Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

FRANKLIN FURNACE — You’ve heard it been said that polls in sports don’t really mean anything.
The Green Bobcats are some of those people who don’t believe in polls as they took the Association Press Division 4 No. 2-ranked New Boston Tigers down to the wire before losing 66-63 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Friday.
Green gave New Boston fits the entire game and mounted a fourth quarter comeback.
There were eight lead changes in the first half before New Boston took the lead for good with 6:50 left in the second quarter.
The Tigers biggest lead was 41-33 and 44-36 in the third quarter.
But Green cut the deficit to 57-56 with 3:25 left and then again at 59-58 with 1:50 to play.
New Boston’s Kyle Sexton made five free throws over the final 19 seconds to seal the win.
Green (9-9, 5-6) had three players in double figures led by Gage Sampson with 22 points. Levi Singleton hit five 3-pointers and scored 15 points and Ethan Huffman netted 12.
Tanner Voiers scored 24 points, Sexton 16 and Jerome McKinley 11 to lead the Tigers (15-1, 11-0) who need a win Tuesday against Sciotoville East to clinch a share of the SOC title.
New Boston led 21-20 after the first quarter as Voiers scored 9 points and Sexton 7.
Sampson scored 10 points and Singleton had two 3-pointers to keep Green close.
Six different players scored in the second quarter as New Boston led 33-30 at the half. Sampson and Huffman had 4 points each.
Voiers hit a 3-poiners and scored 9 points in the third quarter to offset Sampson’s 7 points and two 3-pointers by Singleton.
Sexton then went 5-of-8 at the line and scored 7 points in the fourth quarter to help the Tigers keep the lead.
Huffman scored 6 points, Levi Sampson 4 points and Singleton another trey as Green outscored New Boston 16-13 in the quarter.
New Boston 21 12 20 13 = 66
Green 20 10 17 16 = 63
NEW BOSTON (15-1, 10-0): Malachi Potts 0 0 0-0 0, Grady Jackson 1 0 0-0 2, Tanner Voiers 9 2 0-0 24, Kyle Sexton 4 1 5-8 16, Devon Jones 2 0 1-1 5, Kage Truitt 0 0 0-0 0, Marcus Saunders 1 0 2-2 4, Jerome McKinley 5 0 1-3 11, Chase Clark 2 0 0-0 4, Brady Voirs 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 3 9-14 66. Fouls: 12. Fouled out: None.
GREEN (9-9, 5-6): Trevor Darnell 1 0 0-0 2, Gage Sampson 9 1 1-2 22, Ethan Huffman 4 0 4-4 12, Alec Smith 2 0 0-0 4, Levi Singleton 0 5 0-0 15, Levi Sampson 3 0 2-2 8, Caden Brammer 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 6 7-8 63. Fouls: 17. Fouled out: None.