Momentum swing in final minute sends Hillsboro Indians to sectional final loss to Zane Trace
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
RICHMOND DALE — A charge called on the Hillsboro Indians — in a play in the paint — with 1:13 left in the game swung the momentum in favor of the Zane Trace Pioneers and the Indians never regrouped, losing their bid to upset the Pioneers in the Division II SE District Sectional Finals, 51-48.
The play that only one side of the stands was going to agree with came when Hillsboro senior Ethan Watson drove to the hoop and leapt in the air while there was a collision with Zane Trace’s Nick Nesser with 1:13 left in regulation. The ball sailed through the hoop as the whistle blew. In a split-second wait, the official called a charge, and the momentum swing didn’t go in favor of the Indians as the basket was called off.
“We got Ethan going to the basket there, and I’m never going to be a guy to point fingers, so it just didn’t go our way there,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “Unfortunately, that was a huge moment, and he got to the basket and got the charge call on him and it didn’t go our way. We have to put ourselves in better opportunity and better situations where we don’t have to rely on that.”
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With the Indians going from what could have been the lead to still trailing by a 47-46 score, then with 42.7 left on the clock as the Indians were forced to foul the Pioneers capitalized with two made free throws by Cam Evans, to take a three-point lead. Evans led the Pioneers with 25 points.
Zane Trace was called for a foul with 34.5, giving HHS possession of the basketball. The ensuing possession saw a Hillsboro shot blocked, but Watson recovered the loose basketball, and Mason Swayne was eventually fouled. Swayne made both free throw attempts, bringing the Tribe back to within one point of the Zane Trace lead.
The Pioneers came back and were fouled with Chad Ison sinking one free throw for a 50-48 lead, then again on another trip to the free-throw line Ison made another free throw of his two attempts, as he finished with 12 points for ZTHS.
With a couple seconds left in regulation, the Indians tried one last hope, but an in-bounds pass that landed at mid-court was broken up by Zane Trace’s Evans with time expiring, sending the Indians to a three-point loss to end their season.
“These past three days of practice were great, and I felt very prepared for this opponent. Hats off to them for winning a sectional championship, but our guys were well-prepared, and we had a great game plan and felt we executed it well,” Miles said. “If a couple things go our way here or there, maybe it is a different outcome. It was a heartbreaker, obviously.
“We thought we could get in our half-court offense and run the clock and get the shots we wanted. Our kids did a great job of getting reversals, getting the ball side-to-side and knocking down some huge shots. We had guys make big shots in Ethan and Ryan, and Brad Miller … my gosh, he got his nose in there and he really grew up tonight. He just did a great job of fighting in there.”
The Indians entered the sectional tournament game winning six of their past 10 games, playing their best basketball of the season, plus they had already won one tournament game, defeating Miami Trace 49-38 earlier in the week.
On Saturday night at Southeastern High School, the Indians battled the higher-ranked Pioneers tough, forcing Zane Trace to play the Indians’ game. It worked in the first quarter, with both teams being tied at 10-10, and by halftime the Indians trailed by just three points at 22-19 against the champions of the Scioto Valley Conference.
The Indians were first to score in the sectional final game with a jumper by Ryan Scott, and as the first quarter continued they had buckets from Swayne, Watson and Brad Miller, who tied the score at 10-10 with a put-back basket 1:40 left in the opening quarter.
HHS scored nine points in the second, and at one point in the quarter they trailed 17-12 with 5:03 on the clock. HHS came back with a layup from Swayne, followed by a jumper by Swayne as well off a steal and assist by Gavin Temple with 2:36 left in the quarter.
Later in the second, the Pioneers took a three-point lead off a jumper by Ison, but following a timeout Scott — who totaled 16 points to lead HHS — sank a 3-pointer with 1:07 left in the first half tying the score at 19-19. Zane Trace took a three-point lead following a three-point play by Evans, ending the scoring in the first half at 22-19 in favor of Zane Trace, the home team on the scoreboard.
Hillsboro came out of the locker room and continued their strong play, and frustrating the Pioneers, as the Tribe outscored ZTHS, 18-12 in the third and took a 37-34 lead after the frame was complete.
The Indians took their first lead of the third quarter when at the 5:03 mark Watson sank a 3-pointer for a 26-25 advantage. Watson finished the game with 10 points, wrapping up his career with 1,025 points scored.
After the Pioneers took a two-point lead following a 3-pointer by Evans, HHS tied the score at 28-28 with two made free throws by Miller, as he finished the game wth 12 points. The Indians took the lead with 3:05 on the third-quarter clock with a steal and layup by Scott for a 30-28 advantage, forcing the Pioneers to call a timeout.
ZT tied the score with layup from Nesser (who totaled six points), but HHS was there to answer with a put-back basket while being fouled from Miller. HHS added to their lead with a three-point play from Scott for a 35-30 advantage with 1:50 left in the third frame. Zane Trace answered with four straight points, but the Indians continued their strong play with a wide-open basket by Temple off a pass by Swayne — who totaled eight points — for the assist for the 37-34 lead after three frames.
The Indians led from the start of the fourth until the 1:42 mark of the quarter with points from Scott, Watson and Miller. HHS lost the lead off a jumper by Evans with 1:42 left in regulation and never regained the advantage, as the aforementioned charge was called on the Indians and they were outscored 4-2 from that point on.
“We knew (Evans’) pull-up game was elite, and when he gets within 15 feet from the basket there is a great chance he is going to score,” Miles said.
For the game, Zane Trace totaled 15 two-point baskets, four 3-pointers and they were 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. HHS totaled 17 two-point baskets, three 3-pointers and they were 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Seniors for the Indians are Mason Swayne, Ethan Watson, Jared Thompson and Reece Bloomfield.
“Jared and Reece weren’t in the program last year, and I talked all season about the things they bring in to practice. Jared hustled all season, didn’t get a lot of minutes and never complained. Reece came in the middle of the season and started games for us. He was a calming force for us … his toughness and IQ were there when we needed it.
“Mason and Ethan have played the past three years at the varsity level, and both of those guys have given their blood, sweat and tears to this program, and they are kids you want to represent your program the right way.
“Mason was our team captain, and we could rely on him to lead the guys. We want to thank all four seniors for their contributions to the program and thank them for everything that they’ve done.”
The play that only one side of the stands was going to agree with came when Hillsboro senior Ethan Watson drove to the hoop and leapt in the air while there was a collision with Zane Trace’s Nick Nesser with 1:13 left in regulation. The ball sailed through the hoop as the whistle blew. In a split-second wait, the official called a charge, and the momentum swing didn’t go in favor of the Indians as the basket was called off.
“We got Ethan going to the basket there, and I’m never going to be a guy to point fingers, so it just didn’t go our way there,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “Unfortunately, that was a huge moment, and he got to the basket and got the charge call on him and it didn’t go our way. We have to put ourselves in better opportunity and better situations where we don’t have to rely on that.”
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With the Indians going from what could have been the lead to still trailing by a 47-46 score, then with 42.7 left on the clock as the Indians were forced to foul the Pioneers capitalized with two made free throws by Cam Evans, to take a three-point lead. Evans led the Pioneers with 25 points.
Zane Trace was called for a foul with 34.5, giving HHS possession of the basketball. The ensuing possession saw a Hillsboro shot blocked, but Watson recovered the loose basketball, and Mason Swayne was eventually fouled. Swayne made both free throw attempts, bringing the Tribe back to within one point of the Zane Trace lead.
The Pioneers came back and were fouled with Chad Ison sinking one free throw for a 50-48 lead, then again on another trip to the free-throw line Ison made another free throw of his two attempts, as he finished with 12 points for ZTHS.
With a couple seconds left in regulation, the Indians tried one last hope, but an in-bounds pass that landed at mid-court was broken up by Zane Trace’s Evans with time expiring, sending the Indians to a three-point loss to end their season.
“These past three days of practice were great, and I felt very prepared for this opponent. Hats off to them for winning a sectional championship, but our guys were well-prepared, and we had a great game plan and felt we executed it well,” Miles said. “If a couple things go our way here or there, maybe it is a different outcome. It was a heartbreaker, obviously.
“We thought we could get in our half-court offense and run the clock and get the shots we wanted. Our kids did a great job of getting reversals, getting the ball side-to-side and knocking down some huge shots. We had guys make big shots in Ethan and Ryan, and Brad Miller … my gosh, he got his nose in there and he really grew up tonight. He just did a great job of fighting in there.”
The Indians entered the sectional tournament game winning six of their past 10 games, playing their best basketball of the season, plus they had already won one tournament game, defeating Miami Trace 49-38 earlier in the week.
On Saturday night at Southeastern High School, the Indians battled the higher-ranked Pioneers tough, forcing Zane Trace to play the Indians’ game. It worked in the first quarter, with both teams being tied at 10-10, and by halftime the Indians trailed by just three points at 22-19 against the champions of the Scioto Valley Conference.
The Indians were first to score in the sectional final game with a jumper by Ryan Scott, and as the first quarter continued they had buckets from Swayne, Watson and Brad Miller, who tied the score at 10-10 with a put-back basket 1:40 left in the opening quarter.
HHS scored nine points in the second, and at one point in the quarter they trailed 17-12 with 5:03 on the clock. HHS came back with a layup from Swayne, followed by a jumper by Swayne as well off a steal and assist by Gavin Temple with 2:36 left in the quarter.
Later in the second, the Pioneers took a three-point lead off a jumper by Ison, but following a timeout Scott — who totaled 16 points to lead HHS — sank a 3-pointer with 1:07 left in the first half tying the score at 19-19. Zane Trace took a three-point lead following a three-point play by Evans, ending the scoring in the first half at 22-19 in favor of Zane Trace, the home team on the scoreboard.
Hillsboro came out of the locker room and continued their strong play, and frustrating the Pioneers, as the Tribe outscored ZTHS, 18-12 in the third and took a 37-34 lead after the frame was complete.
The Indians took their first lead of the third quarter when at the 5:03 mark Watson sank a 3-pointer for a 26-25 advantage. Watson finished the game with 10 points, wrapping up his career with 1,025 points scored.
After the Pioneers took a two-point lead following a 3-pointer by Evans, HHS tied the score at 28-28 with two made free throws by Miller, as he finished the game wth 12 points. The Indians took the lead with 3:05 on the third-quarter clock with a steal and layup by Scott for a 30-28 advantage, forcing the Pioneers to call a timeout.
ZT tied the score with layup from Nesser (who totaled six points), but HHS was there to answer with a put-back basket while being fouled from Miller. HHS added to their lead with a three-point play from Scott for a 35-30 advantage with 1:50 left in the third frame. Zane Trace answered with four straight points, but the Indians continued their strong play with a wide-open basket by Temple off a pass by Swayne — who totaled eight points — for the assist for the 37-34 lead after three frames.
The Indians led from the start of the fourth until the 1:42 mark of the quarter with points from Scott, Watson and Miller. HHS lost the lead off a jumper by Evans with 1:42 left in regulation and never regained the advantage, as the aforementioned charge was called on the Indians and they were outscored 4-2 from that point on.
“We knew (Evans’) pull-up game was elite, and when he gets within 15 feet from the basket there is a great chance he is going to score,” Miles said.
For the game, Zane Trace totaled 15 two-point baskets, four 3-pointers and they were 9-of-13 from the free-throw line. HHS totaled 17 two-point baskets, three 3-pointers and they were 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Seniors for the Indians are Mason Swayne, Ethan Watson, Jared Thompson and Reece Bloomfield.
“Jared and Reece weren’t in the program last year, and I talked all season about the things they bring in to practice. Jared hustled all season, didn’t get a lot of minutes and never complained. Reece came in the middle of the season and started games for us. He was a calming force for us … his toughness and IQ were there when we needed it.
“Mason and Ethan have played the past three years at the varsity level, and both of those guys have given their blood, sweat and tears to this program, and they are kids you want to represent your program the right way.
“Mason was our team captain, and we could rely on him to lead the guys. We want to thank all four seniors for their contributions to the program and thank them for everything that they’ve done.”