared them for elite competition. They played Botkins twice, as well as Meadowdale, Proctorville Fairland, Mason and Hamilton Badin.
“We feel confident we’ve put ourselves in a position all year long to be able to handle some adversity both mentally and physically,” Sagester said.
The Patriots are also playing in their backyard at UD Arena. Tri-Village beat Fayetteville-Perry 64-29 there in a district final game on March 1.
“We’ve already played there, which is a positive,” Sagester said. “It’s a beautiful facility. It’s really nice for high school basketball.”
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