Molz and the Firebirds now can stand with that team after winning on Sunday the program’s first district championship since 1995.
Junior guard Aden Marrero scored a game-high 18 points as the Firebirds broke open a close game in the fourth quarter to knock off Cincinnati Sycamore, 61-43, in the first of four Division I district championship games at the University of Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena.
“I can’t describe making history,” Marrero said after comparing lengths of net nylon with a teammate. “It’s a different feeling. I didn’t come in looking to score. I was focused on playing defense. This is a big win.
Senior forward Dasan Doucet scored 14 points and senior guard Anthony Johnson finished with 12 for Fairmont, which will play 26-0 Centerville, the defending state champion and top-ranked team in the Associated Press Division I state poll. The Elks beat Lakota West 80-53 in the third game Sunday.
Fairmont lost to Centerville twice during the regular season, by six at Centerville and 20 at Fairmont.
Molz and the Firebirds, a No. 2 seed and the No. 9 team in the final Associated Press Division I state poll, were playing their third district final in five seasons. They didn’t shy away from talking about the long drought between district championships. Molz invited players from that team to practice this week as motivation.
“One of them said something funny (on Friday),” Molz said. “He said, ‘This is the last time I’m doing this. You guys are going to win tomorrow.’”
Junior Des Bolden scored 16 points to lead the Aviators, a Greater Miami Conference co-champion and No. seed. Sycamore had won 10 straight and 11 of 12 going into the game.
Fairmont (22-3) rolled to its fifth straight win behind solid 3-point shooting and near-perfect. Junior guard Tyler Gentile was 3-for-3 on 3-pointers, leading Fairmont’s 8-for-14 barrage. Sycamore sank just 3-of-14 3-pointers. The Firebirds also were 13-of-15 on free throws. The Aviators were 6-of-8.
Fairmont fell behind by six points twice in the first quarter but came back both times behind 3-pointers, including back-to-back shots by Gentile. Marrero scored seven of his nine first-half points in the second quarter to help the Firebirds lead by five before settling for a 28-25 halftime lead.
Marrero gave Fairmont the lead for good with a 3-pointer for a 24-21 lead with 2:36 left in the first half.
Marrero added six points in the third quarter to help Fairmont lead by as many as nine points. The Aviators cut the lead to 42-36 going into the fourth quarter.
The Firebirds ended the game on a 9-0 run.
Wayne 53, Turpin 36
In front of a crowd that included Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing, whose Hoyas lost at Xavier on Saturday, the Warriors cruised to their fourth straight double-digit tournament win.
Junior guard Lawrent Rice scored a game-high 24 points for 18-7 Wayne, which earned a three seed before losing its last two regular-season games.
“A lot of people counted us out,” Rice said. “We wanted to show them that we were worthy of this.”
Wayne coach Nathan Martindale was happy to hear that his team outrebounded Turpin, 28-16.
“We did?” he said. “We just really locked in on the defensive end. Our goal was to hold them to one shot and rebound.”
The Warriors reached a region semifinal with their first district championship since 2018. They are due to face the winner of Sunday’s last of four games between third-seeded Walnut Hills (23-2) and fourth-seeded Fairfield (21-4) on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
The Warriors were just 2-of-15 on 3-point shots, but they went 18-of-25 (72 percent) inside the line. Rice gave them the lead for good at 31-28 with a 3-pointer from the right wing with 4:20 left in the third quarter. The shot sparked a 12-1 run that left Wayne with a commanding 40-29 lead 3:13 into the fourth quarter. Their 13-0 run later in the quarter prompted both coaches to clear their benches.
Turpin (20-5) reached the final with a 52-49 semifinal upset of Elder, a No. 1 seed and the sixth-ranked team in the final Associated Press Division I statewide poll. The Spartans led, 14-10, going into the second quarter, but Rice scored seven points in the second quarter and 6-foot-7 senior center Aamil Wagner came up with a tip-in at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 23-21 halftime lead.
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