Trojans survive double-OT challenge from Woodmen

<p>By the end of Friday’s first Johnson County boys basketball tournament semifinal, the theme seemed to be unity — as in fans from Franklin and Whiteland joining forces with Greenwood’s to cheer for what would have been viewed as a colossal upset.</p><p>In the end, though, the top-seeded Trojans survived a dogged challenge from the Woodmen, earning a 57-52 double-overtime victory in front of a spirited (and decidedly pro-Greenwood crowd) at Edinburgh.</p><p>The Trojans (10-4) will play Franklin for the county championship this evening, weather permitting.</p><p>&quot;On paper, everybody thought this was going to be a big-difference game,&quot; Greenwood coach Joe Bradburn said, &quot;but honestly, I thought we should have won. We were in a position that we controlled things. We controlled the tempo, we controlled different elements of the game defensively and offensively, but they’re good enough that the margin of error is very small.&quot;</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>Justin DeGraaf, who led Center Grove with 18 points, gave his team the lead for good by slicing in for a three-point play just 26 seconds into the second extra period. The Woodmen got back within two points on a couple of occasions, but Spencer Piercefield hit four straight free throws to keep them at arm’s length down the stretch.</p><p>Greenwood came out swinging and landed a few punches early, scoring the game’s first six points and scoring almost at will during the first quarter. By the time Rasheed Elemikan finished off the period with a 3-pointer, the Woodmen had a surprising 17-8 advantage.</p><p>&quot;They just made good plays,&quot; Piercefield said of Greenwood’s strong start. &quot;We came out in a diamond, which we haven’t done in games before, and they got into the middle and broke that easily. … When teams like that get momentum, they’re pretty good and they ride that energy for a while. They just got off to a really good start.&quot;</p><p>Foul trouble slowed the momentum for Greenwood, and the Trojans were able to crawl back to within one, 21-20, midway through the second quarter. But Ian Raker and Bryce Hoffman answered with back-to-back 3s to stretch it back out to seven, and Center Grove was still staring at a 29-23 deficit going into the break.</p><p>Baskets from Hoffman and T.J. Price to begin the third put the Woodmen up by 10, but the Trojans responded with a 12-2 run to tie the game for the first time. A pair of DeGraaf free throws put Center Grove up, 40-38, going into the fourth, and Piercefield’s third 3-pointer of the night made it 45-38 with 7:09 remaining.</p><p>But again, Greenwood fought back. Hoffman, who scored a game-high 21 points, hit consecutive 3s to make it a one-point game at the three-minute mark, and a Gavin Dowling foul shot evened the game up at 47-47 with 23 seconds left in regulation.</p><p>Each team scored once in the first overtime, with both sides coming up empty on possessions in the final minute.</p><p>Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Trojans, while Piercefield added 15 points.</p><p>Though disappointed with the loss, Bradburn was happy with how his team battled throughout.</p><p>&quot;The part that I’m proud of with my guys is that they were aggressive mistakes,&quot; he said. &quot;There were mistakes and we opened the door a little bit for them, but at least we were being aggressive about it. I like that attitude.&quot;</p><p>The Trojans are hoping for a turnaround similar to the one they had in last year’s county tournament, when they survived an overtime battle with Indian Creek in the semifinal round and then rolled past Franklin in the title game.</p><p>&quot;We’ve got to get off to better starts and not give them any hope from the beginning,&quot; Piercefield said. &quot;The same thing happened last year at county with Indian Creek; we went into overtime with them, but in the championship game we were locked in and ready to go. So hopefully we can do the same thing this time.&quot;</p>