CLAYTON — The first two games of the tournament have been a bit too close for comfort, but West Liberty-Salem’s boys basketball team has punched a ticket to the sectional title game.
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West Liberty-Salem’s Max Eggleston muscles up a shot against a Northeastern defender during their Division III sectional tournament game Tuesday at Northmont High School in Clayton. (EXAMINER PHOTO | MATT HAMMOND) |
The Tigers, who rallied in the fourth quarter to beat underdog Dayton Christian on Friday, survived another gut check here Tuesday against fellow Ohio Heritage Conference member Northeastern.
The score was tied late in the third quarter, but the Tigers elevated their game in the final period to pull away for a 60-51 victory in a Division III sectional semifinal at Northmont High School.
The fourth-seeded Tigers, now 21-3, advance to play fifth-seeded Bethel (17-6) for a sectional championship at 8 p.m. Saturday at Northmont.
WL-Salem beat the Jets (10-13) in a pair of regular-season games and had to work to get the third win Tuesday.
“I was definitely concerned coming into the game because Coach (Nathan) Warner has done a great job of getting them better this season,” said WL-Salem head coach Darrin Leichty. “They’ve made as much progress as anybody in our league and they had a full week to prepare for us. We knew we would be in for a battle.”
For the full story and game results,
pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Bellefontaine Examiner.
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