KETTERING — Fort Loramie will try to complete a season sweep of Marion Local in a Division IV regional final on Friday at Trent Arena in Kettering.
A close finish against Russia in a 48-45 regional semifinal win on Tuesday shows that’s not an easy task — but a possible one.
Russia cut a 10-point Fort Loramie lead down to two points in the final seconds on Tuesday, but the Redskins survived a last-second 3-pointer by the Raiders to earn a spot in Saturday’s regional final.
Fort Loramie has been working towards the regional final for three years. They lost in a district final in 2016 and lost by two points in a regional semifinal to Lima Perry last season.
“We’re happy to survive and advance,” Fort Loramie coach Corey Britton said. “We just told our guys coming down that we wanted to play better than we did last year. I thought for 29 minutes, we did that. That’s all that matters. We played well enough down here to get the win tonight.
“We tell our kids that you don’t have to be the best all the time, you just have to be better than the team across from you. Luckily, we were three points better tonight.”
Fort Loramie’s win on Tuesday completed a three-game season sweep of the Raiders after two Shelby County Athletic League wins in regular season. The Redskins beat Marion Local 47-35 in a nonconference game on Feb. 3 and will try for another sweep Friday.
Marion Local (22-4) hasn’t lost since the February game in Fort Loramie. The Flyers have won 10 straight, including a 55-33 win over Springfield Catholic Central in a regional semifinal on Tuesday.
Dillon Braun, who led Fort Loramie with 17 points on Tuesday, said defense will be key in beating the Flyers. He said the team didn’t defend well in the last couple of minutes against Russia.
“We need to lock down more, get a hand in the face, and go from there,” Braun said. “… We played really well against (Marion Local) the first time. They’ve got a really good post player, (Nathan) Bruns, who’s quick, so we’re going to have to keep up with him.”
Bruns led Marion Local with 20 points against Catholic Central on Tuesday. He scored 11 points in the team’s first matchup — just two of which came in the second half.
The Flyers went cold from the field in the second half of the regular season game, as Fort Loramie used a 15-0 run to take control. Marion Local didn’t score until the 6:00 mark in the fourth quarter.
“They missed some shots that they usually make,” Britton said of the regular-season matchup. “It’s going to be a war, it’s going to be physical, and just like any other tournament game, the team that rebounds and takes care of the basketball is probably going to win.
“We didn’t take care of the ball as well as we needed to tonight. We’re happy to represent the Shelby County League for a chance at a trip to Columbus, that’s for sure.”
Marion Local coach Kurt Goettemoeller said he hopes the team’s strong schedule has prepared it to play for a state berth. The Flyers have beat several tough teams during its current streak, including Midwest Athletic Conference powers Versailles and St. Henry.
“They’re just a heck of a basketball team and very well-coached,” Goettemoeller said of Fort Loramie. “We’re going to be ready to go. We’re going to come down here, be ready to play four quarters and see how the chips fall.”
Britton said having a close finish against Russia should serve as a lesson to the team that a full 32-minute effort is needed.
“If we don’t play 32 minutes, we’re not going to win.” Britton said. “We learned that last year. I think we took a couple of minutes off against Lima Perry, and they built an 18-point lead, and it was over.
“We have to be ready to go and ready for everything they’re going to throw at us and do the little things. We have a lot of confidence right now, and I love our guys. I can’t tell you that enough. This group of seniors, I came in with them four years ago, and we’re excited to be a part of that stage.”
Tyler Siegel added 12 points for Fort Loramie on Tuesday, while Nick Brandewie scored 10.
Jordan York scored 15 points for Russia, while Daniel Kearns scored 13 and Jack Dapore scored 10.
Cordonnier proud of Russia
Russia trailed by double digits through most of the second half on Tuesday before going on a late 10-2 run. That resiliency is what coach Spencer Cordonnier said he has seen all season and is why he’ll miss the team’s four seniors in Hunter Cohee, Carter Stueve, Dapore and Kearns.
“They battled their tails off,” Cordonnier said. “We came up a little bit short, but I’m extremely proud of them and proud to be their coach. They got themselves here. Hats off to Fort Loramie, they’re a great team. You’ve got to be tough to beat them, and time just ran out on us.”
