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Springfield (16-2, 9-1) has two GWOC National East games remaining but can't be overtaken by either Wayne (14-7, 7-4) or Centerville. Springfield South was the last Wildcats team to do that.
The clutch win also secures a No. 1 seed in the Division I sectional meeting Sunday. It also likely did no harm to Wayne, which could snare a No. 2 seed.
“The respect is there for us regardless,” Wayne coach Travis Trice said. “You don’t want to come out here and lay an egg and raise some eyebrows. Again, when you don’t have Blue, you add that back into your mix and it changes everything.”
Smith is out with a nagging back injury sustained in football. He likely will return for the postseason. Even without his team-high averages of 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds, Wayne was full of game.
Trailing by 14 midway through the third quarter, Wayne led by two following Isaiah Trice’s free throw and last of a team-high 19 points with 1:51 left.
As usual, Danny Davis paced the driven Wildcats. He hit five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 26 points, none more crucial than a baseline 3 with one minute left to put Springfield back up for good, 55-54. Leonard Taylor swatted a Wayne shot and sank a free throw with 3.2 ticks left for the final margin.
“We’re proud to be one of the top in the area,” admitted Springfield coach Isaiah Carson. “Our goal is to get to one of the top in the state overall. We’ll keep working and we like our progress. We like where we’re at.”
Darius Quisenberry, Wayne's talented guard who became eligible in mid-season after transferring from Tecumseh, missed an off-balance 3-pointer at midcourt as the buzzer sounded. That set off a raucous celebration by an abundant Springfield crowd.
The contest sold out two days in advance. It also completed a two-game regular season sweep of the Warriors by the Wildcats.
“I don’t look at it as a negative,” Trice said. “I saw some great things and some great fight. Our guys are getting better and they’re doing it without some key pieces.”
Mike McKay had two 3-pointers and added 10 points for Springfield. Quisenberry added 11 points for Wayne and Ray James 10.
“We stayed poised and took their best shot,” Carson said. “We could have folded but this team doesn’t fold.”
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View photos and video from the game at MyDaytonDailyNews.com
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