Trotwood Centerville 2008 Division Championship

The Trotwood-Madison Rams won the GWOC title for the fourth straight year in 2008 and were looking for their fifth Division Championship but Centerville and some questionable refereeing got in the way. Now we don't like to cry over spilled milk but there was so much covering the floor at the UD Arena on Saturday March 14th it is worthwhile to bring it up.

It must be noted that the Rams never led this defensive battle but managed to claw their way back from a 12-point deficit to tie it up twice in the 4th period. And that is where the milk really started flowing.

With .8 seconds left in the game Centerville made one last charge at the hoop. It looked like overtime was inevitable but there was that annoying whistle once again. A foul called against Trotwood gave the Elks two shots. The first one missed and the second one won the game 52-51.

The foul call did happen and is recorded for posterity on video available on the Dayton Daily News web site. But was the call really necessary. The light brush on the arm by Trotwood was late in the shot that wasn't going in.

The still picture above was taken a fraction of a second before the foul occurred. Trotwood's defensive bloc was well in place and Centerville seems to have just run into it.

A Trotwood Fan filed a protest with the athletic association but they have ruled the call and the game stands. On Tuesday the high school held a press conference.

Students at the press conference were quick to say they don't hold anything against Centerville. Their quibble is with the referee that made the last second call. That referee, Angelo Jolatos, is the center of all the complaints.

Coach Mark Baker said, "That call should never been made, in the end I think it was flat out wrong."

"We want to congratulate Centerville," continued Baker. But Baker wants OHSAA to look into the officiating matter.

He believes there were inconsistent calls throughout the game against both teams. "We want someone to give us an explanation." He also hopes that something like this won't happen again to Trotwood or any other team.

Teammate Arron Robinson said from his position on the court there did not appear to be contact.

The bottom line came from Trotwood high school principal Gerald Cox. "It is our opinion the outcome of the game was taken out of the hands of the athlete." "A foul call in the last second should be for flagrant or obvious violations."

Tell us what you think by clicking on the comments at the end of this post.