Trotwood defeated Urbana 61-50 at home Tuesday. The Rams are now 4-1 overall this season.
“After the first quarter we were able to take care of the ball, I think we had two turnovers to finish the game, so that was a bright spot,” Trotwood head coach Carl Blanton said. “I think that we were able to get a rhythm in the second half. We came out flat and they jumped on us and really showed us they came to play.”
That was expected from a previously unbeaten Urbana squad which suffered its first loss of the season. The Hilltoppers led 20-10 after the first thanks in large part to connecting on four shots from three, including a pair from sophomore Drew Dixon, who came into the night leading the Central Buckeye Conference in three-pointers with 22 makes and a 61.6 shooting percentage.
Urbana (6-1) tacked onto its lead when junior Giorgio Rube scored in the first minute, but the Hilltoppers didn’t score again for the next 5 minutes, 33 seconds of action. Trotwood went on a 16-0 run to grab a 26-22 lead. The Rams hit a three from the corner and junior Darius Dennis got a steal and acrobatic layup on the other end before Urbana called timeout to try and stop the run.
Trotwood continued applying the pressure as the pace quickened, playing to Trotwood’s style.
Another three by senior Je’Carious Reaves and a layup by Dennis capped a strong quarter for the Rams.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“We want to push the pace for sure. One of our sophomores got in, Jameer Whyce, and he gave us some good minutes,” Blanton said. “We were proud to see what he was able to do and helping us out for the future of the program. I like what I saw.”
Urbana trailed by seven at the half and fought back midway through the third quarter. Junior Kaden Underwood hit a corner three to tie the game at 36 with 3:19 left in the period. Trotwood called a timeout and responded with an 8-2 run as Dennis hit a three as the third quarter ended.
Trotwood kept its lead between four and six points for most of the fourth Dennis took control of the action in the final minutes. He successfully drove into the lane for several baskets and found senior Daveon Arnold twice for three-pointers. In all, Trotwood closed the win out with a 12-4 run.
“This was a major test. I think that they’re well coached and they run their stuff well. [Dixon] is a great shooter and we had to keep a hand on him and try to find where he was at on the floor the whole time. It wasn’t easy, they played us tough and they were just physical. And we like that,” Blanton said.
Dennis led the way with 26 points and Arnold had 19 with five makes from three. Trotwood’s leading scorer coming into the night, senior Je’Carious Reaves, was held to six points but Blanton felt he was one of the defensive stars of the game.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“He normally can give up some baskets, but he stayed in front of his guy and stopped him from getting to the basket. And I think Darius did a good job playing defense, walling up and being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
Urbana had three reach double figures, with Underwood scoring 12, and Dixon and junior Grady Lantz getting 11, respectively.
Trotwood heads to Summit Country Day for a matchup on Saturday. Urbana has a week off before closing out 2025 with a home game against Shawnee on Dec. 30.
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