Miamisburgs Chrys Ngoh (#11) was the high point man for the Vikings with 12 points, Troy’s Bryce Naught (#0) was leading scorer for the night with 18 points. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie McMaken Wright)
The Troy Trojans had a comeback in them, led by Bryce Haught and aggressive defense, but they still couldn’t quite find a way to earn a tournament victory.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Vandalia, OH – Mark Hess kept looking up at the clock in the fourth quarter and doing the math. When those final eight minutes begin and you trail by 12, every possession and every second is magnified.
Hess consulted with his assistants, managed his timeouts and his substitutions based on foul trouble and hot hands. And it was working. His Troy boys basketball team was responding to adversity in Friday night’s Division II tournament game against Miamisburg.
Minster Bank proudly sponsors the best area sports stories on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Could the sudden run of shots finally falling, coupled with defensive stops, eventually help the Trojans meet the moment every team trying to come from behind pursues?
The ball with a chance to tie or take the lead.
When starting guard Aiden Luis returned to the lineup, he gave the Trojans a jolt of hope with a 3-pointer from the corner that cut Miamisburg’s lead to three with 1:02 left.
“It blew my mind when he hit that three,” Troy senior Bryce Haught said. “I yelled loud. I was clapping. I was like, ‘Let’s go.’”
Bryce Haught was leading scorer of the both teams with 18 points.
But as often happens when a team expends extra energy to get back in the game, the momentum stalls. Troy never had that chance to tie or lead because Miamisburg answered with a three-point play and four more free throws to survive Troy’s comeback 52-48.
“This group really committed to improving this year,” Hess said. “These kids are fighters and tough, and we showed that late.”
Down seven at the half, 13 early in the third quarter and 12 at the end of the third, the Trojans leaned on Haught and heightened defensive pressure to lead the comeback.
“I just wanted to fight back and win the game,” Haught said. “I was trying to do whatever I could no matter what. I just really wanted to win.”
Haught, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. His two baskets sandwiched around a 3-pointer by backup guard Liam Evilsizor cut the deficit to 44-39 with 3:42 left.
“We try to just get him downhill, attack the ball screen coverage, and just try to get him into the lane,” Hess said. “He’s really good with the ball in his hands, made a lot of good decisions, hit some tough shots.”
Isaac Burns, a 6-7 post, was Troy’s other senior starter. He scored eight of his 13 in the first half, but his primary responsibility was to guard Miamisburg 6-9 center Andrew Hoerner, who averages 20 points and 10 rebounds. He scored 18 when the Vikings beat Troy 51-35 at Miamisburg a month ago.
Isaac Burns defended Andrew Hoerner most of the night for the Trojans.
Burns, with frequent help from double-teams, limited Hoerner to nine points.
“You need somebody other than him to beat you,” Hess said. “I thought the guys did a good job of that. He’s big, and he’s got a good feel for the game. He’s a really good passer, and you give him so much attention.”
Despite Hoerner not dominating the paint with points, he found open teammates, and driving lanes were created for others. The Vikings scored 20 points in the paint in the first half and 32 for the game.
Hoerner’s biggest pass came after 12 seconds after Luis’ hope-giving 3-pointer. He caught the ball as point guard Billy Osmanski passed out of a double team. From high on the right wing, Hoerner turned and fired a pass to a Kellen Toadvine for a layup, three-point play and a 48-42 lead.
“We did pretty good on Hoerner, but we were really sometimes focused too much on him where we left the other guys to open,” Haught said.
Wilson Health proudly sponsors your favorite area sports on Press Pros Magazine.com.
The Trojans’ biggest regret on the court was its offensive execution for much of the first three quarters. They didn’t move the ball quickly enough for enough good shots. They missed contested 3-pointers. The offensive comeback was fueled by ball movement that found open shooters and open driving lanes.
Hunter Derr racked up 8 points for the Vikings win over Troy.
Their other regret is to come this close and fail to win a tournament game for the first time since 2012. The Trojans came in as the No. 3 seed out of five Dayton area teams in Division II and carrying a 14-8 record. The thought was that the state’s move to seven divisions would make a tournament run more possible for a program like Troy not being stuck in Division I.
In the past, first-round games have often meant matchups with the bigger and more talented Greater Western Ohio Conference teams. The Trojans got that league again, however, against Miamisburg (10-13), which is also happy to be down a division along with GWOC rival Northmont. The fourth-seeded Vikings last-place finish in the GWOC means little now.
“Trust me, we talk about that a lot,” said Hess, who just finished his sixth season at Troy. “There’s five teams in Dayton, but they’re all good teams. So we knew our first game would be tough. And we felt like we had a chance.”
With Haught’s scoring, Luis’ timely 3-pointer and pressure defense, the Trojans almost got a chance to pull it off. Instead, it will be Miamisburg playing top-seeded Sidney at 6 p.m. Monday at Butler in the district semifinals.
“When we picked up our pressure it got them to play a little faster than they wanted,” Hess said. “I would have liked to have a few more minutes on the clock.”
Andrew Hoerner bats away an attempted basket by Troy in the first-half.
Koverman-Staley-Dickerson Insurance proudly sponsor Buckeyes football on Press Pros.