TROTWOOD — There’s close, as in the Wayne Warriors’ frantic rally to cut a 14-point deficit to a one-possession game in four minutes, only to fall by three points.

Then there’s close, as in the tight-knit and resilient Miamisburg Vikings who have rallied around injured teammate Austin McCoy to put together an inspiring winning streak.

For the first time since 2006 and only the second time in nine seasons, Miamisburg’s boys basketball team is not one-and-done in the Division I sectional tournament.

Instead, they’re all for one.

Since that devastating loss at Fairborn on Jan. 27 — more for the season-ending loss of McCoy to an on-court assault from a spectator than coming out on the losing end of the score — the Vikings haven’t been defeated.

And that includes their spirit.

“Ever since the Fairborn game we’ve been pretty much inseparable,” Miamisburg senior John Giles said.

And unstoppable.

The ninth-seeded Vikings won their seventh straight game, 57-54 against the No. 10 Warriors in their D-I sectional opener at Trotwood-Madison High School on Friday.

Clutch free-throw shooting by senior Nathan Chambers, key offense by Giles and sophomore Connor Brown and the play of the game by senior Rhys Overmeyer clinched it.

“(McCoy) meant a lot to our team and he’s one of the best people we know,” said Chambers, who scored a game-high 22 points. “It really hurt seeing him taken away from us. You try to play as hard as you can every game, but that definitely adds some fire.”

With 7.4 seconds left, it was Overmeyer who burned Wayne. With 10 seconds left, Overmeyer missed two free throws and a chance to put Miamisburg up 57-52. But as the only Miamisburg player on the lane — and going against four Wayne defenders — Overmeyer chased down the offensive rebound in the corner and was fouled. He hit the next two free throws.

“It’s been a surprise to people,” Giles said of the winning streak. “This one makes it even better. ... It feels amazing. All the hard work is paying off right now.”

The Vikings (15-6) get back to work today to prepare for Tuesday’s 6:30 p.m. game against No. 7 Xenia (12-8) back at Trotwood.

“This group of seniors really wanted to bring a tournament win back. It was one of our goals at the beginning of the season and we’re glad we accomplished it,” Chambers said. “We’ve got to keep this thing rolling.”

For the Warriors, the season came to a grinding halt. While Miamisburg was waiting for that elusive tournament win, Wayne was enjoying 14 wins — including one regional appearance and four district finals — since 2006.

The graduation of a pair of Division I recruits left a leadership void the Warriors struggled to fill this season. That was evident against Miamisburg, most notably to end the third quarter when Wayne had at least 10 seconds to set up the final shot but settled for a poor 3-point attempt.

“It’s one of those things. You’re dealing with 15-, 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids and we blacked out in a few areas and it cost us,” Wayne coach Travis Trice said.

“If they don’t (work to improve) they’ll be in the same boat next year. ... They’re going to be very, very talented. But it’s going to depend how strong they get this summer and how hard they work. Hopefully they take this as a learning experience.”