Fans who made the trip to Goshen on Wednesday, November 27 may have witnessed a little history.
For the first time since at least the 2005-2006 season, the Goshen Warriors knocked off the Milford Eagles in a regular-season boys’ basketball contest.
Prior to the team’s 61-49 defeat, Milford had won four straight contests against the Warriors. Early on, it appeared they were on their way to a fifth straight win, as the team led 13-4 after one period.
Goshen couldn’t make shots early on, according to head coach Brandon Baker, a Milford grad. Baker said he wasn’t concerned about how his team would respond to an early deficit.
“One of the things I don’t worry about with them is grit,” Baker said. “We could be down by 100, that’s something I’m not worried about. We played CCD in a foundation game. We were down 16-1 at one point, ended up losing on the last possession by two. I would very much like to stop doing that, so I’m going to try and figure out what coaching genius move makes that happen, but that’s a huge win for us.”
Once the shots started falling for the Warriors, Goshen’s press was in play, and Milford did not handle it well. That’s likely due to a lack of experience at the varsity level, according to head coach Joe Cambron.
“The reality is, there wasn’t a single kid that played tonight that played very much varsity last year, and some of them played none,” Cambron said. “We looked like it.”
The game was tied at 25 heading into halftime. Goshen held a three-point lead entering the fourth quarter, where they turned late chances at the free-throw line into a double-digit win.
“We went a couple possessions and tried to draw fouls and couldn’t get a foul,” Cambron said. “We tried to get a quick hitter and couldn’t get that. We just got a couple decent looking shots, didn’t make it. We go down to the other end and foul, and they make their free-throws. We didn’t counter.”
Milford did shoot well from the free-throw line, according to Cambron, and that’s what kept them in the game. The Eagles finished 11 of 14 from the stripe, good for a 78.6 percent mark.
Goshen’s percentage from the line was a bit lower (71 percent) but the Warriors took a whopping 31 free-throws in the game. Hunter Slusher made a living at the line for the Warriors, finishing with 17 points and a perfect 13-for-13 mark from the free-throw line.
Milford’s Joey Round led all scorers with 21 points. He was the only Eagle to crack double-digits. Alex Hannah and Ethan Owens each added seven points, with Parker Davis chipping in six for Milford.
In addition to Slusher, Goshen’s Jack Webster finished in double figures with 16 points. Josh Hice added 13, with Ashton Harris tallying six.
“We had so many guys that had great games being them,” Baker said. “We didn’t have anybody try and do too much. We didn’t have anybody try and do things they’re not supposed to.”
The win marked a bit of a milestone for Baker, as it came against his alma mater and his former head coach. Cambron said he was proud of his former player.
“He’s a phenomenal person, he’s a phenomenal coach,” Cambron said. “His kids did exactly what they were supposed to do, that’s a sign of a good coach. Our kids didn’t. Hopefully, we’ll improve and build on this.”
Baker was excited to get the win, though he also acknowledged the oddity of the situation itself.
“It was awesome,” Baker said. “It was weird. I’ve never looked across at the other sideline and been like, ‘I want to win this game so bad, but I don’t want you to lose it.’”
Both teams picked up wins on Saturday, November 30. Goshen traveled to Madeira, coming away with a 55-39 victory. Milford faced defeated Sycamore 52-43.
The Eagles open their home schedule on Friday, December 6 against Kings. Goshen is slated to hit the road for a Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference American Division clash against New Richmond.