INDIANAPOLIS - The setting was the same, but the storyline was much different for the Triton Trojans.
After invading Conseco Fieldhouse last season and capturing a Class 1A state championship, the Trojans were back Saturday, only this time, leaving with the runner-up trophy."It's the exact opposite," Triton coach Jason Groves said about the emotions after a 66-55 loss to the top-ranked Jac-Cen-Del Eagles, compared to those a year earlier.
Last season, it was a Triton team featuring four starting seniors in Bart Christian, Jake Everett, A.J. Harrison and Troy McIntyre that represented the Trojans at state, downing Indianapolis Lutheran 50-42 for the program's first title.
This year, a Trojan team that was supposed to be doing some rebuilding, was matched against a team with four starting seniors of its own, in Blake Sutton, Tim Arnett, Gerald Hardesty and Matt Gehl.
"These four seniors - I've been around them for a long period of time," Jac-Cen-Del coach David Bradshaw said. "Basketball is a passion. They love it and I'm happy I was able to witness this today."
Of those four, it was Gehl that made the Eagles' dream come true and had the Trojans waking up in cold sweats, looking under their beds for monsters.
After being held scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting in the opening half, Gehl finished the game with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
"At halftime, coach told me to keep my head up and let the game come to me," Gehl said. "That's what I did."
Taking over, Gehl made eight-straight baskets in the second half, scoring all 14 of the Eagles' points between the 2:46 mark in the third and the 2:48 mark in the fourth.
"He's been their leading scorer all year," Groves said about Gehl. "He's long, athletic and attacks the basket well. He understands the game."
It may have taken Gehl a little time to find his shot, but in such a big game, Triton never seemed to find its at all.
"Even when we got open shots, we couldn't get them to fall," Groves said about his team shooting 2 of 15 in the first quarter and 18 of 61 in the game.
"We ran into a good team," he added. "They're long, athletic and contest shots."
To his team's credit, the Trojans weren't too bad either.
A year after losing those four starting seniors, many may have thought Triton could possibly win a sectional crown, but that would be it.
Not so.
Despite ending the season at Conseco Fieldhouse again, the Trojans didn't seem comforted with a 24-3 season.
"I put the blame on myself for this," Triton senior Colton Keel, who had 12 points and 13 rebounds, said.
If he's going to blame himself for the loss, he's also going to have to take credit for getting back to state this year, not to mention winning it a year earlier as a junior.
During the Trojans' championship run last year, Keel hit game-winning shots in the regional and at semistate, propelling his team into the finals.
This year, all the Bethel College-bound Keel did was lead his team in points (15.9) and rebounds (8.1), while also dishing out three assists per game.
"This is not how you want your seniors to go out," Groves said, referring to Keel, Joel Meister, Zac Moriarty, Cody Carpenter and Dustin Kreft. "They worked hard to get to this point, and they deserve another championship. But even if they didn't win, that doesn't take away from what they did for the Triton program."
What they did was follow a state championship title with a return trip to the finals.
And now, with the Trojans returning three starters in junior Ben Montalbano and sophomores Griffyn Carpenter and Austin Davis, not too mention heralded incoming freshmen Quentyn Carpenter and Clay Yeo, the future is still very bright.
"I want these guys to expect championships and expect excellence," Groves said.
