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As the misses mounted, Alter players remained unfazed. The Knights seniors reminded each other of the magnitude of the moment. And it doesn’t get any greater than playing rival Carroll.
“We knew if we kept our game plan we were still going to win this game,” Alter’s Joey Laravie said after a 47-42 comeback win in a boys high school basketball Division II district final at UD Arena on Sunday.
“No matter if the shots aren’t falling, we can get inside to get us going. That’s what we’ve done all season. I can’t describe it. We’re not quitters. We just fight until the end.”
Sure enough, Alter went on an unlikely game-ending 17-4 run to extend its season.
Alter (19-6) will play Aiken (22-3) in a D-II regional semifinal. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday at Fairmont’s Trent Arena, but there’s a conflict with Alter’s girls, who are scheduled to play Columbus Eastmoor Academy in the D-II state semifinals in Columbus at 6 that night.
Either the Alter boys or girls game likely will be adjusted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association — by time, date and/or location — to accommodate Alter fans.
Aiken advanced by defeating Urbana 67-55 in the second of three games. Taft defeated Trotwood-Madison 77-67 in the finale.
Alter saved its best for last with an unlikely fourth-quarter rally. The Knights hit just 2 of 15 shots in the first quarter and only one of its 3’s in 13 launches. That enabled Carroll to lead by 10 points less than five minutes into the game and 38-30 with 6:47 remaining. But the Patriots wouldn’t score another field goal and Alter suddenly found its range and moxie.
Alter’s comeback was complete when freshman Connor Bazelak tipped in his only bucket midway through the fourth quarter to provide Alter its first lead.
From then it was a parade of free throws. J.P. Schrimpf, Joey Laravie and Dominic Laravie all hit two free throws apiece in the final three minutes for the Knights.
Joey Laravie led the Knights with 16 points. His cousin, Dominic Laravie, added 10 points.
Carroll (17-8) was led by D.J. Sommers’ 12 points and 10 each from Beau Austin and T.K. Robinson. The teams had split in the regular season, each winning on the road.
“(Alter athletic director Chris Hart) made a joke and said these are the Kardiac Kids because they’ll keep your heart on edge,” Knights coach Eric Coulter said. “They’re just resilient. They come back. I don’t know how many games we’ve had to come from behind and win, but they find a way to win.”
Alter is 26-2 in winning district titles, but this is the first with Coulter as head coach.
It was only the third district title game for Carroll, but the second in three seasons under head coach Tim Cogan. The Patriots have never won a district title.
“The bottom line is down the stretch they hit shots two or three possessions in a row and we were unable to,” Cogan said. “A game of that caliber, whoever’s hitting down the stretch is going to win. The program has come a long way in three years and I like where it’s going and I’m excited for our younger kids.”
Taft 77, Trotwood-Madison 67: Its youthful inexperience and a lack of productive depth finally caught up to Trotwood (23-3). The Rams hit just 14 of 31 free throws and were outscored 26-2 in bench points.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do things a little different than you normally do to win a district championship and we didn’t,” Rams coach Rocky Rockhold said. “We’ve been playing with house money since we went 7-0. Unfortunately, we had to chuck it all back into the middle (Sunday) and let the house take it back.”
Trotwood junior Torrey Patton was brilliant. He had 19 points by halftime and tallied a game-high 32 to go with 12 rebounds and four steals. Myles Belyeu added 15 points and Amari Davis 11 points. Justin Stephens was a force underneath with 11 rebounds and five blocks. All five Rams starters were underclassmen.
Frank Royles led Taft (21-5) with 23 points. The Falcons will play Johnstown-Monroe in a D-II regional semi Thursday at Trent.
Aiken 67, Urbana 55: Carlik Jones, the D-II Southwest District player of the year, scored 29 points to supercharge Aiken's game-deciding second half. Marcus Barton added 18 points and Lonnie Berry 13. It was the 11th straight win for the Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference champion.
Urbana (15-7) trailed by one at halftime, but buckled under Aiken’s defensive pressure in the second half. Jordan Underwood hit 12 of 14 free throws and led the Hillclimbers with 25 points. Cameron Logwood added 12 points and Levi Boettcher seven points and 13 rebounds.
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