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Jordyn Garbig knocked home a few runs. The Trojans scored in every inning to secure a 13-9 win over Newton in WOAC opener for both teams.

PLEASANT HILL – Arcanum scored in every inning, and it would be needed to pull out a 13-9 win over Newton in the first WOAC softball action of the year for both teams.

Arcanum entered the game with a 1-4 record with a double header loss to Oxford Talawanda to start the year.  They dropped a tough one in extra innings to a good Covington team 8-5 and also lost in extra innings to Beavercreek 4-3.

The losses hurt but at the same time they serve to challenge the team, playing good competition early helps prepare for league play and the WOAC has a number of good teams looking to challenge for a league title.

Newton came into the game with a 4-2 record and opened the year with a double header loss to Northwestern but then beat Tecumseh, Milton Union, Houston and Brookville 20-16.

Ironically, Arcanum also played Brookville and defeated them 19-15 in dramatic fashion with a grand slam home run from Jordyn Garbig to pull out the victory.

So, it was no surprise that the game between Newton and Arcanum would be a tight game.

Arcanum struck first plating two runs in the top of the 1st inning.  Grace Fry led off the game with a hit, she would collect three in the game.  She scored on a hit from Jordyn Garbig and then Garbig stole second and then scored on an error on a hard-hit ball from Matty Noe for a 2-0 lead.

The Indians got one back in the bottom half of the inning when Mya Denlinger who reached on an error then stole 2nd and scored on a hit to center from Isabelle Prickett to make the score 2-1.

Arcanum added a run in the 2nd inning in a repeat performance from Fry getting on and Jordyn Garbig getting her home to go up 3-1.

Cam Garbig was on the bump for the Trojans, and she would pitch a scoreless 2nd inning.

Arcanum expanded their lead in the 3rd inning with Matty Noe getting things started with a double off pitcher Isabelle Pritchett.  An error would advance Noe to 3rd and a Claire Hein ended up at second.  Noe then stole home and Hein went to third on an error.  She would get home then on a ground ball from Merideth Laux to make the score 5-1.

Newton added a run in the bottom of the inning on a fielder’s choice hit from Jersey Robinson that got Mya Denlinger home to make the score 5-2.

Newton's Jersey Robinson gets solid contact and drives home a run.

Arcanum got a run in the top of the 4th, and you guessed it Fry scored on a hard-hit ball to second from Garbig to going up 6-2.

Back came Newton with two runs in the bottom half.  Freshman Tylea Jackson gets a one out line drive to fall in left field.  Jackson scored on a ground ball by Audrey Miller along with Kaelyn Petry who drew a walk in the inning to make the score 6-4.

It was at this point I heard the 1st base umpire say everything was bang bang so far, with plenty of action every inning … and it would continue.

Arcanum’s Rees Hoffman scored on Ella Flatter bunt to go up 7-4 … but Newton would tie the game at 7-7 at the end of the 5th inning.

Arcanum made a pitching change going into the bottom of the 5th inning with Brynn Byers taking the mound. 

Newton got a lead-off hit from sophomore Brynnasen Fiely and she advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch.  Prickett got on by an error and Fiely advanced to 3rd.

Fiely then score on a rbi hit from Robinson.  Ella Bayer reached on an error that also scored Prickett.  The Indians Robinson scored on a couple of errors and the Indians were looking to add more runs until Arcanum turned a double play to keep the score deadlocked at 7-7.

Audrey Miller hails the bench after hitting a double.

Claire Hein delivered a rbi in the 6th inning bringing home Jordyn Garbig to put the Trojans back in front 8-7.  Arcanum would score 5 runs in the inning to push their lead to 12-7.  Hein came home on a Laux single.  Baker became a courtesy runner and stole 2nd.  Baker scored on a passed ball with Baker going to 3rd. Flatter singled bringing Baker in and then Ashlyn Tetgmeyer scored the final run in the inning on an error.

Newton got two of the runs back in bottom of the inning.  Freshman McKenzie Sheridan got on base and that was followed up with single by Audrey Miller  who had 3 hits in the game along with 2 RBI’s.  Fiely singled  and Sheridan scored on the play.  Robinson picked up her 2nd hit to go with 2 RBI’s which scored Denlinger to make the score 12-9 heading into the seventh inning.

Arcanum picked up an insurance run to score in every inning.  Noe led off with a hit, stole second and third and then scored on a pass ball to go up 13-9.

Newton would have one last opportunity at the plate but were set down 1-2-3 by Byers including a strikeout, the only one of the game for Newton who did a good job of drawing walks or getting the bat on the ball.

Arcanum got 4.1 innings from Garbig who gave up 4 runs only 1 earned.  Byers went 2.2 innings gave up 5 runs with 4 being earned and the one strikeout to get the win.

Newton sophomore Pritchett threw all 7 innings for the Indians giving up 13 runs, 5 earned, 5 walks and one strikeout in the loss.

Sophomore pitcher Isabelle Prickett went the distance in game verses Arcanum on the mound. 

Each team collected 12 hits and when you look at the numbers it was a fairly even game that all boiled down and mistakes and execution.

Arcanum coach Mike Morris was pleased with his team at the plate but know they need to improve on defense.

“We hit the ball really well and ran the bases well too and stole a bunch of bases,” Morris stated.

However, he knows the mistakes they are making as a young team sometimes makes it difficult to relax and finish strong.

Grace Fry collects one of her 3 hits on the night.

“They (Newton) are a young team and they we're making mistakes, which you might expect however, we're an older team so making the same mistakes shouldn't happen and we've got to fix it,” Morris explained.

“We've been working on situations but sometimes early in the year you don’t get in the groove, we’re not a deep bench so we got to clean it up on defense,” Morris added.

Despite that Morris is happy to get a win because he knows in the WOAC every one of them matter.

“Newton has a great coach. They've got a very young team with talent, and they're dangerous. They don't quit either. So, it was just good to get the first league win tonight against them because they are going to win a lot of game,” Morris concluded.

Newton coach Kayla McEldowney while disappointed in the loss knows patience is needed with a young team … but sees a lot of positive things happening and a winning attitude to build on.

“I told our girls post-game that I'm proud of them, because sometimes, especially with a young team, you make some errors and then fold. But we just keep fighting. And I love that about them, it doesn't matter. We're going to keep doing our thing. I also love that they  know they didn't play to their potential and I don’t have to sit there and tell them and they are ready to get back into practice to work on things.  That type of attitude and work ethic will pay off by the end of the season, where we can compete with good teams like Arcanum and start winning them,” McEldowney said.

“Tonight we got a good effort from our sophomore pitcher Isabel Prickett.  She's our go to and the amount of growth that she's shown since being a freshman, and the mind set when  your team's making errors behind you didn’t phase her and she keeps plugging away without hanging her head, plus she’s a big bat in our lineup,” McEldowney praised.

“Another leader for us is junior shortstop Maya denlinger, she's kind of a vocal leader, and at the top of our lineup, she kind of gets us going which I expect from her to kind of lead the younger ones. So, we're growing and learning as a team, it's just painful growth, and this game is a lesson for us early on and we can learn and maybe win these types of games going forward,” McEldowney concluded.

Newton fell to 4-3 overall and 0-1 in the WOAC and will play a non-league game on Saturday hosting West Liberty Salem.  They will then go to Bradford for a WOAC game on Tuesday.

Arcanum improved to 2-4 overall and 1-0 in the WOAC.  They will travel to Brookville Friday in a rematch of their 19-14 win a week ago and then play at Ansonia on Tuesday in a big WOAC showdown.


Freshman 2nd baseball Tylea Jackson chases down Grace Fry tagging her out in a run down.

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Elizabeth Poling threw a 5-hitter to record a 10-1 win at Ansonia in an early season showdown between two of the top WOAC softball teams.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

ANSONIA – Tri-Village baseball and softball on the strength of good pitching and timely hitting collected wins over Ansonia in their first WOAC league games this year. 

Ansonia held a ribbon cutting ceremony prior to the game to open up their beautiful new softball/baseball complex.

Tri-Village’s Emma Greer christened the event scoring the first run in the new complex on a first pitch homerun to quickly get the Patriots on the scoreboard 1-0. 

Emma Greer christened the new baseball/softball complex with a first pitch dinger over the left field fence.

It would be an early showdown between two of the top teams in the league last year and both expected to challenge for a title again this year. 

Ansonia was looking to pick up where they left off last season with a 16-12 record and a district championship in 2025.  They won their first three games to start 2026 with two wins over Eaton in a doubleheader and a 15-0 shutout over Ft. Recovery.

The Tigers much like the Patriots have put together a very strong non-conference schedule to prepare them for strong WOAC league competition and post season play.

Tri-Village is coming off their historic 30-0 state championship season and like Ansonia return a majority of their roster from last year. 

The Patriots started off this year with a win over Greenville but fell to perennial powers Oak Hill and Springfield Shawnee.  They picked up a win over Russia and then got the 10-1 WOAC win over Ansonia Monday night.

Junior Kaley Brandon would go 3-3 at the plate and scored two runs for the PATS.

Last year’s pitching ace for Tri-Village, Elizabeth Poling would have a good night in the circle going the distance.  She threw 7 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and had 11 strikeouts to get the win.

The Patriots banged out 18 hits with  Aereonna Baker going 3-4, 2 rbi, Tai Mize 3-4, 3 rbi, 2 runs, Miley Bierly 3-4, 2 rbi, 2 runs, Cameron Osborne 3-4, 1 run, Kaley Brandon 3-3, 2 runs and Emma Greer 2-3, 2 rbi and 2 runs scored.

Coach Emily Osborne talked about the success her team had at the plate verses Ansonia.

“We've really been working on our strategy at bat and trying to be team players. I think that kind of came through today by making sure that we're putting the ball in play. We’ll continue working on making sure we have runners on and finding a way to sacrifice getting them home,” Osborne explained.

Emma Greer would take matters in her own hands to start the game with her own shot to left field.

“That was fun with her leadoff homerun and the confidence it provides coming back to the team. I always tell her to make us believers, with the lead off it’s their job to make us believers, that we all can go up to bat and hit, and the homerun was just a bonus,” Osborne commented.

Mylee Bierly legs out a hit as Lillian Kaiser hauls in the throw from the third baseman.

And while the sticks were hot, the pitching performance was on point as well.

“Our pitching was nice, Liz was working hard on the mound as always and Ray did a good job blocking balls as we're working through some different pitches,” Osborne pointed out.

“We also got some good defensive plays to support the cause. They hit it over here to our hot corner a few different times. And she (Emma) was able to make awesome throws to first.  They found some holes, because they are a good team … but we did a good job making sure they didn’t string several together,” Osborne stated.

Coach David Fisherback knows the softball season encompasses a lot of games and the early schedule was going to be a challenge.

Miley Walls drives in the only run for the Tigers who dropped a 10-1 decision to TV.

“If I had circled a couple games on our schedule that we didn’t win would I be disappointed?  Both Covington and Tri-Village are two that I’m not terribly upset about,” Fisherback stated.

“We're continuing to battle walks from our pitching staff and we're working on it and getting better.  We finally started hitting the ball at the end here against Tri-Village,” Fisherback added.

The Tigers collected 5 hits against Poling with Lilly Perry going 2-3, 1 run, Miley Walls was 1-3, 1 rbi, and Addison Geyer and Abby Klingshirn went 1-3 at the plate.

Senior Abby Klingshirn throws in relief in game vs Tri-Village.

The Tigers will be back in WOAC action on Thursday traveling to Tri-County North and the Patriots will be at Preble Shawnee.

In baseball action Tri-Village also took a 6-3 win spoiling the opener to the Tigers new baseball field.

The Patriots got a good effort on the bump from junior Lucas Brown who threw a 4-hitter and helped himself at the plate with a single and a rbi as well.

TV jr. hurler Lucas Brown tossed a 4-hitter going the distance in a 6-3 win over Ansonia.

“Brown kept his pitch count way down and threw a nice game for us,” Tri-Village coach Josh Davies stated. 

“He has experience and we are expecting a big year out of him,” Davies added.

Davies was pleased to see his team open up WOAC play with a win and feels he has a team of guys who can win games in a number of ways.

“I have complete confidence in this line-up – one through nine, they can do some damage.  Since the start of practices, we have hit the ground running.  We’ve been hitting the ball well on the barrel and playing good defense, so I’m really excited about these guys.”  Davies explained.

Sophomore Staley Colston knocked a couple of hits & had two rbi's in win over Ansonia.

Ansonia has a new head coach, TJ Phlipot who was pleased to see his team fight back after getting down 6-1 and putting a little pressure on the Patriots closing to 6-3 with runners on in the bottom of the 7th inning.

“We’re a young ball club.  We had adversity early on, but the kids didn’t give up.  I’m really proud of them for that, we showed some fire at the end … but we need to start a little faster and make the plays presented to us,” Philpot stated.

Ansonia frosh Sam Evers got the start & will be a future force as a pitcher for the Tigers.

Patriot’s Ryker Marshall got things rolling for TV with an RBI Double to start the game.  Lucas Brown got an RBI single in the third and later scored.  Staley Colston rapped a rbi double as well to put the Patriots up 4-0.

The Tigers would answer in the 4th inning with Karsen Weiss getting on with a base hit and he would score on a hit from Jacob MacNutt later in the inning to make the score 4-1.

The Patriots scored two more in the 5th inning with Colston getting another hit and RBI to put the PATS up 6-1.

Ansonia rallied in the bottom of the 7th inning when Brown who had thrown well beaned back-to-back hitters.  A double from Jaden Dakin plated two runs to make the score 6-3 but Brown worked his way out of the jam and then struck out back-to-back hitters to get the win.

While the Tigers didn’t get the win, coach Phlipot is optimistic with some young talent and a nice new facility that they can get the program going in the right direction.

Ansonia will play at Tri-County North on Thursday while Tri-Village next league game will be on Tuesday when they host Mississinawa Valley.

Ansonia freshman Jaden Dakin hit a 2 run big double in the bottom of the 7th but the rally fell short with the Patriots getting a 6-3 win to start WOAC conference play.
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Tri-Village fell short of State goal receives OHSAA DVI Regional Runner-up Medals.

Story & Photos by Dale Barger

VANDALIA – The score in Tri-Village’s 57-43 loss in the regional final to Marion Local doesn’t tell the full story of the battle between the top two DVI teams in the state this year.

Timely shots by Marion Local, along with 23 free throw attempts compared to just 5 for the Patriots, loomed large in a grind-it-out game.

Things started well for the Patriots as they executed the offense and got what they wanted, jumping out to a 5-0 lead on a Dom Black field goal and a triple by Trey Sagester.

Marion answered with a couple of buckets to draw closer at 5-4, but Black and Griffin Richards scored back-to-back to push the lead to 9-7.

Dom Black scored 4 early points but Marion swarmed him most of the game and wouldn't allow him to get any breathing room to score in the paint.

Richards, off to a good start, was whistled for three early fouls in a game full of physical play. The calls seemed out of place, and he had to sit the rest of the quarter and all of the second period.

The Flyers responded with a triple from Oliver Huelsman followed by a layup from Brayden Mescher to grab their first lead, 12-9.

Sagester answered with a triple to tie the game at 12 to end the period, then opened the second quarter with a tough 18-foot jumper to put the Patriots back in front, 14-12.

Marion inched ahead 15-14, but the PATS took the lead back on a triple from Brecken Gray, 17-15, at the 5:30 mark.

Brecken Gray gets a three-ball to drop in the 2nd quarter. 

The Patriots then missed an opportunity to expand their lead on multiple shots on their next possession, and the Flyers tied the game at 17-17.

Sagester earned a hard deuce at the rim, followed by an athletic double-pump layup from Noah Finkbine to put the Patriots up 21-17, and things were looking good.

Marion’s next possession would be fruitful when Grant Kremer connected on a triple (his third of the game) and, at the same time, Dom Black was whistled for a foul underneath. The Flyers made it hurt, cashing in for a six-point swing when Kale Ahren hit a three-pointer from the corner to go up 23-21.

With the momentum flipped, the Flyers finished the first half strong and took a 27-23 advantage into the break.

After halftime, Sagester got the Patriots rolling with a triple to cut the deficit to 27-26, but shortly thereafter Richards picked up his fourth foul and again had to watch from the bench.

Marion increased its lead to 32-26 after a couple of empty possessions as Tri-Village tried to pound the ball inside to Black. Every time Black touched the ball he was swarmed by three and four defenders, determined not to let him score at the rim and making points hard to come by.

Griffin Richards who got a soft whistle against him couldn't get a call to go his way as he takes contact going to the rim.

“Griff getting in foul trouble definitely had an impact on the game as well as my big not getting to the free throw line. I felt like there was some physicality in the paint and then you don’t get to the free throw line … yet my point guard had three fouls in the first quarter and a fourth early in the 3rd quarter, and quite frankly, couldn’t play to his athleticism and do some things he can because of foul trouble, really hurt us,” coach Sagester stated.

Given the need to have him on the floor, TV gambled and reinserted Richards, and he answered with a drive to the rim to pull within 32-28 at the 3:25 mark. But Marion’s big man buried a triple—something he doesn’t normally shoot—to push the lead to 35-28.

A couple of Sagester free throws the rest of the quarter weren’t enough to overcome a buzzer-beating three by Kremer, and the Flyers held a 10-point lead, 40-30, going into the final frame.

Trey Sagester completes a layup to string together 9 straight points to make a run at Marion Local.

Trey Sagester showed why he was a finalist for Mr. Basketball to start the fourth with a drive to the rim and the harm for a three-point play. He followed that up with two straight triples, scoring 9 quick points and finishing with 13 of his game-high 25 in the quarter.

Down 45-39 at the 6:25 mark, the Patriots got a stop and needed a score to make it a one-possession game, but a missed layup and two jumpers wouldn’t fall. Marion scored after that to keep TV at bay, 47-39.

The Flyers now had time on their side, and they let their point guard Mescher do his thing as they spread the floor, looking for either a layup or a foul to get to the free throw line.

Tri-Village was never really able to mount another run, playing catch-up as Marion went 11-of-15 from the line in the frame to claim the DVI Regional Title, 57-43, and secure back-to-back state Final Four appearances.

They denied Tri-Village, whose last appearance at state was in 2022, when they finished state runner-up to Richmond Heights.

The Patriots, who owned a 4-0 record against the Flyers and beat them in the regional title game in 2015 on their way to a 30-0 undefeated state championship, saw the dream of another undefeated state championship come up short.

It’s easy to be consumed and overcome with emotions when you fall short of the ultimate goal, but after the disappointment fades, these young men, coaches and the community can be proud of a season that is now in the record books:

26-1, Regional Runner-up, District Champions, 11-0 WOAC Champions and Flyin’ to the Hoop winners.

The Patriots graduate five seniors who have given much to the program, including 96 wins over four years, four district championships and two WOAC league championships.

Graduating are Carson Bedinghaus, Logan DeLong, Kasyn Hollinger, Noah Finkbine and Trey Sagester.

Bedinghaus filled his role off the bench this year by giving valuable minutes on defense and helping facilitate the offense.

DeLong gave the PATS a big body to bang against in practice, and his sense of humor and smile helped keep things real for the team.

Hollinger had a number of big moments this year with clutch shots, rebounds and big defensive plays, and has been a solid contributor over the last four years.


Noah Finkbine gets a double pump and under lay-up and leaves as one of the most athletic players to don a Patriot uniform.

Finkbine might be one of the most athletic players to ever wear a Patriot uniform, and his value couldn’t be measured by points alone—a tenacious defender, good ball screener, capable ball handler, steady decision-maker and athletic enough to score tough buckets. He’ll be a tough player to replace.

The Patriots have had to replace big-time players over the years—more recently Layne Sarver, Colton Linkous, Damion Cook and Tyler Cook, who have all led the Patriots to the big dance—and now will have to replace another.

Sagester was a generational type of player, a Mr. Basketball finalist and now the Tri-Village boys’ all-time leading scorer with 2,081 points. His 96 wins are the most in school history and his 107 games played is the 5th most in OHSAA History along with being top 25 in three-point goals made in a career

For coach Josh Sagester, who has taken three teams to the state Final Four—including one state championship, one state runner-up and one other Final Four—having his son Trey playing made this run even more personal. Trey was his ball boy on two of those earlier teams, including the state championship squad. It hits hard that the two of them didn’t get to do it together as coach and player … but it doesn’t diminish what they and this team accomplished together.

“The ending is bittersweet. I thought our kids battled. When you’re playing a one-game shot and not a series in high school basketball, it’s unfortunate,” Sagester shared.

“Obviously, this was a real special class, and to walk down the hallway knowing it’s the last time we’re going to be together in the locker room, that’s hard. But boy, they played with heart. They’re winners. They competed at a high level,” Sagester reflected.

“I think they left their stamp on our program, certainly our school district and community, and I’m really proud of all of them,” Sagester commented while holding back tears.

While the pain is real for coach Sagester and especially the five seniors, the experience gained by the remainder of the team should prove valuable and serve as motivation for next season. Returning varsity players Griffin Richards, Dom Black, Brecken Gray and a junior varsity team that went 22-0 will be tasked with the same goals that won’t change because of graduation.

Those “Gold Standard” goals are winning a league championship, winning 20+ games, winning a district, regional and state championship. The 2025-26 team checked off a lot of those boxes, and when your goals are that specific, falling short hits hard … now it’s next team up.

The dream of another undefeated run ended in Vandalia, but the legacy of this group ensures that for Tri-Village basketball, the Gold Standard isn’t going anywhere—only the names on the jerseys will change.

The Patriots didn’t get the storybook finish, but seasons like this one don’t fade quickly. They live on in packed gyms, kids shooting in driveways pretending to be Sagester or Finkbine as the seniors move on and the underclassmen step forward, Tri-Village basketball isn’t resetting—just reloading. The goals remain the same. The names may change … but the standard will not.
It was an emotional ending for the Sagester family.  Trey gets a hug from his dad and coach Josh Sagester, while also gentle hand from grandpa and assistant coach Mick Sagester in their last time on the court together.
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Trey Sagester is a 2026 Ohio Mr. Basketball Finalist.  

Story and Photos by Dale Barger - Video by Zeke Hopkins

NEW MADISON – Tri-Village Senior Guard Trey Sagester and the Patriots basketball team are having another great year on the hardwood. The Patriots are currently 26-0, WOAC Conference Champs, District Champs and vying for a Regional Title as well looking to return to the state final four since 2023.  Trey has been selected as a 2026 Ohio Mr. Basketball Finalist. Trey is averaging nearly 25 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.6 APG, 3.7 SPG, 54% 2FG, 41% 3FG & 85% FT.

Being one of a select few finalist for the coveted award, Trey was humbled and honored for being considered.

“I’m very thankful for my teammates and coaches who have helped put me in this position,” Sagester attributed.

Trey joins his sister Rylee who was a 2023 Ohio Ms. Basketball Finalist and finish runner-up in the voting that year.

Rylee is a redshirt sophomore guard at Wright State University and holds the state record for the most made three’s in a career with 401.

Being nominated along with my sister makes this even more special,” Trey said.  We are a basketball family. We both have devoted a lot of time to develop our skills doing a lot of similar work beginning at a young age and I’m extremely proud of her and what she’s done and continues to do,” Trey exclaimed.

“It’s a huge honor to be in the same conversation with the best Ohio has to offer on the court,” Sagester concluded.

The WOAC in its 5th year has had 3 Mr. & Ms. Ohio Basketball Finalist,  Rylee Sagester was Ms Basketball Runner-up in 2023  Mason Shrout two years ago and Trey Sagester in 2026. 

https://youtu.be/IUY3YnxJWNk - Trey Sagester Video Highlights

Congratulations to Trey Sagester and good luck in the voting for Mr. Basketball.

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Trey Sagester slips bounce pass through 2 defenders to Noah Finkbine for score. A lot of attention on Sagester he was able to facilitate others with some big passes.

Story and Photos by Dale Barger

VANDALIA – Tri-Village put together a solid performance on offense scoring 62 points and even more impressive on defense holding Troy Christian to just 31 points to win the OHSAA DVI Butler Regional Semifinal game.

The now 26-0 Patriots will put their unbeaten record on the line against #1 Marion Local who upended Ft. Recovery 69-45 in the second game of the double-header at Butler High School.

The two teams will play again at Butler on Saturday at 7:30pm with the winner to advance to the State Final Four.

Tri-Village has proved all year long that they can score the basketball in a variety of ways … but the offense goes as the defense goes and the further you get in the tournament the more you rely on it.

Noah Finkbine was able to score at the rim and had a couple of three balls as well for 14 points in win over Troy Christian.

“We were really good defensively tonight. And to win regional games, you have to be good defensively. I thought we did a really good job of running them off the three point line and frankly not let them shoot as many as they have during the season. If you look at numbers, numbers don't lie. They've taken approximately 650 threes, so the majority of their offense is outside the arc. So, we felt like we needed to make them make some tough twos today, and if we could do that, we thought we'd be able to score enough points to give ourselves a chance. And I think that kind of proved its worth,” Tri-Village coach Josh Sagester said after the game.

Troy Christian would connect on two three’s one each from Austin Stangel and Noah Fecher, but the Patriots held a 16-10 lead after the first quarter with Trey Sagester scoring 8 and both Dom Black and Noah Finkbine had 4 points.

The Eagles attempted to defensively make it tough on Trey Sagester in a box and one and they were able to get Dom Black to pick up two early fouls, and he would sit the second quarter.

Senior Kasyn Hollinger hit the ground running with this triple in the 2nd quarter.  He had some big offensive rebounds and 9 points for the PATS.

Kasyn Hollinger filled that time nicely in the 2nd quarter and immediately connected on a three-pointer and grabbed 3 tough offensive rebounds converting on one and going to the free throw line on another and scored six points in the frame.

TV’s defense clamped down on Troy Christian who scored just 4 points in the period while Sagester added 4 and Finkbine 3 to go with Hollinger’s 6 points to lead 29-14 at the break.

“I thought Trey did a good job getting us off to a good start in 1st half," Sagester said.

“He commands a lot of attention and did a good job of facilitating our other guys that obviously made plays, and they're capable of doing that.  We had a 15-point lead without the man (Dom) in the middle and knew when we got him in the second half, he was going to be a load, so we tried to make a conscious effort to get him the ball in the paint," Sagester explained.

Dom would deliver as coach expected with 6 points in the paint in the 3rd quarter and he would end the game with 13. 

Noah Finkbine continued to be effective and had a quiet 14 points including 5 in the 3rd quarter taking what the defense gave him. Griffin Richards and Brecken Gray each had a bucket as well as the PATS opened up a 44-22 lead.

Brecken Gray off a steal scored a lay-up in third quarter for the PATS.

The rematch between Tri-Village and Troy Christian for the Patriots coaching staff and fans who can harken back to 2013, was a nightmare.  TV defeated the Eagles by 21 in regular season and entered the regional semifinal game 26-0 vs Troy Christian at 24-2.  The Eagles won that game in overtime, then won the regional and advanced to the state final four.

From the start the Patriots defense set the tone and was never in danger of that repeat performance of 2013.  They were efficient on offense, and the bench was able to get playing time as well in the final frame as they went on to win the game 62-31 to advance to the Elite Eight.

“We were good tonight, this team has guys who can compete.  I thought Kasyn Hollinger played extremely well for us. I couldn't be prouder of our kids that continue to hang with us and take advantage of their opportunities.  He's a senior and some of the plays he made in the second quarter, obviously some baskets that he scored, but more importantly, the offensive rebounds he got for us because he's athletic. So proud of him to have a great night for us,” Sagester praised.

Hollinger would end the game with 9 points.  The Patriots were led by Sagester with 17, Finkbine 14, Black 13, Gray 5, Richards 2, Levi Johnsman and Carson Bedinghaus 1 each.

Tri-Village will now set their sights on Marion Local a 69-45 winner over Ft. Recovery. 

Early in the year everything pointed to this probable match-up and it’s now here. 

Marion Local is the Maxpreps #1 Top Ranked RPI team in DVI with a 30.30 rating.  Tri-Village is the underdog with a rating of 22.00. 

Tri-Village last state final four appearance came in 2022, the Patriots have fallen the last three years in the regional semifinals.

“We’re excited as a team, we haven’t been to regional finals in a while.  Our kids were comfortable and confident in this game … but we’ll have to go back and put a plan together to put in a position to be competitive against a very good team,” Sagester concluded.

Finkbine sets a solid screen for Sagester as the two worked in tandem on the night.  Sagester led all scorers with 17. 

From Sagester’s steady hand to Finkbine’s efficiency, to Hollinger’s spark off the bench, Tri-Village showed the depth and composure of a team built for March.

The Patriots have cleared one hurdle in convincing fashion; now they turn their full attention to Marion Local and a chance to punch their ticket back to the State Final Four.

Riding the confidence of a 31-point regional victory and a perfect 26-0-mark, Tri-Village heads into Saturday knowing that their best basketball still needs to be in front of them.


Dom Black was a tough match-up in the paint.  Foul trouble limited his playing time but he would score 13 in the win. 
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