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Trotwood boys adjust, wins 5th straight

Brown scores 18 and  red-hot Rams stay in 2nd place in GWOC North.

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By Jeff Ermann, Contributing Writer 12:09 AM Saturday, February 11, 2012

VANDALIA — With his team off to a slow start, senior guard James Brown called a team meeting earlier this season to rally the troops. Trotwood-Madison had begun 5-6 record, mostly the result of what Brown characterized as a me-first attitude.

“We were being selfish,” he said.

Against a Vandalia Butler team that forced them to play out of character — slow and methodical — for much of Friday night the Rams could’ve reverted to their old mentality. Instead, they stayed patient, shared the ball and escaped with a 60-51 win.

It was the fifth consecutive win for surging Trotwood, which retained its hold on second place in the Greater Western Ohio Conference North Division.

“We always say ‘belief’ when we huddle in the locker room,” Trotwood coach Rocky Rockhold said. “The guys’ voices have changed when they say that. It’s like everyone has two feet in the circle now.”

Trotwood (10-6 overall, 7-2 GWOC North), which typically relies on an up-tempo, pressing system, was forced to play at a more methodical pace against Butler (9-10, 4-5).

In the past, that’s been a challenge for the Rams — and for Brown, whose frenetic, shake-and-bake style of play is fitting for someone sharing a name with the former “Godfather of Soul.”

But Brown picked his spots to score, shared the ball with teammates and finished with a game-high 18-points.

“J.B., he’s an electric guy,” Rockhold said. “He’s got a lot of talent. It’s just a matter of staying mentally focused and not drifting. He did not do that.”

Trotwood held a narrow lead throughout, but Butler never relented. Senior guard Ryan Pugh (team high 12 points) carried the Aviators into the lead in the third quarter, when he either scored or assisted on six straight baskets.

But Trotwood held Butler without a field goal for the final four minutes and Jamar Hammonds (17 points) sealed the win with a late three-point play.

“We just started working together,” Brown said.

“We’re starting to play as a team.”

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