Photo by Gordon Radford
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. –Troy senior Charlie Nett changed uniforms at halftime and the reason why is shrouded in mystery.
One explanation is that his No. 11 jersey became torn during the first half. Others speculated that Nett wanted to pay tribute to fellow senior Jack Fessenden, who was unable to suit up during the Trojans’ final game due to injury.
The most compelling reason for Nett’s donning of Fessenden’s No. 3 jersey may have come from Troy coach Tim Gilmore.
“That (No. 3) jersey is for a skinny guy and (Nett) looked pretty ‘swole’ in it, so we think he did it for the pictures more than anything,” Gilmore said with a smile.
No matter the reason, the jersey swap resulted in good vibes for the Trojans.
Nett drained a corner three to ignite a ferocious fourth quarter rally as Troy defeated Jackson 40-32 to capture third place in Class 6 at the Show-Me-Showdown in Springfield on Saturday.
Troy (26-6) had muddled through seven quarters of poor shooting during their stay in Springfield before the newly-numbered Nett stepped into a corner-3 with five minutes remaining in the game.
It narrowed the deficit to 29-24 and set off a barrage of long distance makes for the Trojans.
Junior Aiden Vaccaro drained a straight-away triple on the next possession and sophomore Andrew Moore came off a screen to swish another, as Troy erased an eight-point deficit in three minutes and took a 32-31 lead.
“It felt so good to finally see the ball go down from three,” senior Tyler Moore said.
Nett’s steal and breakaway layup put a ribbon on an 11-2 run in the fourth quarter and gave the Trojans a burst of positive energy after seven quarters of struggle.
In their state quarterfinal win against Chaminade, the Trojans scored 74 points, shot 55 percent from the field, hit 9 threes and ran their offense flawlessly.
After shooting just 31 percent in a loss to Kickapoo in the Class 6 semifinal, the Trojans shot 28 percent in the first half against Jackson and the frustration was apparent.
“This weekend the lights were bright and I think we let that get to us a little bit, but it’s not how you start it’s how you finish and these guys finished it the right way,” Gilmore said.
Troy scored the first basket of the game on a Nett drive to the hoop, then watched Jackson go 5-for-5 to close the quarter as the Indians grabbed an 11-3 lead.
Interior passing connections between Moore and Keegan Linebaugh trimmed the deficit, and Nett’s first three, at this time wearing his usual No. 11, helped Troy complete a seven-point blitz in 1 minute 45 seconds to cut the deficit to 13-12.
But Jackson pushed the lead out further on a pair of dunks by Judd Thoma and Gavin Holdman and a pair of threes by Blayne Harris. After an 18-foot jumper by center Clayton Ernst to start the fourth quarter, the Indians regained their eight-point cushion, 29-21.
That is when Nett, with his snugly-fitted No. 3 jersey, swished the momentum-changing three that ultimately sent the Trojans home happy.
“We’ve been playing together our whole lives, and to end on a win, it’s an amazing feeling,” senior Evan Hamlett said.