Owls keep it close but fall to Jeffersonville

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Jeffersonville made six free throws in the final 48 seconds to hold off Seymour 36-29 on Tuesday in the Seymour Class 4A Sectional 15 in the Lloyd E. Scott Gymnasium.

The Red Devils held a 25-19 lead entering the fourth period before Eric McCoy hit a 3-pointer to draw the Owls within 25-22 with seven minutes remaining.

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Jeff then went on a 7-1 run to open a 30-23 lead before Casey Regruth hit the first of two 3-pointers in the period to close the gap to 30-26 with 50 seconds remaining. His second 3 set the score at 33-29 with 30 seconds left before Tre Coleman made three free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win for the Red Devils.

Coleman made 7 of 10 free throws in the fourth period and was 9-for-15 for the night and topped the Red Devils (18-5) with 15 points and had a game-high nine rebounds.

Seymour coach Kirk Manns said he was pleased with the way his team executed a ball-control offense throughout the night, resulting in the Owls leading 9-5 at the end of the first period before the Devils moved on top 14-11 at the half.

“They executed the game plan perfectly,’ he said. “They never lost their composure throughout the game, controlled the tempo of the game.

“We just weren’t able to make some shots. That second quarter was really tough on us. We had some very makeable shots during that stretch, and instead of going down three at halftime, if we’d have gotten some of those mid-range shots to go in, I think the score could have been in our favor, maybe by five or six points, and that could have made a huge difference.”

The Owls missed their first four field goal attempts in the second period that allowed Jeff to take a 12-9 lead. Drew Vehslage scored off an offensive rebound with 40 seconds left in the quarter for Seymour’s only offense of the quarter for the 14-11 score at the break.

Seymour shot 1-for-7 in the second period and 5-for-16 for the half and was 10-for-32 for the game, while Jeff made 12 of 27 shots.

The Owls held a 19-17 advantage in rebounds. Marcus Brooks was high for the Owls with five.

“We contested their shots,” Manns said. “We had some rebounds that kind of deflected off. There was some long rebounds that came off different angles, but all in all, our kids played their hearts out. They left everything they had out there, and that’s all we can ask for.”

Manns said Coleman, a 6-foot-6 senior, was a factor.

“He is hard to deal with. He’s going to get some points. He’s just too big, too strong, and too talented,” he said.

“It’s a good basketball team out there with a lot of quickness. Our kids did a great job of identifying shooters, did a great job of identifying the drivers and a good job of fighting Coleman.”

McCoy topped the Owls (8-15) in scoring with 11 points, Regruth scored eight, Vehslage four and Brooks, Andrew Levine and Landon Fritsch each scored two.

Briefly reflecting on his first year at the helm for the Owls, Manns was pleased with the way his team grew throughout the season.

“It was a great team to coach,” he said. “We had a great group of seniors that will be missed. We had guys that listened, guys that did what you ask them to do, guys that wanted to get better. We’re looking to the future, and they understand that their skills have got to get better.”

Jeffersonville will play Floyd Central at 6 p.m. Friday.

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