WATCH: Centerville wins 43rd straight game on last-second shot vs. Fairmont

And the Elks mobbed House and celebrated a hard-earned 44-42 regional semifinal victory over Fairmont at Xavier’s Cintas Center.

“Relief,” was what Elks junior point guard Gabe Cupps felt when House scored. Cupps tried to get the basket on the left side where he likes to shoot pull-up jumpers. But those weren’t falling, so he turned and found House exactly where he knew his teammate would be.

“Tom was able to make a shot that he makes thousands of times,” Cupps said.

House was relieved, too, that his team’s poor shooting didn’t cost them.

“I feel like we were scared to lose,” he said. “We were playing not to lose the whole game until the end of the fourth quarter.”

House made only 2 of 8 shots and scored seven points, but he has final-shot experience. He made a long 3-pointer with five seconds left in last year’s regional final to beat Cincinnati Moeller. The Elks followed that up with their first state championship.

The Elks are expected to repeat, are 27-0, ranked No. 1 in the state all season and own a 43-game winning streak. But a slow start, cold shooting and a well-executed defensive game plan by Fairmont almost ended it all for the Elks.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

“It shows a lot of character, resolve, toughness of our guys because not a whole lot went our way,” Elks coach Brook Cupps said. “It was a matter of us needing to consistently respond over and over.”

Third-year Fairmont coach Kenny Molz said he expected his team to start well and get the early lead. But against a team like Centerville, which rallied from nine down last year to win state, the hard part is keeping them down.

“The great thing about them even on their off nights, they still try to find ways to win,” Molz said. “And Fairmont is headed in that direction. Our seniors set the foundation for what Fairmont basketball is going to represent for a long time.”

The test was exactly what Brook Cupps expected. It didn’t matter that his team had won by 12 and 20 in two regular-season meetings.

“When you play a really good team, and they’re really, really good — they’re not just OK — and you’ve got to play them a third time, that is hard,” Cupps said.

The next step for Centerville is the regional final at 7 p.m. Saturday against Fairfield (23-4). The Indians held off Wayne 51-42 in the first semifinal.

Fairmont (22-4) won its first district title since 1995. Molz said earlier this week that if the score was in the high 30s to low 40s his team could win, but Centerville made the key plays in the final minutes to survive.

“We made great plays in the biggest moments and then we made some uncharacteristic mistakes at times,” Molz said. “We played our tails off.”

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

The Firebirds led most of the game, including 21-10 in the second quarter. The Elks trailed by two at halftime and led briefly in the third quarter at 28-26 but didn’t regain the lead until Gabe Cupps scored on a layup to lead 39-38 with 2:06 left.

As the clock ticked under a minute with the Elks holding the ball, Cupps dribbled toward the left baseline. He was fouled hard and as he fell to the ground — on a night when his team shot 38.3% — he was able to will in a shot as he fell to the floor almost 15 feet from the basket. He added the free throw for a 42-38 lead with 53 seconds left.

“I heard the whistle, so I just flung it up there,” Cupps said. “That’s why I always put it up — see if it has a chance.”

The Firebirds came back to tie on a driving shot by Dasan Doucet eight seconds later and two free throws by Aden Marrero with 18 seconds left. Then it was House time.

“We shouldn’t have been in that position from the start,” House said. “But it’s not going to be easy. These teams are all really good when we get this far. The toughest team won again. We got a lot of big rebounds and steals and stuff at the end. It’s a lot better than the other option of losing.”

Rich Rolf kept the Elks close with 19 points and Gabe Cupps scored 13. The Elks made 3 of 14 3-point attempts. However, when their defense kicked into gear in the second quarter, they turned the turnover margin in their favor by committing only five and forcing 15.

Fairmont was led by senior Anthony Johnson’s 19 points and Marrero’s 14. The Firebirds made 5 of 6 shots in the first quarter and shot 58.3% for the game.

“This third game we were prepared,” Molz said. “After winning a district title, it was more relaxed and let’s just play and really trust what we do and see what happens and not be distracted by the aura of Centerville.”