Many records have been tied or broken with this basketball team!
Ethan Linder manuevers around Jordan Clark from the prep school.
The road for Wayne Trace to State has been a long one. Through winding paths and incredible rebounds, the team has been able to make comebacks you wouldn’t believe. At the same time they have been able to dominate early and often. Following victory to state is what the Raider Nation fans were travelling for on Thursday March 26 to the Schottenstein’s Value City Arena in Columbus.
The game began with a confident group of young men on both sides of the court. David Sinn went to the center circle for the first jump. The game began with Harvest Preparatory School
David Sinn scores from the free throw line in an excellent finish to his Raider Basketball Career.
taking the first possession. Back and forth a couple of times the game moved before the first basket by Cole Shepherd of Wayne Trace. The first period for Wayne Trace was quite rough and may have been the difficulty facing the Raiders. Early on the home team easily took a 10 point lead. Corbin Linder normally has good access to the three point basket but not this morning. He had someone on him the entire game, so much so, it was like bumper stickers on a politician’s car. The entire match Linder was able to put up only one 3 pointer successfully.
After reviewing the numbers, the biggest problem for the Raiders was they had found a team that played the game similar to them, and this made it rather difficult as they had no time to prepare against their own style. The pressure was seen as very similar from following games throughout this 2015 season. Perhaps the biggest difference this game was the
“In Your Face” as Sinn blocks the view of his opponent.
inconsistency that the Winchester school presented. In the first period alone they racked up 22 to the Raiders’ 13. The visiting team got the second period offense under control and stopped the scoring spree presented by Harvest and reversed the trend, now doubling the score of the Warriors in the second period. Half the points in the first half were posted by Ethan Linder. Luke Miller and Corbin Linder also added three points baskets in this period. The Raiders brought the game back under control with a halftime score 25-28. One of the wrenches in the Raider tool belt for winning games became the problem in this match. Three point baskets were a BIG problem for a team that relies heavily on them. In the first half, only two were hit for Wayne Trace, while six were pushed through the hoop for Harvest.
Sportsmanship is what this team from Haviland is about!
The third quarter went better for Wayne Trace — actually both teams performed about equal. The Raiders hit 14 points and the lead was now narrowed down to only 1 point for the home team. At one time the Raiders even tied the game in the third.
Beginning the fourth quarter the Raiders took the lead by 3 points. It was not to be long lived though. The Burgundy & Gray had their best period, while the Raiders struggled with their identity in the final three and four minutes of the game. David Sinn was performing well under the basket, and Ethan Linder was pretty good across the court as well. Luke Miller struggled in a couple of places and points were certainly not up compared to his usual game.
Cole Shepherd attempts to block the shot on defense!
In the heat of the final 60 seconds, the Raiders added a few points, bringing the difference back to eight points. The game then finished with a slam dunk by Rael Windley, marking the end of the game and bringing a close to the season of one of the finest teams this area has watched.
Coach Jim Linder was disheartened by the loss along with the players and the fans. It’s been a great season with a 25-2 record. Upon this, the Raiders having taken the last three GMC titles. Linder stated this was the current seniors’ third year for accumulating 20 or more wins in a season.
The West Bend News has been following the team the entire season and are proud to have been able to supply the Ohio State Tournament (OHSAA) booklet with the Wayne Trace Basketball Team picture for this event!
It was still a great game for this team. Congratulations to the Wayne Trace boys on this incredible season and getting a chance to go to the Schott!
More pictures from this and the other tournaments here:
Score by Quarter:
Wayne Trace: 13 12 14 14 = 53
Harvest Prep: 22 6 12 23 = 63
Score by Player:
Wayne Trace: Luke Miller 3; Ethan Linder 22; Cole Shepherd 6; Corbin Linder 7; David Sinn 15.
Harvest Prep: Charles Aden 9; David Dennis 19; Jordan Clark 5; Dana Coffman 22; Rael Windley 8.
Pictures by Jarrison Steiner or Bryce Steiner of the West Bend News. Small or Large prints or posters are available of any of the tournament games.
