Freshman Tanner Eilerman scored 16 points for Fort Loramie against Mississinawa Valley. (Press Pros Feature Photos By Julie Wright-Daniel)
The team that played the tougher schedule triumphed Friday night in Piqua when Fort Loramie took on Mississinawa Valley
By Marcus Hartman For Press Pros
Piqua, OH — Fort Loramie scored a 45-40 upset over Mississinawa Valley in the boys Division VII tournament Friday night at Garbry Gym.
Veteran columnist Marcus Hartman writes the Buckeyes and sports at large for Press Pros Magazine.com.
At least it looked like an upset on paper.
The Redskins entered the night as the No. 10 seed.
They sported a 9-14 record while the Blackhawks earned the No. 5 seed after going 14-8 and finishing fifth in the Western Ohio Athletic Conference.
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Fort Loramie limped into the tournament having lost five of its last six regular season games, but the Redskins opened the postseason with a 56-32 win over Fairlawn on Monday.
Their record also could be deceiving as it includes not only a 4-8 mark in the rugged Shelby County League but also nonconference losses to Marion Local, Versailles, Minster and St. Henry — all MAC schools who won at least 15 games.
Loramie also beat 14-8 New Bremen 41-40 in overtime in December, so it is safe to say the ‘Skins were battle-tested even if they emerged with more than a few scars.
DJ Barhorst scored 11 points for Fort Loramie against Mississinawa Valley.
Whatever wisdom they gained from that gauntlet, they did not look like they would need it Friday night — until they did.
Loramie led by a point after the first quarter and nine at halftime, though the latter advantage should have been 11.
The Redskins were up 22-11 with the time ticking down in the second quarter when Mississinawa Valley sophomore Cole McGlothlin stole the ball from a ball handler who had his back turned and went the distance for a layup as the final seconds ticket off the clock.
The Blackhawks also scored the first basket of the third quarter to cut their deficit to seven, but DJ Barhorst drove to the basket and banked home a shot for Loramie to start a 12-6 run that put the ‘Skins back up by 13.
He also finished the run with a pair of free throws with 3:30 left in the third quarter, but Mississinawa responded with a 9-0 run that ran into the fourth quarter and left them trailing by only four.
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That set up a tens final few minutes made more so by a pair of Loramie defensive lapses.
Twice the Redskins went under screens to leave Mississinawa sharp shooting senior Cing Scott wide open for 3s.
The WOAC’s No. 4 scorer made them pay both times by hitting the shots, the second time to make it a 43-40 game with 24.5 seconds left.
Ean Grillot goes up for two for Fort Loramie against Mississinawa Valley at Piqua.
But that was as close as the Blackhawks would get as Fort Loramie freshman Tanner Eilerman made a pair of free throws to make it a five-point game.
Mississinawa got off a pair of 3-point attempts the next time down the floor, but they had to work hard and waste a lot of time in between both.
The clock ran out, and the Redskins earned the right to play again at 6 p.m. Tuesday night against No. 1 seed Cedarville.
An emotional Mississinawa Valley coach Jeff Vaughn praised his team for staying in the fight after falling behind early — especially since they lost to the Redskins 44-31 in January.
“I felt first like first half, we kind of self inflected wounds at times where we just threw it across the top and the front, not making real great ball decisions, but you know, they’re young kids and that happens,” Vaughn said.
His team finished the season 14-9 after going 11-12 last season.
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“I’m just so happy with these guys that they didn’t lay down and die,” he said. “I mean, last time we played Fort Laramie we lost by 13 and we never played near this hard. The kids got heart, all of them. That’s why I told them: I’ve never been prouder of a group, winning 14 games when people thought, ‘Oh they lose players and everything else and they’re not going to be very good.’ But kids are competitors. They’re resilient, and I’m so proud of them battling.”
Scott finished with 17 points for MVHS while McGlothlin added 13, so the future appears to be bright for the Blackhawks.
And speaking of futures, the freshman Eilerrman led Loramie with 16 points while senior DJ Barhorst scored 11 points and junior Ean Grillot added nine.
The first game of the night was no contest.
Cedarville let win-less Calvary Christian hang around for about a quarter before taking over on both ends of the floor.
Cedarville junior Cooper Hardy made a 3 to stretch the Indians’ lead to double digits for the first time (27-17) with just under seven minutes to go in the second quarter.
He followed that with a fast-break basket, and the rout was on as the Indians started turning turnovers into points without relent.
They led 50-25 at halftime, and leading scorers Hardy (20 points) and sophomore Brayden Trimbach (19) went to the bench for good with more than two minutes left in the third quarter and the running clock in effect.
Cole McGlothlin scored in double figures for Mississinawa Valley against Fort Loramie.
In the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, the CHS student section made a couple of pleas for 100 points, but they had to settle for an 89-38 win as the Indians (20-3) avoided making an early tournament exit for the second year in a row.
They lost to Newton in their first postseason game last season after going at least three games into the tournament five years in a row.
That included a run to the regional final in 2021 when they lost to eventual Division IV state champion Botkins.
This season Botkins is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 12 Springfield Catholic Central after Cedarville clashes with Fort Loramie on Tuesday night in Piqua.
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