The Seymour basketball team couldn’t generate enough offense against New Albany in the semifinals of the Seymour Sectional on Saturday night and lost 36-31.

The Owls held a 23-20 lead going into the fourth quarter and were up 28-26 following two free throws by Jaylan Johnson with 2:26 remaining.

The Bulldogs then scored the next six points before Eli Meyer made one free throw with 25.2 seconds remaining to leave the score at 32-29.

The Bulldogs, who didn’t shoot any free throws in the first three periods, made 4-for-4 down the stretch to secure the win.

Landon Fritsch made a layup with 8.8 seconds remaining to close out the Owls’ scoring.

Seymour coach Kirk Manns said the first quarter was costly to his team, which managed only two points and trailed 6-2 entering the second quarter. Neither team scored until Jordan Treat made a basket at the 4:36 mark of the opening period.

The Owls missed their first seven shots of the game before Bret Perry hit a short jumper with four seconds on the clock.

“I think our slow start offensively in the first quarter really hurt us,” Manns said. “We were pushing the rock uphill the entire game.”

Fritsch scored five points and Meyer had two baskets in the second quarter, but the Owls trailed 17-11 at the half. Seymour shot 5-for-19 and New Albany shot 8-for-16 in the first half.

“We had a great effort coming out of the locker room (at the start of the third quarter),” Manns said. “We took the lead. I think we got up by as many as six (23-17). At that point, we just weren’t able to get that one more basket.

“I think one more basket really could have given us separation in this game. An eight-point lead in this game is like a 15-, 16-point lead in most games. We weren’t able to get that. Give New Albany a lot of credit. They kept fighting hard. They just fought a little harder for a couple more possessions than we did.”

Meyer scored on Seymour’s opening possession of the third quarter and Perry added two free throws at 6:42 to make the score 17-15.

The Owls then turned up the defensive pressure, forcing the Bulldogs into three straight turnovers, and Fritsch drove for back-to-back layups and Meyer converted another drive for a score, giving Seymour a 21-17 lead.

Johnson drove for another layup with 2:37 on the clock and the Owls enjoyed their biggest lead of the night, 23-17, before Rylan Schrink hit a 3-pointer to make it a 23-20 game going into the fourth period.

The Owls held the Bulldogs to 1-for-6 shooting and forced six turnovers in outscoring their Hoosier Hills Conference rivals 12-3 in the third period.

Both teams missed their first two shots and had a turnover to start the fourth period.

Treat nailed a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to tie the score, and Meyer converted a three-point play for the Owls with 3:01 remaining for a 28-26 lead.

Meyer topped the Owls (10-13) with 12 points and Fritsch scored 11. Treat topped the Bulldogs (11-13) with 17.

Schrink, a 6-2 sophomore and a son of former SHS athlete Ryan Schrink, scored nine points.

The Owls finished with 12-for-34 shooting, and the Bulldogs shot 14-for-32.

“We played hard. We played with a lot of effort, a lot of heart,” Manns said. “I want to thank our seniors for everything they have done. They were a big part of our positive momentum in Seymour basketball, and I’m very grateful and thankful for them.”

Those seniors are Fritsch, Meyer, Charlie Longmeier, Josh Rennekamp, Evan Smith and Cory Robinson.

New Albany will battle Jennings County at 7 p.m. today for the championship. Jennings County (22-2) edged Jeffersonville 48-46 in the first game Saturday night.

Box score

Seymour Sectional

Bulldogs 36, Owls 31

Seymour;2;9;12;8;—;31

New Albany;6;11;3;16;—;36

Seymour (10-13): Eli Meyer 5 2-3 12, Landon Fritsch 5 0-0 11, Jaylon Johnson 1 2-2 4, Bret Perry 1 2-2 4, Charlie Longmeier 0 0-0 0, Cory Robinson 0 0-0 0, Josh Rennekamp 0 0-0 0, Ethan Silcox 0 0-0 0, Brady Harpe 0 0-0 0, Totals 12 6-7 31.

New Albany (11-13): Jordan Treat 6 3-3 17, Rylan Schrink 4 0-0 9, Jeremy Rose 3 2-2 8, Josten Carter 1 0-0 2, Chris Lampkins 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 5-5 36.

3-point goals: S 1 (Fritsch), NA 3 (Treat 2, Schrink).

Rebounds: S 15 (Johnson 7, Fritsch 4), NA 19 (Treat 7).

Turnovers: S 9, NA 13.