ZANESVILLE — Big Red’s record-setting girls basketball team fought to the very end, but their dream season came to a close Saturday.

After trailing by as many as 12 points, Steubenville rallied all the way back to tie the Division III East/Southeast District Championship in the final minute.

Chilicothe Unioto, though, scored the final four points to survive for a 55-51 victory inside Zanesville High School’s Winland Gymnasium.

“The girls played hard, we knew it was going to be a battle coming in,” Big Red head coach Angie Forte said. “They got an early jump on us, but the girls fought so hard to get back in it. We had some opportunities, but things didn’t go our way.”

Big Red, the top seed in the East District, finishes one of the best seasons in program history at 22-2, having won the OVAC Class 5A title and set the school record for wins in a season.

After Big Red, which was down seven going to the fourth quarter and behind by eight with less than four minutes to go, drew even for the first time since midway through the opening quarter, Unioto went the other to re-take the lead on a Milee Smith basket.

Steubenville had a good look the other way to re-tie the game out of a timeout, but the shot did not fall with 16 seconds left and they had to foul Smith, who sunk both shots with nine seconds left to make it a two-possession game.

Smith, a Dayton committ, netted a game-high 34 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and four blocks for the Shermans (23-2).

Unitoto, the top seed from the Southeast District, advances to next week’s regional tournament.

Nylah McShan, the Big Red standout senior and Clarion University signee, led Big Red with 17 points, 13 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

Fellow senior Bailee Beall, who also has been a four-year staple for Big Red, netted three triples for a nine-point day to conclude her time in Crimson and Black.

“Nylah is going to have a great career in college and Bailee is going to be successful at whatever she decides to do,” Forte said of her seniors. “They’re great young ladies, I’m very proud of them. We got four really great years from the two of them. They did so much to help this program, we are where we are because of them and the work they put in and this program is a better program because of the two of them and their hard work and leadership.”

After some early back-and-forth, the game was deadlocked at 7-all before a 14-3 Unioto run propelled them ahead, a lead they did not relinquish and held until the final minute tie.

The Shermans led the game 24-14 after one. The lead went to 12 early in the second quarter. The

defense kept Steubenville around, though they started the quarter 1 of 12 from the floor keeping the margin in double figures.

Big Red started clawing back and a Beall 3 trimmed the margin to four before Unioto held a six-point advantage at the break.

The Shermans had started the game red-hot, shooting 64.3 percent in the opening quarter, but the Big Red defense picked it up as the game went on, keeping them in striking distance. The Shermans finished 36.9 percent overall and just 27.6 percent in the second half.

Big Red’s offense improved in the second half, after shooting 27.8 percent in the first half, they were 44 percent from the floor in the second half.

Big Red, though, started to get into foul trouble after the break. At one point early in the fourth quarter, Steubenville had been called for 15 fouls to Unioto’s three. The Shermans going 10 of 14 from the line – 7 of 9 in the second half – proved to be pivotal as the game tightened up late. The final foul margin was 16-7.

After the Sherman’s pushed their lead to nine early in the fourth, Big Red started to mount the comeback, pulling within seven at the three minute mark and four with 2:30 to go. They pulled within two twice – with 1:45 and 1:00 to go – before scoring to deadlock the game at 51-all with 43 seconds left.

The last shot they needed, though, just did not fall.

While it was the end for McShan and Beall’s great high school careers, there were some glimpses of the future on display. Sophomore Phynyx Fleming netted 12 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double and freshman Mikah Taylor came off the bench and added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.

“We have a great foundation coming back to build upon and continue to build the program,” Forte said.