TROY — The Troy boys basketball trailed much of the game Friday night with West Carrollton.
But, the Trojans erased a 13-point second-half deficit with big plays down the stretch and came away with a 63-60 win over the Pirates at the Trojan Activity Center in MVL action.
Troy improved to 2-0 overall and in the MVL and West Carrollton dropped to 1-1 overall and in the MVL.
The Trojans will be back in action Tuesday at Xenia.
Troy took its first led with 4:30 remaining on a pair of Nick Prince free throws — which followed a basket by Prince — to put the Trojans up 53-52.
Noah Davis would add a basket, before West Carrollton scored the next three points to tie it at 55.
Then, Kellen Miller hit the biggest shot of the night.
He drilled a 3-pointer with 2:48 remaining to put the Trojans up 58-55 and Troy would never give the lead up.
Hollis Terrell hit one of two free throws with 2:25 remaining to make it 59-55.
West Carrollton’s Rainshawn Riley had a 3-point play with a 1:53 remaining to get the Pirates within 59-58.
Terrell would make it 61-58 on two more free throws with 22.7 seconds remaining.
Jewsiah Bass would answer with a basket with 17 seconds to go to make it 61-60.
Noah Davis was fouled with 10.9 seconds to go and hit one of two free throws to make it 62-60.
It looked like West Carrollton would have a wide open shots from 3-feet in the closing seconds, but the pass went through the player’s hands and out of bounds.
Terrell would hit one of two free throws with 1.1 seconds to go to make it 63-60 and West Carrollton’s desperation shot was off the mark.
Troy got in an early hole, but Prince hit a 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer to get Troy within 16-11.
Troy trailed by as many as 10 in the second quarter, but Miller and Davis hit two free throws each to close the half and get Troy within 31-26.
In the third quarter, Troy trailed 45-32 midway through the quarter.
The Trojans were still down14 in the final minute of the quarter, when Prince made a field goal with 23 seconds to go and then put in another buzzer-beater bomb for 3-points to make it 50-41 heading to the fourth quarter and starting the big comeback.
Davis led a balanced attack for Troy with 15 points and six rebounds.
Prince scored 14 points, Isaac Phillips had 11 points, five rebounds and three steals and Terrell had 11 points and five rebounds. Miller had 10 points and six rebounds and Konyae Foster had three steals.
Donovan Harden had 12 points and six rebounds for West Carrollton.
Javen Vaughn scored 11 points before fouling out in the third quarter and Riley added 10 points.
Byron Freeman had eight points and seven rebounds, Bass scored eight points and Chylan Ingram added seven points and seven rebounds.
Troy was 20 of 51 from the floor for 39 percent and 18 of 27 from the line for 67 percent.
West Carrollton was 23 of 47 from the floor for 49 percent and 14 of 25 from the line for 56 percent.
The Pirates won the battle of the boards 33-29, but had 17 turnovers to Troy’s 13.
You can reach Sports Editor Rob Kiser at [email protected]