12/09/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
SESSER - A good shooting night can often times overshadow some other problems a team might have.

Case in point, the Sesser-Valier victory over rival Woodlawn on Tuesday night.

The host Red Devils coughed up 13-turnovers, six in the fourth quarter and were out-rebounded by the Cardinals 20-12.

However Coach Marcus Clary's club nailed down the important shots, especially from long range, and they took care of business from the foul line in the fourth quarter to pick up an important 48-40 win.

With the victory, the Red Devils improved to 8-15 on the season and perhaps more importantly Sesser-Valier picked up a win over another team in Sub-Sectional A of the Norris City-Omaha-Enfield 1A Sectional.

Woodlawn fell to 10-15 overall for Coach Luke Cooper as the Cardinals had chances to rally late but didn't get enough shots to fall in the fourth quarter to overcome a couple of bad periods (second and third) as they fell behind by double-digits heading into the final eight minutes.

Sesser-Valier was led in scoring by 5-11 senior guard Jonah Ruffino with 14-points, nine of which came on a trio of 3-pointers.

Senior Colt Packer added nine-points for the Red Devils as balance was the key for the hosts with nine different players scoring.

All nine players who got on the floor scored for Coach Clary.

Sophomore Kyan Short hit a pair of 3-pointers for six-points while teammates and classmates Liam McMurray and Tony Kistner pitched in five-points each.

“We had a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter, we kind of got lax there with the ball but they did a good job just staying the course and knocking down big free throws,” said Coach Clary. “We stepped up defensively, especially our sophomores. Liam McMurray and Tony Kistner came up big. They came up with some steals and got their hands on passes. Liam hit some big free throws at the end.”

Woodlawn had a pair of players in double-figures in scoring on Tuesday night, led by sophomore Baylor Rollie with 15-points and senior Wyatt Rollie with 14.

Senior Logan Palmer added five points to the totals.

Senior Josh Lewis and freshman Tyson Frick scored three and two points respectively.

Both scored their points in the first quarter with Lewis nailing down a 3-pointer and Frick scoring on a cut to the basket for an early 10-4 advantage with 2:30 left in the first frame.

Senior Braydon Short hit a 3-pointer for the Red Devils late in the quarter as Sesser-Valier trailed just 13-10 at the end of one.

The hosts outscored Woodlawn 12-7 in the second quarter to take a 22-20 halftime lead.

S-V canned 5-of-7 shots from the field, including the first of Ruffino's three 3's.

Twice during the quarter the Red Devils scored on back door cuts to the basket, the final one coming from Ruffino who took a pass from senior Wyatt Loucks for a lay in and a two-point halftime advantage.

Packer opened up the second half with a pair of key plays.

He got loose in the lane for a score while being fouled by Baylor Rollie that turned into a three-point play.

He then used his size to back into the lane for another inside score.

Consecutive 3-point bombs by Kyan Short and Ruffino finished an 11-2 run for a 33-22 lead with 2:50 left in the quarter.

Woodlawn responded with a pair of baskets by Baylor Rollie and Wyatt added a rebound score early in the second half.

However Ruffino found himself open for a 3-point attempt as the clock ticked down.

His 20-footer rolled around the rim a couple of times before falling through at the horn for a 36-26 lead for the Red Devils heading to the final quarter.

“His 3-pointer at the end of the third was huge for us,” said Coach Clary about Ruffino's shot. “January wins are big. We're trying to build towards getting hot at the right time. We have played tough with a lot of good 2A teams and games like that make you more prepared for the postseason. I think we will see some improvement as we continue on. I trust my guys, I trust their effort and their intensity.”

(CONTINUED)

(CONTINUED)

The Cardinals put together a rally to begin the fourth.

Consecutive scores by Baylor Rollie (twice) and Wyatt Rollie cut into their deficit.

The second Rollie score was a 3-pointer from the right wing on an assist from Lewis as the Red Devils would need a timeout at 36-33 with 6:47 remaining.

A key element of the fourth quarter is that Sesser-Valier got to the five foul plateau at the 3:41 mark.

But Woodlawn only made two additional trips to the foul line the rest of the way, hitting 2-of-3 from the stripe with the other attempt being waved off due to a lane violation.

Two of the free throws by Wyatt Rollie made it 42-40 S-V with :36.4 left.

Those two tosses were the final points for Woodlawn.

The Red Devils hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final :33.7 to close out the win.

McMurray hit 3-of-4 of the charity tosses to end the game and the victory for the hosts.

Sesser-Valier ended up 16-of-30 from the floor, 7-of-12 from the 3-point line.

Woodlawn finished 15-of-36, 4-of-8 from the arc.

The Cardinals committed eight of their 15 turnovers in the second half which didn't help the cause.

Both teams have work to do before the postseason begins a month from now.

The Red Devils will play three consecutive road games at West Frankfort, Waltonville and Goreville.

Woodlawn, in the same stretch, will travel to Cisne before hosting Wayne City and Edwardsville Metro-East Lutheran.

“We talked about it with the boys before the game that the Woodlawn games, the Waltonville games and the Christopher games; those are the games you will remember when you're older. We challenged them to make this a positive memory,” said Coach Clary. “We buckled down defensively after the first quarter and that is the reason we got the win.”

Woodlawn (40) – Lee 0 0 1-2 1, Ba. Rollie 4 2 1-3 15, Lewis 0 1 0-0 3, Frick 1 0 0-0 2, W. Rollie 6 0 2-2 14, Palmer 0 1 2-2 5, Bo. Rollie 0 0 0-0 0. 2FG-11/ 3FG-4/ FT-6-9/PF-14.
Sesser-Valier (48) – McMurray 1 0 3-4 5, Loucks 0 0 1-2 1, Menser 0 1 0-0 3, Willmore 1 0 0-0 2, K. Short 0 2 0-0 6, Kistner 1 0 3-4 5, Packer 4 0 1-1 9, B. Short 0 1 0-0 3, Ruffino 2 3 1-1 14.
2FG-9/3FG-7/FT-9-12/PF-12.
Fouled Out – None.
Technical Fouls – None.