Following orders, Mack hit the shot that will go down in Trotwood hoop history. His 3-pointer from the key with 2.3 seconds left capped a remarkable comeback and sank Moeller 62-61 at Xavier University’s Cintas Center.
Trotwood (25-2) will join Thurgood Marshall (22-5) and Tri-Village (26-1) in the boys high school basketball state final fours this week at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.
Thurgood is up first, playing Norwalk (26-1) in a Division II semifinal at 10:45 a.m. Thursday. Also Thursday, Tri-Village gets top-ranked Convoy Crestview (27-0) at 8:30 p.m. in a D-IV semi.
Trotwood will play the Northland/Upper Arlington winner in a D-I state semi at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
All four state title games will be Saturday.
Trotwood’s only other state appearance was in 2006 when Chris Wright, now on a 10-day contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, was a junior. The Rams were runner-up to Canton McKinley.
Incredibly, Trotwood overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit. How did that happen? Start with a harassing defense that forced Moeller to forgo its height advantage for small, ball-handling guards.
Once the Rams went to a trapping half-court defense, the Crusaders were never the same. “Silly me,” Rockhold said, “I should have made those adjustments earlier.”
Finish with the Rams finally finding their shooting touch. That all added up to a game-ending 21-6 run by Trotwood. The final score was the Rams’ only lead.
“One thing about these guys that’s been different is they believe,” Rockhold said. “Struggle, struggle, struggle, believe, ride through it. We’re just gonna keep believing.”
Moeller coach Carl Kremer had a hard time believing the Crusaders wilted in crunch time. Moeller (24-2) seemed favored to win a D-I state title.
“They kept coming and they’re good at that,” he said. “I knew closing the game would be difficult. It’s tough with the weight of No. 1 in this tournament. I thought we carried it well, but that’s life and we have to deal with it.”
Dazhontae Bennett led the Rams with 22 points, including consecutive 3-pointers that tied it at 57-all. He joined his teammates in a long postgame celebration with Trotwood fans.
Said Bennett, “I’m just blessed to be a part of something real special.”
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