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Trailing 38-37 in the closing minutes of the game, Unioto closed with an 8-0 run to edge Hillsboro 45-38 to advance to the Division 2 Sectional Final Saturday at Southeastern High School. Unioto led at the end of each stop, but could not shake Hillsboro until the closing minutes to secure the win.
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Hillsboro took a 6-0 lead to start the game, but the Shermans went on a 8-0 run for their first lead of the game. They led 10-6 after one quarter, then 21-15 at halftime. The Indians came out strong in quarter three, scoring the first six point to even the score at 21-21, before the Tanks pushed to a 35-27 advantage after three quarters.
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Hillsboro went on a 9-2 run to pull to within one point, then later got their last lead of the game at 38-37 and never score again.
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Unioto had two men in double figures, led by Josh Lambert's 16 points and 14 from Isaac Little. Eight Shermans scored points in the, but no one else had more than 4 points. Hillsboro had three players in double figures, led by Caleb Crawford with 12 points and 8 rebounds. Hunter Price added 11 and Jakwon Clark with 10.
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The Shermans were 17/33 from the floor for 52%- including 3/6 from the arc and added 8/9 from the foul line. The Indians were 16/38 for 42%- but were a dismal 1/8 from the arc, plus 5/10 from the line. Unioto won the rebound battle 18-16, but the Shermans committed 15 turnovers to only 8 for Hillsboro.
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Unioto improves to (20-3) and plays Waverly after they defeated Gallia Academy 59-49 in the other semifinal. Their championship game will be at 7pm Saturday for a trip to the OU Convo.
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Hillsboro's season ends at (9-14).
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