In Irv King’s first season as the head coach of the Clymer boys basketball team, his Pirates defeated rival Sherman to win the Section VI Class D championship. Coming to a close on his career in his 33rd season at the helm, King had the opportunity to go out the way he came in, winning the sectional title against Sherman.

From start to finish, King’s Pirates controlled the game and held off Sherman 41-29 for the Class D title at Jamestown Community College’s Physical Education Complex on Saturday.

Clymer started hot, hitting all of its 3-pointers in the opening period to establish an early lead. The Pirates led 17-6 after the first quarter with four different players getting on the scoresheet while it was just Jacob Ferranto putting points on the board for Sherman.

Clymer did not have the same shooting success in the second quarter, but it did not matter much as the starting group did its job limiting Sherman’s biggest threat in Ferranto. There was not a chance for Sherman in the paint where one of Clymer’s towering defenders did not have a hand in the way and even with that avenue closed the Wildcats could not get things going from downtown.

It took a while into the third quarter for both offenses to get going again, but it was Clymer senior Carson White doing the damage with 8 of his team-high 13 points in the final half of the period to pull away from Sherman. The Wildcats hit back-to-back 3-pointers from Cal Cook and Ferranto to get within single-digits trailing 29-20, but before they could blink Clymer reestablished itself with a 36-20 lead heading to the fourth.

The Ferranto-led Sherman offense put its best effort in the fourth quarter, but despite scoring a game-high 16 points the Wildcats still fell short of 30 and Clymer claimed its 11th sectional title with a 41-29 victory.

Each of the five starters for Clymer landed on the scoresheet and in the championship it was White with 13 and Roman Wassink with 11 leading the way offensively.

The win is King’s fourth sectional title and this time his team will advance to the Class D Far West Regional unlike in 2021 when COVID has the state tournament stop at sectionals.

Clymer (16-6) will face Section V champion Andover-Whitesville next Friday at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.

CLYMER (41)

White 6 1 13, Gomez 0 0 0, Beckerink 3 0 8, KWassink 0 0 0, Einink 3 0 7, Johnson 0 0 0, Mitchell 1 0 2, RWassink 5 1 11, Redlecki 0 0 0, Sexton 0 0 0, Lao 0 0 0, Fuller 0 0 0. Totals 18 2 41.

SHERMAN (29)

Kopta 0 0 0, Cook 2 0 6, Griswold 0 2 2, Chambers 0 2 2, Goree 0 0 0, Persons 1 0 3, Smith 0 0 0, Johnson 0 0 0, Ferranto 6 3 16. Totals 9 5 29

3-point goals–Beckerink 2, Einink, Cook 2, Persons, Ferranto.

Clymer 17 4 15 5 — 41

Sherman 6 6 8 9 — 29