ARCANUM – The Arcanum Trojans earned a 60-48 non-conference varsity boys basketball win over the visiting Milton-Union Bulldogs, avenging two losses to the Bulldogs during the 2024-25 season — a 49-42 regular-season defeat and a 50-47 OHSAA tournament opening-round loss.
“I’m proud of our guys for the way they played, but Milton is well coached,” Arcanum coach Kevin Brackman said. “They play this wicked matchup zone. They beat us twice last year doing it and knocked us out of the tournament. We knew coming over here was going to be a tough game. It’s where I graduated from, so it’s bittersweet — my brother is on the staff.”
A key focus for Brackman this season has been the nine-man rotation implemented from the opening tip, a strategy now paying dividends as injuries have mounted.
“We’ve just been hit with injury after injury after injury,” Brackman said. “Our goal is to play our best basketball, try to win a tournament game, and see where we can go from there. We started the year with Aiden (Carlisle), then Ben (Hamilton), and now Jace (Mote). My goal is to make it through every game healthy, but I think the guys are having fun. I can’t believe the season is winding down, but we’re enjoying the time we have left.”
Milton-Union grabbed an early 4-2 lead before Arcanum responded with a three-pointer to go ahead 5-4. The Bulldogs answered from long range to reclaim a 7-5 edge, but a Cameron Ball bucket tied the score at 7-7. The teams traded points to an 11-11 tie before a technical foul sent Arcanum to the free-throw line for a 12-11 lead. A Ben Hamilton stick-back pushed the Trojans ahead 14-11, and Arcanum carried a slim 14-13 advantage into the second quarter.
After the teams played even at 17-17, Arcanum found separation with back-to-back three-pointers from Matthew McCans and Carlisle for a 23-17 lead. Milton-Union answered with a triple, but Carlisle struck again from deep, and Charlie Weiss added another three to give the Trojans a 30-23 halftime cushion. Arcanum knocked down four second-quarter triples and outscored the Bulldogs 16-10 in the period.
“Our ability to knock down shots allowed us to separate a little bit, which drove our defense,” Brackman said. “We got a couple of big stops in the third quarter and were able to pad what little lead we had.”
The Trojans delivered their strongest stretch in the third quarter, using an 18-8 run to build a 48-31 lead entering the final period. Five players scored in the quarter, led by six points from Ball and five from McCans, including his third three-pointer of the night. Carlisle, Gideon Garno, and Weiss also contributed.
“Tonight we moved the ball really well in the zone,” Brackman said. “We created opportunities for our guys to maximize their skill sets, and that’s why we had so many guys in double figures. Aiden shot it well, Matthew shot it well, Cameron got touches around the rim, Gideon had a great game — all in all, it was a good team win.”
Milton-Union won the fourth quarter 17-12 but could not overcome the deficit as Arcanum secured the 12-point victory.
The Trojans connected on eight three-pointers in the win, with McCans and Carlisle hitting three each and Weiss adding two.
“We’re going to need to see a lot more of that balanced scoring,” Brackman said. “Matthew shot it really well tonight, Cameron played well, and we’re trying to ease Ben back into things. With Jace out for the season with a torn ACL, we’re going to need guys to step up and rely on the depth we’ve played with all year.”
Ball dominated inside with 17 points and strong rebounding, matching McCans’ 17 points for game-high honors. Carlisle added 10 points as three Trojans reached double figures.
Brackman credited the team’s success to trust throughout the program.
“A lot of it is trust,” he said. “The guys trust what we’re doing, and I trust them. We’ve moved Cole Kessler around — a guy who started 25 games for us over the last year and a half. When Ben goes down, he plays the five; tonight, he was the backup point guard. That’s just trust. He knows all our stuff, and so many guys can plug and play. That’s the luxury we have with this group because they’re really unselfish.”
With the win, Arcanum improves to 15-4 overall (7-2) on the season.
BOX SCORE:
ARCANUM 60, MILTON-UNION 48
ARCANUM – M. McCans 17, C. Ball 17, A. Carlisle 10, C. Weiss 8, G. Garno 6, B. Hamilton 2, K. Kramer 2 – TOTALS 15 6-8 8 60
MILTON-UNION – L. Brumbaugh 15, C. Fulton 9, Z. Carpenter 7, H. Fraley 6, D. Day 4, W. Schommer 3, G. McKee 2, B. Carpenter 2 – TOTALS 17 2-4 4 48
3-POINTERS
Arcanum 8 (M. McCans 3, A. Carlisle 3, C. Weiss 2)
Milton-Union 4 (L. Brumbaugh 1, W. Schommer 1, D. Day 1, Fulton 1)
SCORE by QUARTERS
14-16-18-12 60 Arcanum
13-10-08-17 48 Milton-Union
