NTL BOYS' BASKETBALL: TROY USES SECOND HALF SURGE TO TOP NPM, CLAIM DISTRICT IV TITLE (2023-03-05)

CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
MANSFIELD — All season long Troy has focused on togetherness and team play, making the extra pass and not counting stats. That may have just won them a District IV, Class AAA title, as they used a key spurt late in the fourth quarter to top NP-Mansfield, 50-46, for their first boys’ basketball championship since 1996-1997.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” Troy’s Evan Woodward said about being district champions.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” exclaimed Trojan JB Burbage.

It must feel even better after they lost to Loyalsock in last year’s district final, and losing twice to NP-Mansfield during the regular season this year.

“All four years we’ve been close, but I’ve never taken the gold medal,” remarked lone senior Justice Chimics. “Last year with the silver, and being on the other side, it feels so good. Especially in a fashion that we did it. I think it was by 30 or 40, so, coming in, and beating the number one ranked team in the district, and ranked in the state, it felt so good to get this one.”

Troy Coach Bob Woodward has talked all season how this group’s bond was special.

“I think these kids really believe in our defense, and what we’re trying to do,” he said. “I mean, their effort has been good all year. We lost some games, but I’ve told everybody, we didn’t lose them, we learned every time, and we just keep coming back, and working every day.”

The longtime coach believes this may have been the hardest working team he’s had.

“I think after every game, I would tell the coaches, this is the funnest year that I’ve ever had,” Woodward said. “And the reason for that is there’s no off the court troubles. They come every day. They’re good in the classroom. They have great parents, it’s kind of a perfect storm thing that I’m really proud of.”

They had to overcome some first half offensive miscues, and hold off a fierce Karson Dominick rally late in fourth, but were able to do both.

“We had a good conversation about that,” coach Woodward said about their 12 first half turnovers. “Instead of thinking we wanted to react in the second half. You know, we just kind of had the jitters, it’s the biggest crowd, loudest place we’ve ever played, and Mansfield is a tough opponent. Their defense made us do some silly stuff.”

The Trojans also made a concerted effort to try and speed up the game.

“We tried to use ball fakes, and just tried to keep the ball moving faster, so they couldn’t get in the way of the pass,” said point guard Jackson Taylor. 

It worked as they only had four turnovers in the third and fourth quarters.

In the second half they also attacked the basket more, and continued their strong pressure defense. Eventually, both wore on the Tigers, and it showed as the Trojans had nine offensive rebounds in the final two quarters.

“We needed to get the ball to the post area,” explained coach Woodward. “And we missed a few of the first couple that we got there. And then JB (Burbage) took one to the basket, and it seemed like that really sparked us.”

Both teams got in foul trouble in the second half, but NPM’s Brody Burleigh was the only player to foul out early in the fourth quarter. He missed a large chunk of the third, too, opening up the paint for the Trojans.

Burbage led the charge with 14 points, eight of them in the fourth quarter, to go with six boards and three assists. He did this despite giving up several inches to NPM’s frontline.

“We just knew what they were like,” he said. “The first few times we didn’t play to our full potential, and now I think we did.”

Colin Loveland and Woodward had eight points each, with Loveland adding four boards, and three steals, as Woodward had five rebounds.

Justice Chimics notched seven points to go with three assists, while Lincoln Chimics had six points.

Taylor added five points, six assists, and three steals, while Lance Heasley chipped in with two points and five rebounds.

Dominick had a game high 21 points for the Tigers, but nobody else was in double figures. Burleigh finished with eight, Alex Davis scored seven, Andrew Green netted six, and Sam Lawrence chipped in with four.

The Trojans came out strong as Woodward hit a 3-ball in their first possession. Burleigh came back with a lay-up, but a Burbage basket saw Troy go up 5-2. 

Dominick would hit a 3-ball to tie the game up at 5-5, but Troy retook the lead, 6-5, on a Woodward free throw.

After over two minutes of no scoring Davis hit a 3-ball to put the Tigers up 8-6. A Loveland jumper would make it 8-8 at the first break.

NPM would open the second on a run, scoring in their first four possessions. They would get back to back lay-ups from Lawrence and Burleigh to take a 12-8 lead a minute in.

Heasley found Burbage underneath for a bucket, but Dominick came back with a jumper. Taylor then found Burbage for another bucket to cut it to 14-12, with Dominick getting to the free throw line to make it 15-12 with just over five minutes left in the half.

Neither team scored for nearly three minutes after that as NPM missed lay-ups, and Troy struggled with turnovers.

A Burbage to Heasley bucket ended the drought, cutting it to 15-14.

Dominick would nail a 3-ball on NPM’s next possession to make it a 4-point lead, again. They would increase it to six points off a pair of Dominick free throws.

However, Troy rallied as Woodward and Lincoln Chimics both had lay-ups to cut it to 20-18.

Burleigh had the final say, hitting a bucket with 38 seconds left to give NPM the 22-18 lead at the half.

“We made stupid passes,” Justice Chimics said about their first half offensive troubles. “We had so many turnovers. WE cleaned I up, and made smart choices. We zipped the ball around and had open shots.”

Coming out of the break Justice Chimics got things going for Troy with a reverse lay-up. NPM would answer with a Green 3-ball off a Dominick pass to put them up 25-20.

The Trojans would answer, though, with a 7-0 run, beginning with a Justice Chimics bank 3-pointer off a Loveland pass. Lincoln Chimics followed by going 1-for-2 from the line, then he hit a 3-ball off a Taylor assist to put Troy up 27-25 with 3:40 left in the quarter.

NPM tied it up at 27-all on a Davis driving lay-up, but Taylor followed with a runner on Troy’s next possession.

Dominick then countered with an acrobatic put back to knot things up once more, but Taylor had the final say, hitting a 3-ball off a Loveland assist to put Troy up 32-29 with one quarter remaining.

Burleigh would cut it to 32-31 with a put back, but then fouled out with 6:23 left in the third as Troy got into the bonus. Burbage would hit a free throw to go up 33-31, then on their next possession he had a driving lay-up for the 35-31 lead.

Green cut it to one with 3-ball off a Davis assist, but a Loveland steal and lay-up, followed by two freebies saw the Trojans build a 39-34 lead with 4:23 left to play.

Dominick would cut it to 39-36 with four minutes left in the game on a lay-up.

After that the two teams traded empty possessions, then Justice Chimics found Burbage for a lay-up to make it 41-36 with three minutes to go.

Davis countered with a jumper, but that’s when Troy went on their game defining run.

It started as Justice Chimics found Woodward for a lay-up on Troy’s next possession to put them up 43-38. Then, after an NPM miss, Loveland got a breakaway lay-up to make it 45-38.

The Tigers would miss again, followed by Justice Chimics hitting Burbage for another fast break lay-up, extending Troy’s lead to 47-38 with 1:35 left.

“That was probably the two or three minutes that we won the game right there,” remarked Justice Chimics.

NPM stopped the bleeding with a Lawrence lay-up on their next possession, cutting it to 47-40 with 1:28 left to play

The Trojans would kill 28 seconds off the clock in their next possession, but it ended in a turnover. They would get a steal, but missed two lay-ups that would have iced the game.

NPM got a steal back, then saw Dominick hit a 3-ball with 38 seconds left to make it a 4-point game.

The Tigers then sent Justice Chimics to the line for two free throws, and he sunk them both to put the Trojans up 49-43 with 32.9 seconds.

Dominick wasn’t finished, though, as he hit another 3-ball with 20 seconds to play to make it one possession game.

This time NPM sent Burbage to the line, where he missed the first, but made the second, for a 4-point lead.

Dominick’s third attempt was long, Troy got the rebound, and ran out the clock for the win.

“We just learned from our mistakes,” Evan Woodward said about their second half comeback. “In the end that made us better.”

He’s able to share this title with his father, who is the coach, along with his grandfather, who is the scorekeeper.

“I’m glad he’s able to be here with me,” Evan remarked.

The Trojans will now play Mid-Valley, the District II runners-up, next Saturday, likely at home or a gym nearby.

After getting a taste of state basketball last year, they’re hoping to make a run this time around.

“I think, after these guys enjoy tonight, they’re going to be really hungry next week,” said coach Woodward. 

Taylor echoed that sentiment.

“We’ve got to get back to work.”

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PHOTO CAPTION: Troy’s Colin Loveland celebrates as he runs towards teammate Evan Woodward after they won the District IV, Class AAA title over NP-Mansfield…PHOTOS BY CHRIS MANNING & LANCE LARCOM