FREMONT – It wasn’t just Senior Night for the Ross boys hoops team.
It was a night that belonged to the seniors.
Jovan Lewis, Davion Anderson, Tre Campbell (top row, left to right), Keyon Sewell and Maliek Johnson (bottom, left to right) pose for photos following their Senior Night win over Clay.
Playing their final game in the Purple Pit against Oregon Clay, Davion Anderson, Tre Campbell, Maliek Johnson, Jovan Lewis and Keyon Sewell made sure to make their final memories at home good ones.
After being tied at halftime, the Little Giants took control in the third quarter and never let go, defeating the Eagles 64-49 to end the regular season on a high note.
“It’s bittersweet,” Anderson said. “Coach told the seniors in the locker room to lead and lead by example and leave it all on the floor. That’s what we did.”
While having the seniors start their final home game is a common practice, an uncommon sight is those same seniors remaining on the floor for long stretches of the game. No combination of players played more for Ross than the quintet of seniors, all of whom took their moments to shine.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” Ross coach Mark Gedeon said. “I’m very, very proud of those five individuals. They have a tremendous love of wearing that purple jersey and representing Fremont Ross… for them to finish up the last home game, last regular season game, the way they did, they’re going to remember that forever.”
Tied at 27 early in the third quarter, Johnson scored on a rebound put-back. A moment he later he assisted on a lay-in by Campbell. Soon thereafter, Lewis followed with a bucket under the basket, drawing a foul as he scored and finishing off the three-point play at the foul line for a six-point lead.
Later, Campbell found Sewell in front of Ross’ bench for hit a 3-pointer – answering one from Clay just a moment earlier.
Keyon Sewell
Maliek Johnson
“Keyon was on fire throughout the whole game,” Lewis said. “Whenever he got the ball beyond the three-point arc (it was like) ‘Just let it fly.’”
After Sewell’s long-distance bomb, Anderson assisted on a layup to Bryce McKinstry and soon after drove the lane himself for a bucket.
In the final seconds of the quarter, McKinstry hauled down a defensive rebound and sent a long outlet pass to Johnson in transition. Johnson kicked the ball out to Sewell in the corner. Sewell pump-faked a shot, squared up and let loose. The shot rattled around the rim before falling through the hoop, sending the Purple Pit into hysterics and sending the Little Giants into the fourth quarter having surged ahead 46-35.
“That was crazy,” Sewell said the fortuitous bounce. “It looked like it was coming out then it went in. All I could do was shrug.”
Davion Anderson
Jovan Lewis
Said Gedeon: “It put the finishing touches on an outstanding quarter for us and it really sparked us to get momentum for the fourth too.”
Sewell led all scorers with 19 points, including four three-pointers, the rest of Ross’ scoring was spread out. Campbell scored nine, Anderson added eight, Johnson had six and Lewis added five.
“A lot of times, at other schools Senior Night you get out of whack because you have guys that don’t play in those roles, but this is who we are,” Gedeon said. “We do it all the time by mixing and matching and rolling things through.
“Our seniors did a great job of leading us in the second half.”
Ross (9-13 overall, 3-11 TRAC) begin sectional play Wednesday night at 7 p.m. at Genoa High School against Toledo Central Catholic (7-14, 3-11) who enter the game having lost 12 of their 13 games.
Tre Campbell
Fremont Ross 64, Oregon Clay 49
CLAY (49)
Reddick 1 3-4 6; Meinke 0 2-2 2; Wamer 4 3-6 12; Aiton 2 5-7 9; Novak 1 0-0 2; Wiggins 1 0-0 3; Bliss 2 0-0 4; Wagenfield 5 0-0 10. Totals, 16 14-19 49.
ROSS (64)
Johnson 3 0-0 6; Anderson 1 6-8 8; Sewell 6 3-4 19; Heidelburg 2 1-4 5; Root 2 2-3 6; McKinstry 3 0-0 6; Campbell 3 2-4 9; Lewis 2 1-1 5. Totals, 22 15-24 64.
3-pointers: OC, FR, 5 (Sewell 4; Campbell 1).