Warren’s Nick Cressey, center, contests a shot during Warren’s D-Day Shootout summer basketball tournament Tuesday in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

VINCENT — The Warren boys basketball program decided it was time to showcase their facilities and host its first basketball shootout Tuesday at the high school, middle school and elementary gymnasiums.

The marquee event — the tournament championship — went hand-in-hand with the new high school gym in terms of dazzling as Miami Trace defeated Warren 28-27. Jodey Ater’s short jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

The Warren Basketball Shootout featured 10 varsity high school teams and an eight-team junior varsity division with pool play and a bracketed tournament. The field included four members from Washington County (Warren, Waterford, Fort Frye and Belpre) and one from Noble County (Caldwell).

“I thought this went really well — teams competed well and I thought we had some great games,” Warren boys basketball coach Blane Maddox said. “Miami Trace came and took our T-shirts back with them, but you want to play great competition. We got them once (in pool play) and they got us once.

“Thanks to the voters of Warren and the administration. Now we have the opportunity to showcase and show we are proud what we have here at Warren High School, and that’s to use your the facilities to allow people to have a special time.”

Belpre’s Chris Copen, right, pokes the ball away from Fort Frye’s Clayton Miller during Warren’s D-Day Shootout summer basketball tournament Tuesday in Vincent. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)

The core of Warren’s team which won 18 games before losing in a sectonal semifinal is intact. Trent Taylor, the lone senior on the roster, was not available for the Marietta College Shootout but did join his teammates for Tuesday’s event. Taylor scored seven points in the championship game to go with a team-high nine points by junior Julian Stadelman and another six from Chase Lupardus and five from Connor Barry. The Warriors advanced to the final by defeating Belpre 34-22.

Warren wrapped up a busy week’s worth of utilizing the month of June for basketball workouts.

On Saturday, the Warriors defeated Marietta in the championship game of the Marietta College Shootout.

“We’re good, but we have to get better,” Maddox said. “Today, we didn’t play as sharp. We’ve had a long week. I’m not making excuses, but I think having a team camp followed by a shootout followed by another shootout had an effect.”

The summer as a whole is about team bonding for the likes of Fort Frye and Waterford. Both programs will experience an intense three days at the Eastern camp learning about their own team as part of their schedule for the offseason.

Fort Frye, which bypassed the Warren Shootout tournament after finishing in third place in a five-team pool by going 2-2, also participates in the Williamstown High School Summer League.

“The Eastern camp is something we have done for like 40 years,” Fort Frye coach Eric Henniger said. “Kids love the camp. It is good for morale and team bonding.”

Waterford and Warren also plan on putting their players through the rigors the camp at Eastern provides. Waterford coach D.J. Cunningham figures his players will play more than 30 games during the time spent at the camp.

“The Eastern camp is brutal,” Maddox attested. “It’s not easy. It does make you fight through adversity and we see the stress a little bit. And we will see that a thousand times.

“The camp we are going to at Ohio University this week is more relaxed. We are in air conditioning. You play one or two or three game then you sit in a dorm. You are not in the same room with 25 kids trying to get along when you are hot and tired. We like both environments.”

High on coach Henniger’s to-do list this summer is learning how his kids play together. The core group of individuals returning on varsity have been re-connected with teammates from the past.

Another chart-topper on the priority list is developing a solid defense, which is one aspect of the game Henniger believes will be the Cadets’ strength.

“We have been looking forward to this group for the last couple of years,” Henniger said. “We are a little quicker and more athletic this year. Just looking forward to this group. Fun group to coach. Good kids and they are athletic.”

Waterford joined Fort Frye as participants at last Saturday’s Marietta College Shootout. With the return of senior Jarrett Armstrong and company, coach Cunningham figures much of their offensive success will occur from beyond the 3-point stripe.

With several key players lost to graduation, Cunningham wants his player to keep in mind that yes, the Wildcats can live by the three but also die by the three.

“We have a couple of dangerous shot-makers in Jarrett Armstrong and Alec Johnson – Chip Adams and Cole Sparling have range as well while also having the ability to mix it up inside,” Cunningham said. “We are trying to get them not to focus entirely on the 3-point line. Those guys have been working on the inside game and getting into the mid-range, and working on those things in the summer.”

The Warren Shootout marked the first time Belpre coach Ryan Leasure and his players gathered in a competitive setting. The Golden Eagles managed just one win in pool play but combined with Trimble for plenty of high-octane drama in a quarterfinal game which wasn’t decided until the second overtime.

Tied at 24 after regulation, the lone possession of the first overtime belonged to Trimble, which attempted a baseline shot and an ensuing putback attempt with less than four seconds remaining on the clock. Since neither shot fell, the two sides entered a second overtime which witnessed three lead changes in the final 14 seconds.

After two Trimble free throws left Belpre trailing 27-26 at 7.7 seconds, Belpre beat the buzzer on a feed from Blake Church underneath the hoop to Junior Bass for the easy lay-in and a 28-27 victory.

Belpre’s summer workouts focus on several shootouts this month – one at Logan and another at St. Marys. After, working in-house with open gyms is Priority No. 1 for the Belpre coaching staff.

“Defensively, we have to get better – we are not communicating,” Liston said. “And defense is what drove us last year. Offensively, today we have struggled to score.

“I like where we are right now. For myself, I am just looking who can play for me mentally. The shooting stuff will come. The defense will come. It’s just about who will be mentally tough enough to play varsity basketball.”

The Golden Eagles graduated two individuals from their starting rotation, including Tucker Liston. Liston’s departure left a significant void in terms of a go-to scorer.

“Tucker did a majority of our scoring – we are going to struggling to find someone to replace him,” Leasure said. “But there are no excuses. It’s next man up. Somebody has to earn that spot.

“It will probably be by committee. It won’t be one person do most of the scoring for us.”

Belpre’s situation on offense is similar to Caldwell, but with a higher degree of difficulty after the Redskins graduated 3,300 points from its offense between All-Ohio players Bede Lori and Tyce Devolld, who were four-year varsity letterwinners.

“Today at the shootout, we’ve learned we are real young,” Caldwell coach Clint Crane said. “We only have one senior and he is kind of a role player for us. We have some kids who can do some things. They are just young and they don’t know roles yet. They haven’t been in the gym since March. We will figure it out and get them ready eventually.”

Contact Kerry Patrick at kpatrick@newsandsentinel.com