Jordyn Watson's torrid play continued against Shelby. Maysville hopes he's not done.

DAYTON — Every underclassman has that moment of clarity, the sort of thing an athlete can only learn through trial and error.

When the proverbial light came on for sophomore Jordyn Watson, it blew every breaker in the electrical box for Maysville’s basketball team.

It started with an 18-point second half in a comeback win against Columbus Hartley last Thursday in a Division II regional semifinal in Athens. It continued with 12 of his 14 markers in the second-half comeback two days later in the finals against Vincent Warren.

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No heroic comeback was needed during Saturday’s thrilling 68-65 state semifinal win against second-ranked Shelby. But his play after halftime in front of a revved-up crowd at University of Dayton Arena was equally important.

Watson headed another much-needed performance from Maysville’s supporting cast as it took down its fourth straight 20-win team in the tournament. In a game littered with strong offensive performances, Watson’s was most needed.

The 6-2 wing scored all 26 of his points in the final three quarters, showing off his entire arsenal of inside-out offensive weaponry.

All three of his 3-pointers came after halftime, including one that tied the game at 50 entering the fourth. When he found open space to slice and dice at the Whippets' interior, he didn't hesitate to be the aggressor.

Watson said there is no question that his stride has had a little more glide since the regional — for good reason. It has started with aggression, especially in attacking the paint.

“One-hundred percent,” Watson said. “All season long, Coach (Dave) Brown has been preaching to me about confidence. It took a while for it to click for me, but once my teammates’ words and my coaches’ words got to me my I have been a way better player.”

Watson all but matched Whippet star Alex Bruskotter, who piled up a game-high 34 points on 13-of-16 shooting, punch-for-punch in a game five players reached double figures. Bruskotter's dazzling play saw him miss only one shot in scoring 19 second-half points.

Like Bobb, who had 22 points on a mostly quiet shooting night, Bruskotter was a Player of the Year candidate in Division II by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.

Watson was right there with them with 20 points in the second half — and classmate Gator Nichols with 16 of his 18 in the first.

With the Whippets' Isaiah Ramsey keeping close tabs with tight defense on top scorer Alex Bobb, their roles in support were the game's critical elements. Twelve of Watson's came in the fourth quarter.

Shelby coach Greg Gallaway echoed what many coaches in prior games have said about Maysville's offense — that defending it is difficult because of its ability to spread the floor and create driving lanes.

Gallaway chose to use a top defender in Ramsey on Bobb, which opened up attacks off reversals and scramble situations for Watson and others.

"At the end of the day when you look at the shot attempts, they didn't take too many uncontested shots," Gallaway said. "Understand that when you have multiple guys who can shoot, those (driving) gaps aren't as closed because you have to give those guys a little bit more attention. And sometimes we are putting a little more pressure on the ball because we can't help as much."

Gallaway came away content with his team's defensive play, even as Maysville had 13 assists to just two turnovers and shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.

"I thought we did a good job of making things tough," Gallaway said. "They just made shots."

It's a quandary that now falls on tall and talented Kettering Alter (22-7), which made quick work of Youngstown Ursuline in a 73-37 win in the other semifinal. The Knights, who shot 62 percent, led 20-4 after a quarter and had a 9-of-19 showing on 3s.

The Knights last game against a Muskingum Valley League team was one that left a nasty scar in Muskingum County — an overtime win against Philo in the 1999 Division II state finals. It was the first state tournament held at Value City Arena.

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Jordyn Watson, Gator Nichols lead Maysville basketball to first state win