Pirates knockdown 15 three pointers to knock off Vikings

WHEELERSBURG — The Wheelersburg Pirates caught fire from downtown, hitting 15 shots from behind the 3-point line to beat the Symmes Valley Vikings 76-43 in a Southern Ohio Conference divisional crossover game on Wednesday night.

While the Pirates success from long range was a surprise to many, coach Alex Prater wasn't as surprised because he knew the kids were capable of moments like these.

"We've really felt like throughout the season, we've felt like we've been a good shooting team but we haven't shot as well on game night as we've expected to. Not that we shoot poorly, but we haven't seen a big night like tonight. So it's a credit to these kids and the consistency they've been building."

Things looked to be going Symmes Valley's way right from tip off, with Tanner Corn coming up with a steal for a layup and Jackson Fields scoring to put the Vikings up 4-0 in the opening minute.

But just as quick as the Vikings got a lead, the Pirates caught fire and never looked back.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Landon McGraw gave Wheelersburg (11-4) the lead and sparked a 25-3 run over the next 5 minutes of the first quarter to blow the game wide open.

Andy Strow hit a triple as time wound down in the opening frame, but Hunter Bivens nailed the seventh 3-pointer of the quarter to give the Pirates a 30-10 advantage.

When the dust settled in the first half, the Pirates had hit 12 shots from behind the arc, with McGraw hitting 5 and both Bivens and Xavier Miller each hitting three to give Wheelersburg a 56-23 lead at the break.

Both McGraw and Miller scored a game-high 17 points for the Pirates. McGraw notched a double-double by pulling down 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Bivens and Braylon Rucker each went for 14 on the night.

Wheelersburg's success wasn't limited to just their outside shooting. The Pirates scored a dozen times from close range and accumulated 13 assists as a team.

"Sometimes when you're making shots, you can fall in love with shooting threes. So it was certainly nice to see them go in," said Prater. "We really challenged ourselves to put pressure on the rim. Let's get paint touches, play inside-out and get to the rim. Then as they collapse in, make the unselfish play and kick out and knock those outside shots down."

Coming into the game, Vikings coach Alvin Carpenter was worried about his team being sluggish due to not getting enough practice time because of the snow and ice. However, that seemed to be the least of his teams' problems as the game wore on.

"You could definitely tell we looked like a team that had practiced about four times in three weeks," said Carpenter. "I felt like we got caught standing too much on both ends and that doesn't mix well when the other team hits that many shots."

The Vikings (8-8) still managed to get a pair of scorers to reach double figures, with Corn netting 11 points and 3 rebounds. Fields scored 10 points and came up with 3 steals in the loss.

Both teams played evenly throughout the second half, with the Pirates outscoring Symmes Valley 12-11 in the third and the Vikings outscored Wheelersburg 9-8 in the fourth.

Three different Pirates hit a shot from downtown in the second half to give them their total of 15 on the night.

Rucker hit one during the third. Then Miller and Caden Estep drained a triple in the fourth.

The Pirates will now set their sights on Friday night when they travel to play South Webster in a key SOC-3 showdown. The Vikings will be on the road against Eastern Pike.

Sym. Valley 10 13 11 9  =  43

Wheelersburg 30 26 12 8  =  76

SYMMES VALLEY (8-8): Key Roberts 3 0 0-0 3, Andy Strow 0 1 0-0 3, Mason Campbell 0 0 0-0 0, Gradee Holland 1 0 0-0 2, Logan Simpkins 1 0 4-6 6, Bronx Carpenter 0 0 1-2 1, Asher Maynard 2 1 0-0 7, Tanner Corn 4 1 0-0 11, Zayne Wilson 0 0 0-0 0, Jackson Fields 5 0 0-0 10. Totals: 13 4 5-8 43. Rebounds: 27 (Fields 5, Simpkins 4). Assists: 2. Steals: 9 (Fields 3, Corn 2). Turnovers: 11. Fouls: 5. Fouled out: None.

WHEELERSBURG (11-4): Braylon Rucker 3 1 5-6 14, Hunter Bivens 1 4 0-0 14, Xavier Miller 2 4 1-1 17, Jack Doerr 2 0 1-2 5, Brew Hanzel 2 0 0-0 4, Coleton Schwamburger 1 0 0-0 2, Landon McGraw 1 5 0-0 17, Caden Estep 0 1 0-0 3, Graer Woodward 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 15 7-9 76. Rebounds: 21 (McGraw 10, Rucker 7, Miller 6). Assists: 13 (Bivens 6, Rucker 2, McGraw 2). Steals: 7 (Rucker 4). Turnovers: 9. Fouls: 7. Fouled out: None.