Troajns top Fort Loramie to reach D-IV district final
PIQUA – For each of the past five years, Fort Loramie has advanced out of the Piqua sectional. However, Botkins made sure this year didn’t represent six in a row for the Redskins.
In an all-hands-ondeck effort in every sense of the phrase, Botkins delivered a clutch performance in a 45-38 victory over Loramie in the Division IV boys district semifinal. The Trojans victory avenges last year’s loss in the tournament to the Redskins.
Botkins advances to the District Finals next Saturday at Vandalia Butler. The Trojans are now a glossy 22-3 on the season.
“Loramie has a great program. We knew that those boys were going to come in and give us their all. We were well prepared for them and it paid off at the end. A lot of their sets we were prepared for and our boys did a great job of playing their role and doing their job defensively,” said Botkins coach Sean Powell.
Botkins, who won their first Shelby County League title since the 1992-93 season is now headed to districts for the first time since 2001.
“I congratulate my coaching staff. They did a tremendous job the last couple weeks preparing for this game,” said Powell.
With limitations on crowd sizes still in place, a noise barometer wouldn’t have known much difference last night. “The 150 Botkins fans that were behind us sounded like a sellout crowd. They were our sixth man tonight. We knew going in they were going to be here and they were going to be loud and cheering for us,” said Powell.
Botkins controlled the tempo on offense and clamped down on defense. The Trojans never trailed, although the game was knotted up on three occasions, and too close for comfort most of the way. However, it was the Botkins who lowered the boom on Loramie
down the stretch.
Botkins came out with some hop in their step to start the game. The Trojans constructed an 11-4 advantage in the first period. The momentum building spurt was kicked off by a hoop down low by Denton Homan, and capped off when Zane Paul drilled a triple with a hand in his face.
With momentum clearly on the side of the Trojans, the Redskins got a huge boost when Caleb Maurer launched a threepointer that banked home from just past half-court as the opening quarter buzzer sounded. Later in the quarter Caleb Meyer drained a trey for the Redskins to tie it up at 16. Botkins led 19-17 heading into the locker room.
The Trojan defense was as connected and active as it has been all season. With playmakers on the Redskin roster, it was no surprise Loramie was going to be tough to put away.
A pair of back-toback athletic post moves by Jacob Pleiman and Denton Homan pushed the Trojan lead up to 24-19. The Redskins trimmed the cushion to a single digit (27-26) after Maurer hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining in the third. However, it was Jacob Pleiman with a huge offensive putback as the horn sounded at the end of the third.
“It was a momentum switch. They scored and to end the quarter like that was tremendous. We took that momentum into the fourth quarter and made the plays to win the game,” said Powell of the hoop.
Botkins finished out the game in textbook fashion. They outscored the Redskins 16-12 in the quarter and receive high marks in the hustle department. The Trojans continued to play well on defense, executed their press-breaker, managed the clock, and hit some key shots including free throws.
“Loramie makes it very difficult for you to execute. They are strong, they read defenses very well. We just had to stay positive and keep moving forward with the next play is our best play mentality,” said Powell. Seven players reached the scoring column for the Trojans. In a balanced attack Zane Paul and Jayden Priddy-powell each had 10. Jacob Pleiman and Denton Homan both tossed in nine. Grant Albers paced Loramie with 16 points.
We don’t look as our team as having one or two offensive scorers. It’s whoever is rolling that night – however the defense is playing us,” said Powell.
Botkins hit 12 of 16 from the free-throw line on the night while the Redskins connected on 11 of 16.
The Trojans will face the winner between Ripley-union-lewis-huntington and Fayetteville-perry. They will play today at Taylor HS with tipoff at 5 p.m.