STRUTHERS, OHIO- March 3, 2022: BASKETBALL Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas Knights vs Lowellville Rockets at Struthers Fieldhouse 4th qtr., Lowellville's Vinny Ballone (5) is drives between Louisville St. Thomas Aquinas' Tajon Gorgan (24) and Moses O'neal (2). MICHAEL G. TAYLOR | TRIBUNE CHRONICLE/VINDICATOR

STRUTHERS — Struthers Fieldhouse seems like a home away from home for the Lowellville Rockets and they tried bringing back a Division IV district title home on Friday, but fell short to St. Thomas Aquinas 47-37.

“It felt kind of like a home game for us,” Lowellville coach Matt Olson said. “As soon as the brackets came out, and we got the two seed, we knew we were going to play in Struthers. It took us 8 minutes to get here. There’s always a ton of support. It’s awesome. That’s why I love coaching at Lowellville.”

Senior Justin Beeson nailed one from downtown, but the Rockets (20-5) trailed 26-21 at halftime.

“I told our two seniors that they’re the most coachable kids I could coach,” Olson said. “I love them. I’m proud of them. They gave everything they had all year.

“But, I told the underclassmen to let this hurt. If they want to get back here next year, let it hurt. Let this sink in. If they don’t want this to happen again, then use that as motivation in the offseason.”

The game was all tied up 33-33 heading to the fourth quarter thanks to a 3-pointer at the buzzer from senior Kyle Miller.

“I’ve had some ups and downs in my basketball career,” Miller said. “It’s taught me a lot of lessons through life. This year, I got some time on the court. I love this team. We played together. It means a lot.”

The Knights had a game plan to double-team junior scoring threat Vinny Ballone the entire ballgame.

“We were trying to run an open offense,” Olson said. “So, that way, when the double teams came, we could find that open guy. Aquinas likes to force pressure.”

Junior Anthony Lucente was a force on both ends of the court. He had multiple blocked shots, and rebounds, and finished with a game-high 19 points.

“There were a lot of people here tonight,” Lucente said. “It’ll be a great opportunity to come back here again next year. We have to work really hard in the offseason. Hopefully, we can win it next year.”

The Rockets had a chance to win it this year, trailing just 37-34 with 4 minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately, Aquinas went on a 10-3 run in the closing minutes to pull away.

“When you get to this game, it’s hard to hear,” Olson said. “The nerves come into play. We were in a zone. So, they tried to run some clock. We switched to man. They ended up getting a layup, and it just kind of got away from us from there. We missed some shots, and some free throws.

You can’t do that against a good team like that.”

Chris Tackett followed up a miss with a slam dunk for Aquinas. Julius Kimbrough led the Knights with 11 points.

“Nobody understands how tough these Division IV teams are over here in the Youngstown area,” Aquinas coach Scott Giammarco said. “We had to grind this one out tonight. As you get older, you appreciate things more. Boy, does this feel really good.”

The Rockets fell short of the prize, but they had a great season, and they should be a strong team next year.

“20 wins is a pretty good year,” Olson said. “The parents, and community, offer to help us any way they can. I’m thankful to be able to coach with such a great group.”

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