Campbell Soares to win

Trey Soares' 3-point shot gave the Red Devils a 56-54 win over Ursuline.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- With his team leading 51-50 with less than a minute remaining in Tuesday's game, Ursuline coach Keith Gunther warned his players not to let Campbell senior Trey Soares get a wide-open look at a 3-pointer. They did anyway.
Which is how, with 45 seconds left, Soares took a pass on the left wing from Jermaine Richardson, squared up and drilled the biggest shot of arguably the best game in the Mahoning Valley this season. (So far.)
"Trey's worked really hard the past three years and he deserves to make a shot like that," Campbell coach Brian Danilov said.
Less than a minute later, when Ursuline's D'Aundray Brown's last-gasp shot went in and out, the Red Devils had arguably their biggest win of the season, upending the host Irish, 56-54.
Sets up tourney battle
"It sets up a battle in the tournament," said Ursuline coach Keith Gunther, whose team has the second seed behind Campbell in the Division III tournament at Salem. "As you can see, we're pretty close in talent, competition, shooting ...
"We'd rather lose this one than the one over in Salem."
Of course, both teams have to get to the final first. (No guarantee considering Warren JFK and Springfield, among others, are in the tournament.)
But Tuesday's game did more than just give a boost to Campbell's confidence.
It got both teams tournament-ready.
"It simulates a tournament atmosphere," said Danilov, whose team played amid constant noise in the final minutes. "Everyone puts their hearts and their guts into it."
Led Campbell with 17
Soares finished with a game-high 17 points for the Red Devils (18-2), whose losses came against two Division I teams in Howland and Warren Harding.
Terrance Phillips added 14 points, Ryan Burton had 13 and Craig Womack added eight rebounds off the bench before fouling out with a minute left in the game.
"I just told the guys to take this as another win," Soares said, "and be ready to face them again if we need to."
Following Soares' big 3-pointer, Ursuline turned the ball over and Burton made two free throws (including one that rolled around the rim for what seemed like 10 seconds) to give the Red Devils a 55-51 lead.
The Irish then missed two shots (Phillips got a piece of one) before Ursuline guard Nick McCartney drilled a 3-pointer with 7.4 seconds to cut the lead to 1.
Phillips made the front end of a 1-and-1 and Brown drove the length of the floor before missing a double-clutch jumper just inside the arc as time expired.
"We had the foul we wanted [on Phillips] and the final shot went in and out," said Gunther with a shrug. "You've got to take your hats off to them. That's why they're the No. 1 seed."
Leading the Irish
Brown and senior center Jerome Jones each had 12 points for the Irish (12-7) and each struggled at the free-throw line. Jones (who also had eight rebounds) went 4 for 8, while Brown (who finished with six steals and six rebounds) went 4 for 10.
As a team, the Irish shot 10 of 21 from the line, including 6 of 16 in the second half.
"That's been our Achilles all year," Gunther said.
Campbell, meanwhile, shot 9 of 12 from the line and overcame a 27-19 disadvantage in rebounding.
"Honestly, without sounding like a clich & eacute;, you ain't gonna beat Ursuline without a team effort," said Danilov, a former coach for the Irish. "This whole team is extremely unselfish, and I'm sure Ursuline is the same way. And that's what makes it fun.
"That's the way high school sports are supposed to be."
scalzo@vindy.com