For the third time in eight days, the calm-in-the-clutch Rams found a way to win in the closing seconds against a stern foe. And Trotwood even gave itself a bit of breathing room this time around as it clinched early — at least by their high-wire standards — when Chase Shumate nailed a free throw with seven seconds remaining to put the matchup out of reach.
Shumate then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and tacked on two more freebies to put the exclamation point on Trotwood’s 54-48 decision over Badin — a conquest that put Trotwood (22-4) into next Thursday’s D-III state semifinal against Toledo Central Catholic at 6 p.m. at University of Dayton Arena.
“We just keep playing to the final whistle,” said Trotwood’s Darius Dennis, who had made the game-winning shot in the previous round against Tippecanoe with four ticks left. “Right until the time goes to :00. We just find a way.”
The Rams won its sixth regional championship in program history. They’re seeking their second state title and first since 2019.
Earlier conquests against Tipp and Goshen literally weren’t decided until the final horn. And just like the Goshen game, Trotwood dug itself an early hole as red-hot Badin (24-4) raced to an early 9-2 cushion.
But Trotwood, with Je’Carious Reaves finding his groove from the field, clawed back with an 18-7 surge to take a 27-21 advantage into the break.
Trotwood never trailed in the second half, though Badin rallied to tie the score on a pair of occasions.
Trotwood, however, would once again find its down-the-stretch magic, beginning with more heroics from Dennis with 24 seconds remaining. With his team clinging to a 49-48 lead and trying to hold the ball, Dennis instead found an open lane to the basket off the right side, lowered his head and delivered a layup that would push Trotwood ahead by three points.
“I just saw something there,” Dennis said. “I was going for the gold. We just wanted to get to the next game, and there was a chance (to pad the lead).”
Following a Badin missed trey, Shumate stepped to the line with an opportunity clinch — but his first attempt clanged off the rim.
After a brief exhale and a bit of a smile, Shumate calmly drained his next shot before stealing the inbounds pass and collected two more freebies before time expired.
“I work on my free throws every day,” Shumate said. “I’m at 80 percent (for the season), so I knew that second shot was going in. Then I slipped when (Badin) put the ball it, but I saw the ball bounce and I was like, “Oh, I gotta go get that.”
Seconds later, Trotwood was cutting down its second net in the past week, and the tradition-rich program is just two victories away from Net Chase No. 3.
“The thing is, we haven’t played our best game yet,’’ Dennis said. “Coach (Carl Blanton Sr.) reminds us of that every day. We’re still practicing and building for that day.”
Badin’s loss was a tough one to take for the perennial powerhouse from Hamilton, especially considering the fact that Coach Ben Cosgrove’s club will be losing 12 seniors from this year’s club, which tied with Alter for the Greater Catholic Co-Ed League regular season crown while carrying a 19-game winning streak into Saturday’s regional finale.
“I thought our experienced group would show up when the moments got tight, but it was the opposite,” Cosgrove said. “(Trotwood’s) guys made plays that our guys didn’t.
“We dug a hole but had opportunities to tie it up and an opportunity to take the lead. That speaks volumes of the young men in our locker room.
“But stuff we do well, we didn’t do well today. Defense is our staple, but we gave up some easy baskets that we don’t normally give up.”
Trotwood, which was led by 14 points from Reaves and 13 more from Dennis, owned one key statistic as the Rams delivered 17 fast-break points, compared to just five for Badin, which received 16 points from guard Eli Stroud and 11 more from inside factor Bryson Bowling.
Badin also shot just 37 percent from the field, compared to 44 percent for the winners.
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