It was a game for the ages. Two rivals fighting it out, point-for-point, in front
of a packed house of excited fans, and the winner would claim the Region 9 title and
a trip to the NJCAA National Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
Otero, the top seed in the south hosted Trinidad State, the number two seed. The teams
had split their two prior meetings this year and the crowd knew from the opening tip
that this game was going down to the wire. The crowd was amazing, a packed house,
and the two student sections started in before the National Anthem even played, chanting
across the gym at each other. Neither section would be outdone as they all stood and
cheered for the entire contest. By the end, every fan in attendance would be on their
feet.
The Trojans, who had defeated Casper College on Thursday afternoon and Western Nebraska
on Friday night to reach the final, came out strong and took a double-digit lead midway
through the first half. The Rattlers, who had defeated Eastern Wyoming and Laramie
County to get to the title game, fought back and cut the Trojan lead to five points
at half time. The second half saw the teams go almost basket for basket as the lead
changed hand several times. Each time the Trojans needed a big shot they got it and
the Rattlers would answer right back.
The clock ticked down and neither team would back down, but when Otero took a 93-92
lead with just over 20 second on the clock it looked like the Trojans could be in
trouble. TSC was unable to get a shot to fall on the next possession and Otero got
the ball with less than five seconds to play, forcing a Trojan foul to stop the clock.
Otero made the first charity shot but missed the second. Dylan West pulled down the
rebound and called a quick timeout with 3.9 seconds left. The energy in the gym was
ready to explode as Olson Nicholson got ready to throw the ball in. The Trojans ran
the play Coach Mike Folda designed for them to perfection. Jailen Bedford sprinted
into the backcourt and got the ball from Nicholson, took a couple of dribbles to cross
midcourt and let the shot fly from right next the half court circle. The Trojan fans
exploded as the shot hit nothing but net and the celebration started. The referees
talked about it and put .4 seconds on the clock, but the Rattlers were unable to get
the ball in as Nicholson batted the pass away and the clock expired. Final score Trinidad
95 – Otero 94. The Trojans are the 2022 Region 9 Champions, and the celebration was
officially underway.
Nine Trojan players took part in the contest, and all played a pivotal role. Blake
Cesar, Gary Johns and Gregory Beatty all came off the bench to provide defensive support
and Robel Desta hit a big early three before being sideline due to foul trouble. Dejour
Reaves, who had an amazing season for the Trojans, set the pace of the game, finishing
with 11 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and three assists. Nicholson was fierce on
defense and added eight points and five boards to the team stats. Bedford came off
the bench to have an amazing shooting performance, scoring 20 points while shooting
four-for-five from behind the stripe. The Rattlers didn't have an answer for Javeon
Tolliver or Dylan West. Tolliver was lights-out shooting the ball, finishing with
a game high 27 points and six 3-pointers. West was unstoppable in the paint, finishing
the game one assist shy of a triple-double, 26 points, twelve rebounds and nine assists.
The region championship is the first for Trinidad State since 1986.
TSC will now move into the bracket of 24 teams playing for the National Championship.
The Trojans, now 18-12 on the season, will face 26-5 Northwest Florida State College
in the opening round. The game will take place on Monday, March 14 at 4:30pm (CT).
