The Basketball Tournament: Red Scare’s run ends with loss to Blue Collar U in semifinals

The Red Scare ran out of magic and energy — at least in the fourth quarter of their fifth game in seven days — and lost 74-69 to Blue Collar U in the semifinals of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday at UD Arena.

A crowd of 4,412, including former Dayton star Obi Toppin and his wife and young daughter, watched the Dayton Flyers alumni team give up an 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Buffalo Bulls alumni turned a 57-57 game into a 65-57 lead and then took a 65-59 lead into the Elam Ending.

At that point, the target score became 73 points. The Red Scare got as close as 3-points, 72-69, after a four-point play by Ryan Mikesell. Then Wes Clark clinched the victory with a jump shot.

Blue Collar U, which lost in the semifinals at UD Arena a year ago, will play Americana for Austism in the ninth TBT championship game at 8 p.m. Tuesday. That game will air on ESPN.

Americana for Austism, also known as Autism Army, beat the Aftershocks, a team of Wichita State alumni, 78-75 in the first semifinal Saturday.

Isaiah Swann, a 1,058-point scorer at Florida State (2004-08), led the team with 18 points. Nigel Johnson, who played for Kansas State, Rutgers and Virginia (2013-18), scored 14 points.

Past TBT champions include: Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse alums) in 2021 at UD Arena; Golden Eagles (Marquette) in Columbus in 2020; Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State) in Chicago in 2019; Overseas Elite from 2015-18 in Bronx, N.Y., and Baltimore, Md.; and Notre Dame Fighting Alumni in 2014 in Boston, Mass.

Against Blue Collar U, the Red Scare fell behind 14-7 in the first quarter but cut the deficit to 19-15 entering the second quarter. The Red Scare took a 35-33 lead into halftime after a basket at the buzzer by Josh Cunningham.

In the third quarter, the Red Scare fell behind by eight points but cut into the lead with five straight free throws by Scoochie Smith. Darrell Davis gave the Red Scare a 42-41 lead on a 3-pointer. Blue Collar U responded with a 10-0 run.

Smith led Dayton with 22 points, his highest total of the tournament. Davis scored 16 points and made 4 of 7 3-pointers.

Clark scored 22 points for Blue Collar U. Nick Perkins had 12. Blake Hamilton added 10.

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