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Decker Gymnasium’s bleachers were packed with Trojan red. Troy fans showed up in huge numbers on Saturday for their first district final appearance since 2004. And, for a while it seemed like they would go home happy, as Troy was the better team for much of the first half.

But, when things started going wrong for the Trojans Saturday night, they went really wrong, as Loyalsock ended the game on a ferocious 48-19 run and they captured their third straight district title, 69-39.

“They have that Lancer pride and we’re supposed to win the games. (The players) feel like they are supposed to win games. And when they step on the court, you know, we’d like to think that there’s that stigma there that other teams cannot overcome,” Lancer coach Ron Insinger said.

It is the legendary coach’s 25th district title and their 7th in 11 years.

Things started out well for Troy. Mason Imbt scored on Troy’s first possession, and a basket by Ethan VanNoy and two foul shots for Mason Imbt and Troy led 7-2 at the midway point of the first quarter. Saraj answered with a basket, but Ty Barrett hit a three and Troy led 10-4. The teams would trade baskets to end the half, as a Barrett floater gave the Trojans a 12-6 lead after one.

Troy would start out steady in the 2nd quarter, and their lead was 16-12 after an Imbt basket with 2:54 left in the frame. That’s when things started to go south. An Ali three was followed by a Nate Baumann layup and Loyalsock had the lead at 17-16. They would never relinquish it.

Two more baskets by Jaiden Ross had the Lancers up five, before four straight Barrett poitns cut it to 21-20. Loyalsock got the last four points of the quarter, though, on two Tyler Gee foul shots and a Jaiden Ross steal and layup and the Lancers led, 25-20.

Loyalsock would pick up where they left off in the second half. Three straight baskets by Baumann, Clark, and Ross to open the third quarter stretched the lead to 11 before VanNoy scored to get Troy into the 2nd half scoring column.

The Lancers would continue to pour it on, as their press started to bother the Trojan guards. A Ross three, was followed by an Ali 2 and the lead was up to 14 before another Barrett three.

Sock had another mini-spurt in them in the third quarter, one that would put the game away for good. Saraj Ali swatted a Troy three-point attempt and took it the other way for an easy layup. Clark scored on the doorstep, and then Ross finished a super-tough basket-and-the-foul and made the foul shot. The Lancers led 43-25 with three minutes to go in the third.

“We didn’t run our press breaks like we know how to,” Troy coach Steve Renzi said.
Troy would try to fight back, and they went on a 7-2 spurt of their own with a three by VanNoy and two baskets by Imbt, and they trimmed the lead to 45-32 heading to the fourth.

The fourth would be all Lancers. They scored the first nine of the quarter, and Brendan Clark’s five straight points made it 54-32 with 6:30 remaining. The Lancers cruised home and won, 69-39.

Troy will play in the state tournament next week at a time and place to be determined.