Alter routs Wyoming with a flurry of 3-pointers to claim second regional title in three seasons
VANDALIA — A year after a heartbreaking loss in a Division II regional final game, the Alter High School boys basketball program wouldn’t be denied a trip to the state tournament.
The Knights hit 14 3-pointers, including nine in the first half, en route to a 63-36 victory over Cincinnati Wyoming in a D-II regional final at the Vandalia Butler Student Activity Center.
“We just played great today,” said Knights coach Eric Coulter. “That’s the best that we’ve played all year and it’s at the right time to be playing your best basketball. A lot of times I go into the locker room and I say we can work on this or work on that but we checked all the boxes tonight. We did a great job.”
Junior Charlie Uhl had a game-high 14 points, junior R.J. Greer scored 13 and seniors Gavin Leen and Joe Brand each added 12 as the Knights improved to 21-7. Alter advanced to play Youngstown Ursuline (243) in a D-II state semifinal at 10:45 a.m. Saturday at University of Dayton Arena.
“It’s surreal,” Leen said. “We’re starting to click right now. We’ve got to keep going, keep the momentum going. We’ve still got work left, but I’m so excited to be there again.”
Sophomore guard Kellen Wiley had 11 points for Wyoming, which finished its season 24-4.
Uhl hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, giving the Knights a 23-9 lead.
“The key to games like this is that you want to be loose and free and we were,” Coulter said. “I’ve been trying to get Charlie to shoot the ball because he can. He’s capable and he showed that tonight. … It was a big key. (Uhl) hitting shots extended their defense and when they extend their defense, we can really get going because they can’t help and double team (Greer) and do all that stuff. For me, I felt like everything we had was running smooth tonight.”
With the defense slumping off Uhl, Coulter told him to keep shooting. He hit another 3-pointer in the second quarter to give the Knights a 33-19 lead they would never relinquish. The Knights led by 17 points at the half and increased its lead to 20 or more points for the entire second half.
“It’s a matter of my teammates trusting me and that’s been built up all year,” Uhl said. “We all supported each other, we all love each other and that goes a long way. That showed today.”
Last season the Knights fell to rival Chaminade-Julienne 64-59 in a regional final, ending their season earlier than they had hoped. In their return trip to Vandalia, the Knights weren’t going to let the state tournament slip out of their hands again.
“We came so far on such a great team,” Uhl said. “To reload and come back (to the state semifinal), it means a lot.”
The Knights advanced to the state semifinals for the second time in three seasons and 11th time in program history. Youngstown Ursuline beat Canfield 60-35 in a regional final to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 1994.
Alter last played in a state championship game in 2003. In 2022, the Knights fell to eventual state champion Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the semifinals.
The goal, Coulter said, is to keep playing as long as possible.
“We just want to win as much as we possibly can,” Coulter said. “You just try to get the guys to buy into what you’re selling. They play hard and do everything we ask. We have basketball kids in our program. The winning tradition that was set by (former Alter coach Joe Petrocelli), my mentor, it’s alive and well.”