Goshen edged Ross 42-39 in a Division III district semifinal at Western Brown, ending the Rams’ season one possession short of a district final berth.
Ross (13-11) led or was tied the entire game until Goshen grabbed its first lead at 36-34 with under five minutes to play. The Warriors (21-3), who have now won 10 straight, will face Trotwood-Madison in a D-III district final game Saturday at University of Dayton Arena.
Freshman JJ Buehner paced Ross with 12 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Junior Ethan Fuersich added 11, and senior Bryce Fulmer finished with 10.
Fuersich briefly put Ross back in front, 37-36, on a 3-pointer with four minutes remaining. He followed with a layup to give the Rams a 39-38 lead with two minutes to play.
But Goshen answered. Karson Alderman’s bucket pushed the Warriors ahead 40-39, and Carter Settelmayer calmly made two free throws with under a minute left for a 42-39 lead.
Ross had its chances.
After forcing a tied-up jump ball with 42 seconds remaining, the Rams regained possession still down three. Fuersich’s 3-point attempt with 10 seconds left didn’t draw iron, and after Ross fouled, Alderman missed both free throws. Buehner’s contested 3 at the buzzer fell short, sealing it for the Warriors.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be the head coach at Ross — coaching these kids,” Ross coach David Lane said. “I think a lot of people understand how hard they play watching from the stands, but when you’re with them every day and you see how hard they prepared for this game, how hard they came out and competed against a really good Goshen team, to say I’m proud of them is an understatement. I can’t thank them enough. I’m very fortunate to be in this position.”
Ross controlled the tempo early, executing its game plan and matching Goshen’s physicality. The Rams led 14-8 after one quarter and 34-32 heading into the fourth. It was tied 20-20 at the half.
“It was a great start to the first quarter,” Lane said. “We came out with a game plan and we battled. We took some punches, threw some punches and did a great job. To have a start like that against a really good team is something you need in a tournament game like this.”
Lane credited his scout team and assistant coaches for helping prepare for Goshen’s pressure-heavy defense.
“We knew they were going to switch everything, be up in the gaps and really pressure the basketball,” Lane said. “I think the difference in the ballgame was us being able to handle pressure and get into the flow of our offense. We tried to use some high ball-screen action with our big, Ethan, and got some good looks out of it. But you’ve got to give Goshen a bunch of credit for their physicality and how hard they play on the defensive end.”
Fulmer, one of Ross’ senior leaders, reflected on the narrow defeat and the season’s growth.
“We really put in a lot of work this week with practice, and our guys really got us prepared for the night,” Fulmer said. “They were really up in our gaps, and we were going back door. I don’t know, we fought to the end, but it just didn’t go our way.”
Ross was 4-8 at one point during the season before winning nine of 11 entering Monday’s district semifinal.
“We went into this year, everyone doubted us, saying we were too young,” Fulmer said. “We started off the year really rough at 0-3, and we were really down on ourselves. Then we started picking it up. I’m really close with everyone — everyone’s really close together — and we just bought in with each other and held close together.”
Lane, who completed his ninth season at Ross, pointed to the team’s resilience through injuries and early adversity.
“If you look at our record, we really started to hit our stride in the second half. We got some people healthy,” Lane said. “It would have been easy when you’re going through a little losing streak to put your head down and feel sorry for yourselves — but our guys didn’t do that. They continued to battle. That’s the character of our kids.”
Ross graduates just two seniors — Fulmer and Caden Stidham. Fulmer’s message to the returning players was simple.
“Rely on each other,” he said. “Your teammates are always going to have your backs, and they’ll always be with you and help you on the way.”
“That’s what makes coaching at Ross really special — the kids,” Lane added. “I’m very blessed.”
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