Valley senior Colton Buckle (4) goes up for a layup during the Indians’ Division III boys basketball sectional semifinal game against visiting West Union on Tuesday night.
Courtesy of Patrick Phillips, Glory Days Photography
LUCASVILLE — Valley junior Jace Copley scored his 1,000th career point, the Indians amassed 83 markers as a team, and host Valley simply squashed West Union 83-30 on Tuesday night —in a Division III boys basketball sectional semifinal on The Reservation.
The fifth-seeded Indians, now 17-6, are a Division III program this season —following last year’s Division IV district championship.
Their trail to a Division III title tipped Tuesday against one-win West Union, as the Indians amounted at least 21 points in each of the opening three cantos.
They led the Dragons 26-8 at the first stop, then extended their commanding advantage to 48-18 at halftime.
They then outscored West Union in the third frame for a 69-22 lead, as most of the second half was played with the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s running-clock rule in effect.
Copley, the three-year standout for the Indians, opened his night with 2-of-2 free throws —then scored his 11 total field goals, including his only three-point goal late in the second stanza.
He poured in 25 and almost outscored the Dragons by himself, as he eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau —joining George Arnett as Valley teammates with more than 1,000 career points.
Colt Buckle, one of the Indians’ standout seniors, bucketed a dozen field goals for 24 counters —as Arnett added 12 on three twos and two threes.
Copley, Buckle and Arnett never played a single second of fourth-quarter action, nor did they need to.
Levi Stewart, Hunter Edwards and Chase Davis chipped in five points apiece, as both Edwards and Davis dialed up for a fourth-quarter deuce and a trey.
Stewart scored two baskets and the Indians’ only other foul shot —all in the first period.
Parker Lute landed a second-quarter three-pointer, and Braxton Dillow and Chris Queen had a hoop apiece in the fourth.
No Dragon scored more than eight points.
The Indians return home, and return to Division III sectional championship action, on Saturday night against 12th-seeded Westfall.
Tipoff time is set for 7 p.m.
In a matchup of Scioto Valley Conference clubs in that Tuesday night semifinal, Westfall won over Piketon.
The winner will advance to Tuesday night’s district semifinal —against either 13th-seeded Belpre or fourth-seeded North Adams at Waverly’s Downtown Arena.
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