Portsmouth senior Kenny Sanderlin (21) drives to the rim while being defended by Coal Grove sophomore Owen Johnson (23) during their meeting in Ohio Valley Conference play inside Trojan Arena.
Jacob Smith | Daily Times
Portsmouth junior Devon Lattimore (22) scored a team-high 29 points for the Trojans during Tuesday’s Ohio Valley Conference contest versus Coal Grove.
Jacob Smith | Daily Times
PORTSMOUTH — Tuesday night’s contest inside Portsmouth High School’s Trojan Arena was the night for Coal Grove sophomore Owen Johnson.
Johnson scored a game-high 39 points on 16 field goals, a pair of free throws, and hit the game-winning three-pointer a couple of steps beyond the line — giving his Hornets (1-0) a 72-71 win in their season opener versus Portsmouth (0-1).
It was also the Ohio Valley Conference opener for both teams.
The go-ahead shot was one of five three-pointers from Johnson in the win — as Coal Grove connected on 12 long-range shots throughout the game.
Portsmouth led by two entering the final possession — after Levaughn Cobb went 1-of-2 at the free throw line, giving his Trojans a 71-69 lead.
The Trojans led 36-35 at halftime, before falling behind by as many as nine (50-41) in the third quarter.
Junior Devon Lattimore paced Portsmouth with a team-high 29 points on 13 field goals, while senior Kenny Sanderlin scored 24 points on nine field goals and 6-of-6 foul shooting.
As a team, Portsmouth shot just 11-of-20 from the charity stripe.
The Trojans travel to South Point on Friday night — in their first OVC road game of the season.
Portsmouth split with South Point last year during the regular season, but suffered a 66-56 defeat at South Point in a Division III sectional final back on Feb. 18.
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BOX SCORE
Coal Grove 14 21 17 20 — 72
Portsmouth 11 25 13 22 — 71
Coal Grove (1-0, 1-0 OVC): Gavin Gipson 0 0 0-2 0, Steven Simpson 0 0 0-0 0, John Turner 0 0 0-0 0, Landon Davis 1 1 0-0 5, Dryzen Mullens 0 4 0-0 12, Elijah Dillon 3 2 2-2 14, Owen Johnson 11 5 2-3 39, Karsen Frecka 1 0 0-0 2, Kaden Turner 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 12 4-7 72. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: Gipson.
Portsmouth (0-1, 0-1 OVC): Donovan Breech 0 0 0-0 0, Norris McKinley 0 1 0-0 3, Tyler Duncan 0 1 0-0 3, Kenny Sanderlin 9 0 6-6 24, Devon Lattimore 12 1 2-8 29, Noah Livingston 2 0 2-4 6, Levaughn Cobb 0 0 1-2 1, Isaiah Lewis 0 1 0-0 3, Luke Stine 0 0 0-0 0, Deandre Berry 1 0 0-0 2. Totals: 24 4 11-20 71. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: None
Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2022 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
