Perrysburg Senior Gavin Fenneken (1) driving towards the paint past a Liberty-Benton defender at Liberty Benton High School Friday. (Drake Harlett/Sentinel-Tribune)
FINDLAY — First, Liberty-Benton High School honored their longtime hall of fame and state champion former basketball coach Steve Williman, who had over 500 wins during his career.
Next, the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets went to work, defeating Liberty-Benton, 74-56, in the semifinals of the Steve Williman Holiday Tournament Classic Friday.
In Saturday’s championship, Perrysburg (4-2) will take on Genoa (7-1), 55-51 winners over Wauseon (3-3) in the first semifinal. Wauseon and L-B (4-4) will open play in the consolation at 6 p.m. and the championship follows.
The Yellow Jackets and L-B were the first teams to play on the newly renamed Steve Williman Court, which was dedicated in the coaches’ honor between games with Williman, family and former players present.
Once the game started, Perrysburg never trailed, although L-B forced two first quarter ties. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Jackets led by as much as 21, 70-49.
Led by junior Carter Young’s 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals, Perrysburg put five players into double figures and shot 62% (32-for-52) from the field, using sleek passing and cutting to get easy baskets in the paint.
The Jackets also used various forms of defensive pressure to create offense, forcing 17 turnovers, including 13 steals. Perrysburg’s game philosophy was to create chaos for L-B’s offense no matter what it took.
“We knew coming in that we could pressure them really well and that we could run with them,” said Perrysburg senior Matt Hubbard.
“That was our plan was to make them make mistakes and do our job and just win the ballgame,” Hubbard continued.
Perrysburg coach Dave Boyce added, “We thought that they run their offensive stuff really well. They are disciplined and well-coached (Doug Whiteman).
“We just tried to disrupt that as much as we could and then put the pressure on them, guarding the entire court.”
Senior Gavin Fenneken had 15 points and two steals, senior Austin Shultz scored 12 points, Hubbard had 10 points, four rebounds and three steals, and senior Joe Dynda had 10 points, four caroms and two steals.
For the 6-foot-4 Hubbard, most of his points come from using his body and strength to be physical in the paint and on the boards.
“I’ve got scorers all around me, so all I have to do is play defense, hustle, get the rebounds and just do the dirty work,” Hubbard said.
In addition, Perrysburg sophomore Tyler Palmer scored five points, sophomore Andrew Charpie scored four points, and freshman Adam Gray added two points.
Perrysburg was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, committed 11 turnovers, and had a 27-17 rebounding advantage, including out-rebounding L-B, 7-1, in the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ lone carom was on a dead ball rebound that bounced off the rim and out of bounds.
L-B, behind the hot hand of 6-5 junior Jake Gerken, shot 51% (21-for-41) from the floor. Gerken hit four three-point shots in scoring a game-high 22 points, plus he had six rebounds and four steals.
Senior Carson Conaway scored five points, sophomore Brody Thomas scored nine points on three triples, and sophomore Zach Eichert scored six points for the Eagles.
L-B junior Tyler Grose and sophomores Lincoln Holler, Reid Irwin, and C.J. Barbara contributed two points apiece.
