SHARONVILLE, Ohio — Aiken senior forward Tayvon Smith confidently put Falcons coach Derrell Black’s mind at ease during a timeout with three seconds remaining in a regional semifinal Tuesday night.
“He came to me like ‘I got you, Coach,’” Black said. “And I trust him. He’s a senior leader for us.”
Smith made the most significant free throw of his high school career after the timeout to help Aiken rally past La Salle 56-55 in a Division III regional semifinal in front of an electric, sold-out crowd (2,500) at Princeton.
“When (La Salle) called a timeout I kind of knew I was making it,” Smith said. “The win was very special. We fought real hard to come back and win.”
Aiken (25-1) earns a berth in Sunday’s regional final against Wednesday’s winner of Badin (19-6) or Trotwood-Madison (23-2). The regional final is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. The Ohio High School Athletic Association state semifinal pairings are expected to be announced Sunday.
"We're taking tomorrow off and get our bodies right and get back at it Thursday, Friday and Saturday," Black said. "They know what's at stake."
Trotwood-Madison gave visiting Aiken its only loss of the season (78-76) Feb. 13. Aiken is making its first regional final appearance since 2016 when the Falcons were a state Final Four team.
“Somebody stopped our undefeated season,” Black said. “You got a chance to avenge that — no matter which team (Badin or Trotwood-Madison) whether it’s them or not - because you can advance to the final four.”
Aiken was led by several players Tuesday night including senior guards James Burnett Jr. (18 points and five rebounds) and Jaiden Arnold (16 points and three assists). Junior guard Antwan Hinton had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
“We’ve got a special team,” Black said.
Aiken was 0-for-16 from 3-pointers and 12 of 23 from the free-throw line, but the Falcons never folded. The coaching staff never doubted their resolve, especially after a fourth-quarter timeout. La Salle led 54-42 with 3:20 left.
“My guys have been there time and time again,” Black said. “But, it’s the way we prepare. We never quit until the clock is at triple zeroes.”
Arnold made several clutch plays down the stretch including the game-tying layup with 1:39 left.
“I had to turn it on for my team,” Arnold said. “I kind of started off slow but toward the end I kind of figured it out that I could get in the paint, create fouls or find other teammates. It was an all-around good game.”
La Salle (15-11) was led by three players scoring in double figures including senior forward Max English (17 points), senior guard Brady O’Connor (15 points) and senior guard Pat McLaughlin (11 points).
