Peebles Wins First District Title Since 2020, Edges Eastern Pike 56-54

Sophomore guard Bo Johnson scored at the 1:09 mark and again with 45.5 seconds left, hitting a runner in traffic for a 53-52 lead that Peebles would not relinquish, carrying the Indians to a 56-54 Division VI district championship victory over Eastern Pike at Ohio University's Convocation Center in Athens on March 8.

The win delivered Peebles its first district crown since 2020 and came after Eastern Pike had led 52-49 with 1:21 remaining, forcing five lead changes in the final five minutes of a game that swung nine times overall.

"It feels good because we came here last year and lost," Johnson said. "I feel like we haven't been in the district championship [in awhile]. It just feels good."

Johnson finished with 18 points and four assists, but the game's decisive sequence arrived after Eastern's Cade Leist threw an inbounds pass to Boston Webb with 1:09 left. Peebles intercepted the ball, Johnson converted the layup to make it 53-52, and the lead never changed hands again. After Peebles forced a defensive stop, Josh McClary sealed it at the free throw line.

The game had tilted sharply in Eastern's favor through much of the fourth quarter. Manley and Leist hit back-to-back baskets to put the Eagles up 47-44 before Johnson answered with all five points of a Peebles 5-0 run. Eastern's Carson Peters then tied the game at 49 on two free throws with 3:00 left, Aiden Werner hit the front end of a pair to push Eastern to 50-49, and Webb extended that edge to 52-49 with 1:21 remaining before Johnson's final two baskets rewrote the finish.

Peebles had built a 32-22 halftime lead behind 15 first-half points from McClary and just two turnovers. Eastern clawed back immediately after the break, forcing three consecutive Peebles miscues and trimming the deficit to 32-30 within the first 2:43 of the third quarter on a Webb three-pointer.

"We don't turn the ball over much," said Peebles coach Josh Arey. "Three consecutive turnovers, that's just not us. But that's a credit to their defense, as well."

Freshman forward Keagan Puckett stabilized Peebles in the third, giving the Indians a six-point lead with back-to-back baskets and adding a put-back to keep Peebles in front 42-41 through three periods. Puckett finished with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds and gave Eastern fits throughout with his size and soft touch in the paint.

McClary led all Peebles scorers with 19 points and five rebounds. Webb paced Eastern with a game-high 21 points. Manley added 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Eagles, Werner totaled 11 points, and Leist contributed six points, five rebounds and three assists.

"Did we have a doubt? No, I don't think so," McClary said. "I think we were fine. Defense is what won this game. It was the little things. Coach [Josh Arey] had us prepared. I'm going to say that every time because it's what it is. Bo stepped up and everybody stepped on their end. We all combined well."

Colyn Sims and his teammates presented the district championship trophy to the Peebles student section at the Convo following the final buzzer.

Eastern Pike's season ends with the loss. Peebles advances to face Portsmouth West, which defeated Valley to reach the Division VI regional semifinal scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday at Ohio University's Convocation Center.