Joe James' 3-point attempt at the buzzer barely missed.

Joe James' 3-point attempt at the buzzer barely missed.
CANTON -- In the seconds after the last shot of Joe James' high school career clanged off the left side of the rim, the Sebring senior stood in a daze as the wrong team started celebrating at midcourt.
He put his jersey over his face, crouched to the ground and ducked his head. His coach, Brian Clark, bent over and consoled him.
There wasn't much to say, but, then again, words aren't really going to heal what the Trojans felt on Tuesday. Only time will.
"Only one team gets to feel great at the end of the year," Clark said. "We gave it a shot."
More accurately, the Trojans gave it their best shot. But James' game-tying 3-point attempt misfired at the buzzer, ending Sebring's state tournament hopes with a 55-52 loss to Zanesville Bishop Rosecrans in a Division IV regional semifinal at the Canton Fieldhouse.
Afterward, Clark gathered his team together in the locker room and told them the same thing he tells his own children when times get tough.
"I tell them I love them," he said. "I think they need to know that."
Late lead
Sebring's chances looked pretty good in the final minutes, when senior Matt Ferguson hit an inside shot with 1:50 left to give the Trojans a 52-50 lead. But Bishops senior Jeremy Ridgley answered with a clutch 3-pointer with 1:10 left to reclaim the advantage.
"We kept our composure," Bishops coach Todd Rock said. "We've done that all year."
After a Sebring turnover, Rosecrans senior Kolby Knox hit two free throws -- Zanesville's only free throw attempts for the game -- to make it a 3-point lead.
James missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left that would have tied it and Rosecrans junior Joe Dalton grabbed the loose ball and called timeout in midair while falling out of bounds.
It looked like it was over, but Dalton then made a foolish decision, trying to hit senior Scott Moyer with a 50-foot inbounds pass. Sebring senior Joe Amabeli read the play, intercepted the pass and called timeout.
"It wasn't a great play, but we didn't worry about it," Rock said. "We just knew we had to play defense."
With the Trojans forced to attempt a 3, James had to come out too far to catch the entry pass. He dribbled a few feet closer, but his game-tying attempt at the buzzer was launched with him standing three feet behind the arc and a hand in his face.
"It's very difficult to get a good look in that situation," said Clark. "We did the best we could."
James scored 18
James finished with a team-high 18 points, but had just two in the second half. Part of that was fatigue, part of that was a change in game plan -- the Trojans went inside more -- and part of that was the defense of Rosecrans senior Johnny Bills.
"I'm telling you, Bills was the key to this win," Rock said. "Once we made the defensive switch, James had two points. He's a heck of a stopper."
Ferguson added 17 points and five rebounds for the Trojans (22-2), who finished the regular season as the second-ranked team in the state. Amabeli had 10 points and nine rebounds and Dan Scarpitti had five assists.
The Trojans, who lost in the state semifinals last season, will lose their top four players to graduation. And if you're wondering how important this class has been, consider this: Over the past four years in Ohio, only Columbus Brookhaven has won more games than Sebring.
"We're going to miss them, but what a tradition they've built for the youngsters in this community," Clark said. "I'm going to miss coaching them."
Ridgley had 24 points and Dalton added 13 for the Bishops (22-2), who will play Lutheran East in Friday's regional final.
Even though the Trojans fell short of their goal, Clarks knows that years from now, Sebring fans will look back on this senior class and realized what they accomplished.
He hopes it doesn't take that long.
"I don't know if the Sebring fans realize what they've seen over the past few years," Clark said. "I hope they don't take it for granted."