FAIRVIEW PARK—No. 18 Trinity traveled to No. 7 Fairview and pulled off a 51-46 upset in a Division V district semifinal on Wednesday.
The Trojans entered the game with added motivation after splitting the season series with the Warriors and finishing second in the Chagrin Valley Conference Metro Division standings.
“We picked this spot (in the bracket) for a reason,” said Trinity head coach Dan Urban. “We wanted to get (Fairview) second so we could show everyone who the real champion of the CVC was. We genuinely believe we were the best team in the CVC. I think that was the motivation we had tonight.”
Jarren Cephus buried three straight 3-pointers to help lead Trinity to an early 13-4 lead.
Fairview’s Will Allen then scored on a drive to the basket with a layup, and Nolan Davis cleaned up the offensive glass with a put-back to trim the Warrior deficit to 13-8 after one.
Trinity’s Cooper Hughes and Aidan Duncan opened the second quarter with back-to-back scores on cuts to the hoop before Burke Lowry knocked in a floater and Allen nailed a deep 3-pointer, bringing Fairview to within 25-19.
Davis then took a Carter Reagan feed and scored at the buzzer.
Duncan and Justin Sims assisted each other on a pair of baskets to open the third, while Davis responded with an and-one, followed by a Reagan 3-pointer, which was momentarily countered by Hughes.
Lowry ended the third with three consecutive 3-pointers for a 40-38 Fairview lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans went on a 13-6 run, controlling the pace and taking time off the clock.
“We played keep-away,” Urban said. “We don’t like that style of basketball, but at this point in the season, we want to win any way possible. We took almost two full minutes off the clock, and the guys were spaced out properly.”
Jordan Campbell’s 3-pointer tied the game at 44-44, then he put Trinity in front with another triple.
Duncan and Hughes finished off the game with a pair of layups, capping off the win.
Hughes and Duncan are senior leaders for the Trojans and were crucial down the stretch of the upset.
“As seniors, we’ve been working all four years for this,” Duncan said. “We had to stay calm under pressure.”
Hughes added, “We’re trying not to go home. (Aidan) got hot in the second half and carried us. I hit a 3-pointer, and we just flowed from there.”
Duncan paced all scorers with 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Hughes finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. Cephus added nine, while Campbell and Sims finished with six points apiece.
Fairview’s season ended with 18 wins to go along with conference and sectional titles.
“I just finished up year eight here, and we’ve had some good seasons,” said Fairview head coach Ryan Barry. “We’ve had five conference championships, two district appearances, and one district title. The kids are putting in all the work. I got in here at the right time, and I have kids who work hard. To keep it going, we need guys to buy into the offseason. They work hard and love basketball.”
Fairview brings back Burke, Lowry, and a flurry of soon-to-be juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who placed second in the CVC championship as eighth graders.
“We’re going to take our month off and then get back to work in the weight room and gym,” Barry said. “If they want to have a great senior year, it’s their responsibility to get the younger guys ready because they know what it takes to be successful and win games. They’ll be holding these younger guys to a high standard.”
Davis led Fairview with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Lowry finished with 11 points for the Warriors.
Trinity will face Canton Central Catholic for the district title on March 1 at Akron Firestone.
