Sailors navigate to a treasured win

Fuad Shalhout was front row for a district semifinal matchup between Vermilion and Mansfield Senior. Read the full story to see how the Sailors sailed their way to a win.

Vermilion fell to Lexington in a district semifinal at Mansfield Madison last season thanks to a 2 of 29 shooting performance from downtown. They returned to the same gym March 6 against No. 4 Mansfield Senior and conquered those demons in a 59-51 Division II district semifinal win. No. 3 Vermilion (19-5) advances to the district final against either No. 1 Norwalk or No. 8 Ontario on March 9 at Mansfield Madison. “We shot 2 for 29 last year and we knew that wouldn’t happen again,” said Vermilion guard Jonah Pfeil, who scored 20 points. “We knew we weren’t going home tonight.” The Sailors entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 45-42 lead, but Mansfield’s De’Zion Taylor made a layup giving the Tygers a 4745 lead with 6:33 left. Vermilion responded scoring 10 straight points — including a layup from Pfeil with over 2 minutes remaining. The Sailors capitalized on the free throw game and their senior-led team came through with poise. “We’ve got 10 seniors,” Vermilion coach Kurt Habermehl said. “They’ve been through pretty much everything and have seen everything. We made it work and made free throws at the end.” The game was physical right from the jump and the Tygers went out ahead, 10-2. The Sailors responded after a jittery start and only trailed, 32-29, at the half. Vermilion’s 3-point shooting wasn’t much better than last year’s making 3 of 12, but they made 18 of 31 two-point shots and nailed 14 of 19 free throws. Mansfield shot 17 of 40 from the field and 3 of 16 from behind the line. Quan Hilory led with 18 points. “To be so close last year and lose to the team that made state and we were minus a couple guys, it’s pretty gratifying,” Habermehl said. “Hopefully we can get one on Saturday.” Luke Pena added six points and six rebounds for Vermilion, who outrebounded Mansfield, 3528. “I value my role as a rebounder and it’s more important to me that my team succeeds than me looking for my shot,” Pena said. “It’s fun. You can’t top this atmosphere.” With a big semifinal win behind them, a district title is the next goal they must conquer. “We were breathing fire coming into this game,” said guard Seth Hurd, who did a strong job breaking Mansfield’s pressure. “We just came here ready to play and we’re focused on winning.”