Trenton Tigers Out-Claw Newberry Panthers 65-57 in 1A District 7 Championship

On Friday night, the Trenton High School Boys’ Basketball Team defeated Newberry High School in the 1A District 7 Championship by a score of 65-57.

This is Trenton’s second consecutive district championship. Tyler Perry led the Tigers in scoring with 22 points and Perrion Sylvester led the Panthers with 17 points in this overtime thriller. 

In spite of the loss, the Panthers were able to score in variety on Friday night while also displaying some impressive ball movement for the majority of the game. Eight different players scored on Friday night for the Panthers, with three of them recording double-digit points. Turnovers and missed shots late in the game ultimately led to the downfall of the top-ranked team in 1A District 7.

Newberry Jumps Out to An Early Lead

Newberry came out firing on all cylinders, with Reggie White and Perrion Sylvester both scoring six points in the first quarter. 

As they have done in previous games, the Panthers continued to establish themselves in the post. Shelton Hall and Romance Bryant also added a few baskets in what was a strong offensive start for Newberry.

After the Panthers jumped out to an early 12-5 lead, the Tigers were able to trim Newberry’s lead down to three points. 

After a late three-pointer from Trenton’s Brandon DeMartino, the score at the end of the first quarter was 17-14 in favor of Newberry.

Spreading the Floor

As the second quarter began, the Newberry Panthers began to settle into a groove on both ends of the floor. 

The defense kept the Tigers in check for the most part during the first half, but it was Newberry’s lethal ball movement that was the main storyline of the first three quarters of this game. They continued to spread the ball around and make the Trenton defense work until they could find the open man. 

Keon Woods hit two three-pointers in this quarter, with both of them resulting from Newberry’s quick ball movement. After another three-pointer from Trenton’s Brandon DeMartino to end the half, the score was 33-22 in favor of Newberry. 

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Tables Begin to Turn

As the game transitioned into the second half, the Panthers kept their foot on the gas. The stellar ball movement simply did not stop, as the Panthers continued to pad their lead. Corey Jelks recorded seven points in this quarter, with most of them coming off of expectational passes from his teammates. 

Perrion Sylvester and the Panthers continued to establish themselves in the paint. The senior forward recorded ten points through three quarters of play, using his large frame and aggressive physicality to get to the hoop and score.

With a little over four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Newberry led Trenton by 15 points. As the game continued on, Trenton began to hit their stride, hitting some shots and slowly but steadily trimming the lead. After a late bucket, the score was 46-39 at the conclusion of the third quarter. 

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Turnovers and Missed Opportunities 

Before the start of the final quarter of regulation, Head Coach Patrick Green knew that his players were going to make mistakes, but told them that they were still in good shape. 

Although the Panthers still felt comfortable about the game, the momentum at this point of the game was clearly heading towards the Tigers. As Trenton continued to pick apart Newberry’s defense and find ways to score, the Panthers could not find ways to answer back on offense. Turnovers became an issue late in the game as well as shooting from the field. 

After Newberry led by 15 points midway through the third quarter, Trenton fought their way back into the game and tied it up with a little less than three minutes remaining in the game. After some back and forth scoring, Newberry took a timeout with 22 seconds left and the score tied. Head Coach Patrick Green had drawn a play up, but the Panthers failed to score and the game was sent to overtime.

The final offensive possession of regulation for Newberry.

The Panthers might have lost this matchup, but the next one has much bigger implications.

Newberry vs. Trenton on Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 PM in the regional semifinals. They’ll have their shot at redemption then. pic.twitter.com/Jv71LND8tu

— Bradley Shimel (@bradleyshimel_) February 12, 2022

Trenton Runs Away With It

At the end of regulation, the Trenton crowd in attendance gave their team a deafening ovation. The Tigers knew that they owned the momentum after clawing their way back and that this was their game to win. 

Immediately following the second tip-off of the game, Trenton began to storm ahead. After a quick layup and two free throws, Coach Green called a timeout with 2:36 remaining in the overtime period. 

During this timeout, Coach Green told his group to settle down, get rebounds and take good shots.

After a free throw from Perrion Sylvester, the lead was trimmed to a three-point game. Trenton took a timeout with 1:58 remaining and came out blazing. After a few free throw and a three-pointer from their leading scorer Xavier Jones, this game began to get out of reach. At the end of the period, the final score was 65-57.

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Looking Ahead

The Newberry Panthers will begin the regional playoffs in the semifinals in a rematch against the Trenton Tigers. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. After Friday night’s overtime thriller, you definitely won’t want to miss this one.