VANDALIA – Franklin Monroe boys met up with the Botkins Trojans in the OHSAA DVI Regional Semi-Finals at the Vandalia Student Activity Center. A strong Botkins defense and timely shots in the 2nd and 3rd quarters gave the Trojans a 28-14 advantage and they went on to win the game 46-30 to move into the Regional Final, where they will take on Russia.
Coming into the game, Franklin Monroe coach Troy Myers’ goal was to limit possessions to 45 or under to give his team a good chance at winning.
“Statistics and the numbers were telling us that if you can keep them in the low 40s with their possessions, you can potentially limit their firepower on the offensive end.”
Franklin Monroe showed good patience and held an 8-6 lead, executing the plan set forth making those possessions count in the opening frame.
Four of their points came from EB Fall by getting into the paint, something he did well in the previous game in the second half against Fort Loramie, which sparked them to the district championship. Eric Brenner and Ty Riffle also had buckets in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Botkins put up a barrier around the lane and there was no one getting into the paint … the defense was so stout they held the Jets to just four points, a fielder from Trey Wilson and two free throws from Eric Brenner early to go up 12-9.
Botkins Monnin connected on a triple to tie the game at 12 and went on a 12-point run to close out the first half, leading 21-12 and once again leaving Troy Myers to wonder where points were going to come from … just like in the Fort Loramie game.
While Coach Myers’ team was on point with 24 possessions in the first half… more than half of them came away empty.
“We had 24 possessions in the first half, which is right where we wanted it, but we only had 11 shots on the rim and I don’t care what game you’re playing if you’re only getting 11 shots in the first half, you know the percentages are probably less than 50, so you can’t generate many points,” Myers explained.
The Jets would make a run early in the third quarter on triples from Eric Brenner and Ben Delinger, but were unable to string enough plays together to put pressure on Botkins.
The Trojans expanded their lead to 34-17, getting consecutive long-range scores from Jack Steinke and from Earl Pitts. The Jets were in an uphill battle playing from behind against a very stingy defense, closing the gap to 34-22, giving them a bit of hope heading into the final stanza.
Limited possessions now are out the window, and the new goal was to try and get as many as possible in a limited amount of time as the Jets tried to pressure Botkins, but they were able to play through it most of the time.
A layup by Ty Riffle at 1:36 made the score 42-30, but time was running out, still trailing by 12 points… and Botkins finished out the game with free throws for a 46-30, Regional Semi-Final win.
After the game, Coach Myers talked about the game and shouldered much of the blame for the team.
“Offensively, we just did not have anything sustainable, and I will shoulder the blame for that. We were kicking the ball over the gym; we just could not generate offense from a sustainable standpoint.
I felt like our defense was holding up in the first half, but we just were not countering on the other end and were able to put together a run where we felt like we were in control at any point. I will shoulder the blame, because you get into these moments, and you got to have something that gives your guys opportunities and unfortunately, we did not do that,” Myers expressed.
Franklin Monroe’s season ends with a 21-5 record, 2nd place in WOAC, District Champion, and Regional Semi-Finalist. They will graduate five seniors: EB Fall, Eric Brenner, Ty Riffle, Trey Wilson, and Tysyn Williams.
Coach Myers talked about what his seniors meant to him and the program.
“I mean, to be completely honest, they reset the standard of what we want our program to represent. I just told the guys there that I don’t know what I’m going to do the rest of my life, but if I ever do anything with a team, I don’t want to do it with anybody who doesn’t have their connectivity, who shows love the way that they show it, protect each other in the back alley. I do not want to be a part of that, and neither does anybody else. And we won 40 games in two years, and a large part of that is because of the people in our locker room,” Myers concluded.
Score by Quarter:
Franklin Monroe … 08 … 04 … 10 … 08 – 30
Botkins ……………. 06 … 15 … 13 … 12 – 46
Team Scoring:
Franklin Monroe: L. Brenner 0-2-0/0 – 2, T. Riffle 0-3-0/0 – 6, E. Brenner 1-2-2/2 – 9, Wilson 0-1-0/0 – 2, Denlinger 1-0-0/0 3, Fall 2-3-0/2 – 6; Total 2-11-2/4 – 30
Botkins: Doseck 1-4-0/0 – 11, Pitts 1-1-7/8 – 12, Koenig 0-0-1/2 – 1, Monnin 1-0-0/0 – 3, Topp 0-1-2/6 – 4, Steinke 3-0-0/0 – 9, Huelskamp 0-1-2/2 – 4, Pleiman 0-1-0/0 – 2; Total 6-8-12/18 – 46
