Trinity Catholics 18th-seeded boys basketball team is back in the state finals for the ninth time in 16 years and the first time since 2008. But few people outside the Crusaders locker room predicted this young group, unlike the teams from the Trinity dynasty a decade ago, would get this far.
Likewise, few in the packed Masuk High School gym expected Trinity to pull out a win in Tuesday's Class M semifinals. Trailing Notre Dame-Fairfield 53-50 with 14 seconds remaining, lone senior Jonathan Boykin drove towards the basket, bringing just about every Notre Dame defender with him and leaving red-hot Schadrac Casimir wide open beyond the arc.
The bait taken, Boykin dished it out to Casimir, who calmly sank the game-tying three with six ticks on the clock, sending the game to overtime and the Trinity faithful into a frenzy. Casimir then sank seven of eight free throws in the extra period to put Trinity up for good. The Crusaders survived a last-second, off-balance three-point attempt by Notre Dame-Fairfield, ending an instant classic, 62-59.
"[Boykin] drew the whole defense. It was incredible. He gave me a wide open shot," Casimir said. "I would have been down on myself if I missed that one. A lot of people counted us out, but we knew we could do this."
Casimir led all scorers with 27 points, including a near-perfect 13-for-15 performance from the free throw line. Trinity was 19-for-25 from the line overall, which was a huge part of its win. Boykin added 10 points and Kevin Leumene eight, including what turned out to be the game-winning layup in overtime.
"I've coached a lot of successful teams, but this one has a special place in my heart," head coach Mike Walsh said. "We have some good talent, but they really come together as a team. Our goal is always to make it to the state finals, but I did think this would be the hardest group to do that with."
Trinity Catholic will try to put the finishing touches on a Cinderella run when it takes on top-ranked Career Magnet in the Class M state finals at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Trinity last won a state title in 2004.
How does this Trinity team compare with the early 2000s Crusader dynasty? Start the discussion below!
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