WILLARD, Ohio — St. Peter’s had top-seeded Plymouth on the ropes, but the Big Red’s big man delivered the knockout blow.
Tyrell Edmiston scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Plymouth held on for a 48-41 win in the opener of a Division IV district doubleheader Tuesday night at Robert L. Haas Gymnasium.
The Big Red (24-1) will play Buckeye Central for a district title at 7 p.m. Friday at Willard. Buckeye Central beat Sandusky St. Mary 70-54 in Tuesday’s nightcap.
Plymouth looked like it would sail to victory before Edmiston picked up two quick fouls, his third and fourth, early in the third quarter. He went to the bench with 5:30 to play in the third and the Big Red holding a 31-24 lead.
St. Peter’s (16-9) outscored Plymouth 10-4 the rest of the quarter and trailed 35-34 heading to the fourth.
“They could have folded up their tents in the first half, but they never did. They never quit,” Plymouth coach Troy Keene said. “They just kept digging.”
Keene rolled the dice and re-entered Edmiston, the District 6 Player of the Year, to start the fourth quarter. The move paid off immediately as the athletic 6-foot-4 power forward scored back-to-back buckets to start the fourth. His dunk with 6:30 remaining gave the Big Red a 39-34 advantage.
“When I came to the bench in the third quarter I just told the guys to keep their heads up and keep playing,” said Edmiston, who blocked five shots and altered at least five more. “We just had to execute and keep playing our game.”
St. Peter’s Kyle Osgar hit a pair of free throws to cut Plymouth’s lead to 39-36, but a Hunter Bailey layup on an Edmiston assist and a pair of Tyson Beebe free throws gave the Big Red a 43-36 advantage with 1:37 remaining.
“We had some opportunities there, but we missed some layups,” St. Peter’s coach Joe Jakubick said. “I thought we had them where we wanted them. They had a little doubt in their mind, but they made the plays that they needed to make.”
A Jared Jakubick 3-pointer and a Tyson Kent layup cut the Plymouth lead to 43-41 with 1:11 remaining, but the Big Red 5 of 9 free throws down the stretch to ice it.
Bailey backed Edmiston with nine points. Beebe added eight and Dodge Collins had seven.
Freshman Mason Campbell led St. Peter’s with 13 points. Jakubick had 10.
Quick Start: Plymouth scored the first eight points of the game as Bailey hit a pair of 3-pointers. Edmiston had eight first-quarter points as the Big Red jumped out to a 14-8 lead.
“My starting five has been in this building three or four times in this district game,” Keene said. “I thought that was a big advantage at the beginning, but we lost our mojo late in the second quarter and never regained it until the fourth.”
No Repeat: Plymouth and St. Peter’s met during the regular season and the Big Red rolled to a 52-35 win at St. Peter’s on Jan. 13.
“They have come so far this season. From the first time we played them to the second time, they are a team that is night and day,” Keene said. “The first time that they were a little intimidated of Tyrell. They know how to play against him now.”
The Spartans were without Osgar in Kent in the first meeting as both were still sitting out after transferring to St. Peter’s.
“There is no doubt that when you add Tyson and Kyle you change the energy of the team,” Jakubick said. “Plus you’ve got to understand that we had a couple of kids who were playing in their seventh or eighth high school game.”
Tournament Tested: After a couple of easy wins in the sectional, Plymouth was pushed for the first time this postseason.
“It wasn’t pretty, but it’s survive and advance,” Edmiston said. “That is what it’s all about now.”
“They could have folded up their tents in the first half, but they never did. They never quit,” Plymouth coach Troy Keene said. “They just kept digging.”
