Finally, with 11.9 seconds left, the Patriots got what they wanted: the ball to money shooter Trey Sagester. He was fouled, and the 87.6% free-throw shooter made two from the line for a three-point lead. Then the game ended abruptly when Summit missed a 3-pointer for a 49-46 Tri-Village victory.
“It was nerve-wracking,” Trey Sagester said. “I felt like we were trying to take the ball out for the last hour, but we made free throws at the end. That’s all that matters.”
The Patriots celebrated their eighth district championship in coach Josh Sagester’s 16th season.
“We made it really difficult down the stretch, but our kids just have a lot of grit, a lot of toughness,” Josh Sagester said. “Our tradition comes out in our kids with the refuse-to-lose attitude and the whatever it takes.”
The sixth-ranked Patriots (24-2) face Western Ohio Athletic Conference rival Preble Shawnee (22-3) in the Division III region semifinals at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Fairmont High School’s Trent Arena. Shawnee beat Tri-Village 49-35 on the final night of the regular season to win the WOAC.
Trey Sagester led the Patriots with 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting. He’s grown up watching his dad’s teams win district titles and a state title. Last year he didn’t play much on a team that lost in the region semifinals.
“It’s special to know that I’m out there being able to provide for our school and get the district championship instead of sitting on the bench and watching,” Trey Sagester said. “This year was special.”
Josh Sagester said his other players do a great job of finding Trey when he’s open. And when he’s hot, like he was Tuesday, that means good things for the Patriots just like it did for the girls team in recent years when Rylee Sagester was scoring at an all-state level.
“He has a knack of how to score the ball,” Josh Sagester said. “And he’s seen a lot of defenses already in his young career like his sister did, and I don’t know that he wants to let his sister out do him.”
This is Josh Sagester’s smallest team, but he says it’s one of his toughest. The Patriots had to be tough at every moment and find ways to get some easy baskets against a bigger team. Twice in the first quarter they executed back-door layups by Tanner Printz and Braden Keating.
In the second half, they executed baseline out of bounds plays for three easy baskets. Two of them were back-to-back possessions and put them ahead 43-36. Josh Sagester says his team excels in those moments and in tense moments like the final 20 seconds by sticking to their brand and habits.
“When we execute the plays,” Trey Sagester said, “it’s money every time.”
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