#3Amity @ #4Dayton By Danielle Findley This contentious rivalry game did not disappoint! Since 2016 Amity and Dayton have played each other twelve times and Dayton has come out on top in eight games and Amity has won four games - twice at Dayton and most recently in the semi-finals of last year’s State Tourney. To say that Dayton was looking for some revenge is an understatement. The gym was packed and the stage was set for a heated battle. Dayton won the tip, but Amity scored first when Jacob Bernards ripped down an offensive rebound and made the putback. Dayton wasn’t able to score on their next several possessions and Amity went up 7-0 when Landon Distler hit a three with four minutes to go in the 1st quarter. Then the momentum shifted when Dawson Ashley hit a three and was fouled. He made his freethrow and Dayton started to get in a groove. Payton Garrison got a defensive rebound and went coast to coast to make the score 6-7. They traded the lead until the last minute when Josh Wart got a big steal and a layup +1 to put Amity up 12-8. Dayton answered with a quick midrange jumper from Ashley and then a steal and an assist to Garrison to tie it up 12-12 at the end of the 1st. Wart was the first to score in the 2nd quarter with one of two freethrows. Then he stole the ball and scored again to put Amity up 15-12. Dayton’s smothering defense caused Amity to turn the ball over consecutive times, but Dayton wasn’t able to convert until Jacob Morales drove the lane to score for the Pirates. Dayton’s Benji Hudson caused another turnover, but Amity’s Keenan Graham stole it back and scored to put them up 17-14 with four minutes to go in the half. Both teams traded scoreless possessions and then Ashley was fouled while shooting and made all three freethrows to tie it up again 17-17. Dayton made a defensive stand double teaming Wart with Garrison and Justin Morales who altered and blocked his shots. Amity came back with a defensive stop of their own, but then Jacob Morales drew a charge from Wart and Tyler Spink scored to put the Pirates up 19-17. The Morales brothers double teamed Bernards to cause another Amity turnover, but Wart stole it back and finished with a dunk to tie the game again 19-19 with two minutes to go in the half. Justin Morales scored and then Tyler Spink stole the ball and scored to put the Pirates back on top 23-19. Graham answered for Amity with a three pointer and several possessions later Wart got a big rebound and scored to put the Warriors on top 24-23 with nine seconds to go. But on an assist from Garrison, Ashley hit a buzzer beater three to give the Pirates the lead 26-24 going into the 2nd half. Dayton continued their run into the 3rd quarter. Justin Morales grabbed a offensive board and scored a putback and then got a defensive rebound and an assist to Kody Fuller to put the Pirates up 30-24. Then Graham scored back to back buckets for Amity and Wart scored to tie it up again 30-30. Both teams were scoreless for the next two minutes until Ashley hit a jump shot +1 for Dayton and then Amity’s Logan Grove matched that with a three pointer. The teams traded baskets up until the last minute when Dayton’s Justin Morales scored and then got a steal and Garrison scored on an assist from Ashley to put the Pirates up 43-39 to end the 3rd. The 4th quarter started the same way the 3rd quarter ended - with Dayton’s Justin Morales stealing the ball and Garrison scoring on an assist from Ashley. George Hatch answered with a three pointer to put Amity within 3. They forced another turnover by Dayton, but the Pirates tenacious defense frustrated Wart and caused Amity to turn the ball over again and Garrison scored on an assist from Justin Morales. Dayton’s defense continued to clamp down on the Warriors, but Wart managed to keep them close until the last 3 minutes when Amity turned the ball over multiple times and Dayton took advantage and went up 61-49 with 1 minute to go. Amity tried to stage a comeback with Isaac Watcherson getting a big rebound and put back, Graham scoring after a missed freethrow by Dayton and Graham getting a steal and a layup as time ran out, but it wasn’t enough - Dayton’s balanced scoring attack proved too much for the Warriors to handle. The Pirates won 61-56. Dayton: Jr Dawson Ashley - 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals; Jr Justin Morales - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals; Sr Payton Garrison - 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals; So Tyler Spink - 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Sr Kody Fuller - 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal; Sr Jacob Morales - 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal; So Benji Hudson - 2 rebounds; Sr Kaden Fergus Amity: Jr Josh Wart - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals; Jr Keenan Graham - 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals; Sr Jacob Bernards - 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal; So Logan Grove - 3 points, 1 assist, 1 steal; Jr Landon Distler - 3 points, 1 assis; Jr George Hatch - 3 points; Jr Isaac Watcherson - 2 points M
