On the eve of Christmas Eve, the Miami Trace Panthers welcomed the Blue Lions of Washington High School Saturday, Dec. 23 for Rivalry Day.

There were five games at Miami Trace High School pitting the Panthers against the Blue Lions.

Before a very large crowd, the two teams battled for the top spot in the Frontier Athletic Conference standings.

It was a close game with several lead changes before the Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter to post a 65-50 victory.

Miami Trace is now 5-0 in the FAC, 6-2 overall.

Washington is now 3-1 in the FAC, 5-1 overall.

Miami Trace senior Bryson Osborne was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points. He made six three-point shots out of nine attempts. He also led the Panthers in rebounds with seven and steals with three.

Sophomore Adam Guthrie scored 14 points and had five rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore Grant Guess scored six points and had four rebounds, two steals and two assists.

Junior Skye Salyers scored five points, senior Austin Boedeker had four points and led the Panthers with six assists. Boedeker also had three rebounds and two steals.

Senior Coleden May scored four points and grabbed six rebounds.

Senior Brady Armstrong and junior Trey Robinette each hit one three for three points. Armstrong also had three rebounds.

Senior Garrett Rickman was Washington’s leading scorer with 19 points. He made three three-point field goals. Rickman had four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Senior Isaiah Haithcock was next for the Blue Lions, scoring 13 points. He made two three-point baskets. It was a double-double for Haithcock as he led Washington with 10 rebounds, four on the offensive glass. He had two assists and one blocked shot.

Senior John Wall scored 11 points and also connected for a pair of threes. Wall had three rebounds and one assist.

Sophomore Noah Haithcock scored five points and added two rebounds and junior Will Miller scored two. Miller had four rebounds and a team-high three assists.

As stated above, the game was close until the fourth quarter.

That’s when Miami Trace outscored Washington 16-3.

The Panthers, finishing the game making 25 of 45 field goal attempts for 56 percent, made 7 of 10 field goals in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Lions ended the game making 17 of 48 shot attempts for 35 percent. Washington just went cold in the fourth quarter, making 1 of 11 from the field.

Miami Trace head coach Ben Ackley praised Bryson Osborne after the game.

“I couldn’t be more proud of that kid,” Ackley said. “He is Miami Trace basketball. He is what we are. He embodies toughness and grit. Nothing’s been easy for him and he brings it every day.

“He played more tonight than he’s ever played,” Ackley said. “I tried to give him a minute-and-a-half break early in the second quarter or the end of the first quarter and he was all over me.”

Ackley spoke about the hot start to the game by the Blue Lions.

“They were unconscious to start the game,” Ackley said. Washington made 7 of 12 shots in the first quarter for 58 percent. Miami Trace was 7 of 11 shooting in the first quarter for 64 percent.

“Both groups were as hot as the gym was,” Ackley said. “We wanted to survive that. We hoped they couldn’t sustain that.

“Bryson carried us,” Ackley said. “Adam (Guthrie) was huge. When you win a game like this, it’s everybody.

“Trey Robinette hit a huge three,” Ackley said. “Austin Boedeker was huge. Our seniors have bought-in to everything we’ve asked. Austin sat tonight for a longer period of time than I think he has in the three years I’ve been here. He was the first one on the bench up cheering. The line-up we ran with was just working. We liked our length and the match-ups at the time.”

Ackley also praised Washington’s players, including Rickman, Wall and Isaiah Haithcock.

“They’re solid all the way around,” Ackley said. “Rickman, along with the guard from Warren, are as good as it gets in the Southeast District.

“John Wall, he’s a winner,” Ackley said. “That’s all the kid does is win. He’s been to a Final Four in baseball (this past spring season). He’s won a ton of basketball games.

“Isaiah Haithcock, a D-I football player,” Ackley said. “He hits a 35-foot three. What am I supposed to tell Adam, get out and get a hand up, then he can penetrate around you. He’s unbelievable.

“Coming off the floor at the end of the third quarter, I gave Rickman a five,” Ackley said. “I have nothing but respect for him. He brought it tonight.”

Ackley was very appreciative of the large crowd (on both sides of the gym), especially as it pertained to the Panther faithful.

“I thought our kids got a ton of energy,” Ackley said. “This crowd, I just can’t thank them enough, the night before Christmas Eve. Both (teams) were well-represented (by the attendees).”

“Number 35 (Bryson Osborne) made five threes in the first half,” Washington head coach Shannon Bartruff said. “That was huge. A couple of those looked like we weren’t guarding him, because, we weren’t guarding him.

“We had a lot of film and a lot of statistics,” Bartruff said. “We were going to help off a couple of guys. After the second one, we said, ‘hey, gotta get a hand up.’ I think the last three were probably two or three feet outside the line with a hand in his face. Kudos to him, he was feeling it.

“I thought we did a good job on the guys we were trying to do a good job on,” Bartruff said. “We did a pretty good job on (Adam Guthrie). A lot of his damage was early.

“I thought we did a pretty good job on (Grant Guess),” Bartruff said.

“The one thing that happened tonight — we haven’t faced a ton of adversity,” Bartruff said. “We did against St. Charles in our first game, we were down 16 in the first half and we came back and got that one.

“In the Wilmington game, we didn’t play a good first half,” Bartruff said. “But we responded in the second half.

“I thought at times tonight, our unity got away from us a little bit,” Bartruff said. “We just did uncharacteristic things. A game like this every once in a while will do that to you.

“We had a good week of practice,” Bartruff said. “I feel like our guys were ready to go.

“They shot the ball pretty well and it seemed like a lot of the bounces went their way,” Bartruff said.

“Congratulations to Miami Trace for getting a big home win,” Bartruff said. “We’ll have three days off so they will get to spend some time with their friends and family. Then we’ll have two days of practice to get ready for Lynchburg-Clay. Then we go to Unioto on Saturday (Dec. 30).

“I think this (result) will help us fight a little bit harder,” Bartruff said. “The things we didn’t do well tonight, we just have to do better.”

Miami Trace took a 4-0 lead to start the game.

The lead changed hands three times in the first quarter and the score was tied at 10, 14 and 19 at the end of the first quarter.

A 6-0 run for Washington to start the second quarter was fueled by a pair of free throws from Miller and two baskets by Noah Haithcock.

Osborne hit three of his six threes in the second quarter to help Miami Trace pull back into the lead.

May scored for the Panthers and Wall scored for Washington before Osborne tied the game, 27-27 with 3:52 to play in the first half.

Armstrong hit a three which was answered by a three from Isaiah Haithcock.

Guthrie scored and Osborne hit another three, while Isaiah Haithcock made one free throw to put the halftime score at 35-31, in favor of the Panthers.

The Panthers extended their lead to 40-31 with another three from Osborne and two inside from Guthrie to begin the second half.

Wall converted a free throw after a made basket and foul.

After a couple of missed opportunities by both teams, Wall hit a three and Noah Haithcock scored to complete an 8-0 run, pulling Washington to within one point, 40-39 with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

Guthrie made two free throws and Robinette made a three to put the Panthers in front by six, 45-39.

Rickman converted the old-fashioned three-point play (two and then a free throw) to make it 45-42.

After another Panther basket, Rickman repeated the and-one to draw Washington back within two, 47-45.

Guess hit for two and Rickman made two more foul shots, putting the score at 49-47, Panthers, at the end of the third quarter.

Washington’s last basket of the game was a three-point shot by Rickman at the 4:33 mark, leaving the Panthers in front by three, 53-50.

Miami Trace scored the final 12 points of the game for the 65-50 victory.

The Blue Lions will host the Mustangs of Lynchburg-Clay High School Friday, Dec. 29.

Miami Trace will be the site of the Epifano Holiday Basketball Tournament. The Panthers will host Greeneview Thursday, Dec. 28.

In other FAC games Saturday, Hillsboro defeated McClain, 55-31 and Jackson topped Chillicothe, 49-39.

Miami Trace sits atop the FAC standings at 5-0.

Hillsboro and Washington are tied at 3-1, Jackson is 2-3, Chillicothe is 1-3 and McClain is 0-5.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

MT 19 16 14 16 — 65

W 19 12 16 3 — 50

MIAMI TRACE — Trey Robinette 0 (1)-0-3; Grant Guess 3-0-6; Coleden May 2-0-4; Brady Armstrong 0 (1)-0-3; Skye Salyers 1 (1)-0-5; Austin Boedeker 2-0-4; Adam Guthrie 5-4-14; Bryson Osborne 3 (6)-2-26. TOTALS — 16 (9)-6-65. Free throw shooting: 6 of 6 for 100 percent. Three-point field goals: Osborne, 6; Armstrong, Robinette, Salyers. Field goal shooting: 25 of 45 for 56 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 9 of 15 for 60 percent. Rebounds: 29 (7 offensive). Turnovers: 10. Assists: 13. Steals: 7. Blocked shots: 0. Fouls: 15.

WASHINGTON — Garrett Rickman 3 (3)-4-19; John Wall 2 (2)-1-11; Will Miller 0-2-2; Noah Haithcock 2-1-5; Gabe Tayese 0-0-0; Isaiah Haithcock 3 (2)-1-13. TOTALS — 10 (7)-9-50. Free throw shooting: 9 of 12 for 75 percent. Three-point field goals: Rickman, 3; Wall, 2; I. Haithcock, 2. Field goal shooting: 17 of 48 for 35 percent. Three-point field goal shooting: 7 of 22 for 32 percent. Turnovers: 12. Offensive rebounds: 9.

Panthers win j-v boys game vs. Blue Lions

The Miami Trace boys junior-varsity basketball team improved to 8-0 with a 49-40 win over the Washington Blue Lions Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023.

Conner Napier of Miami Trace was the game’s leading scorer with 16 points. He made one three-point field goal.

Julian Baker and Cade Whitaker each scored 10 points for the Panthers.

Dane Wilt and Bryson Yeoman each hit one three-point shot for the Panthers and Ian Rayburn and Mason Buchhammer both added two points.

Cooper Robertson led the Blue Lions with 14 points.

Javin Baker scored 13 for Washington, including hitting one three-point basket.

Bryson Heath made one three and finished with five points, while Aden Osborne and Jeston Everhart both scored four points for the Blue Lions.

Miami Trace takes freshman game with Blue Lions

In Saturday’s first game, the Miami Trace boys freshman team defeated Washington, 29-18.

Anthony Huffer and Evan Parsley shared the game scoring lead for the Panthers, each with eight points. Parsley made two three-point buckets.

Gage Henry scored five, Dane Wilt had four points, and Kenton Berry and Liam Havens each chipped in two points for Miami Trace.

Evan Wilson paced the Blue Lions with seven points.

Aden Osborne scored six for Washington, Kiontae Tyree and Austin Hughes both scored two points and Quinton Marine had one.