Springboro sank 23-of-31 attempts from the line — compared to 7-of-8 for Lebanon — to win round one of the Warren County rivalry, 66-55 on Jan. 22.
“I thought we settled for jump shots rather than attack the rim,” Lebanon coach Pat Murphy said. “Points in the paint and free throws were our points of emphasis coming into this game, and that’s where Springboro beat us.”
Lebanon (3-9, 1-3 GWOC South) held a 28-22 lead late in the second quarter, but the Panthers ended the half on a 7-0 run to take the lead.
Springboro (6-6, 3-1) then stretched that run to 13-2 and a six point lead to start the third quarter.
Lebanon cut the lead to four early in the fourth, but a three-pointer by Josh Davis with six minutes left in the game pushed the lead to seven.
“That allowed us to change the tempo of the game,” Panther coach Troy Holtrey said. “After we got that lead, we were able to get the free throw line.
“We played four quarters of solid basketball for maybe the first time this season. It was a battle out there and a great atmosphere for a high school game. It was a lot of fun.”
Springboro made 13-of-18 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Cory Hemmelgarn, who led all scorers with 23 points, made all six of his charity attempts in the final two minutes.
“We’re a pretty good free throw shooting team, and we knew we’d have to make them tonight to win,” Hemmelgarn said. “We figured we could score in the post on them. As long as we went up strong, we’d either get fouled or score an easy bucket.”
Adam Patton scored 18 points for the Panthers while Michael Tepe added 10.
Blake Davenport led Lebanon in scoring with 19 points while Jordan Russell scored 12.
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