By Ben Shanahan

Special to the Sentinel-Tribune

KNIGHTSTOWN, Ind. — Even though the measurements of the hoop are the same at Otsego, getting to play in Hoosier Gym, made famous by the classic 1986 film with the same name, was something special for the boys basketball team’s players and coaches.

The movie is based on a true story about a small rural school, Hickory High School, in Indiana that defeats a much larger urban school for the state championship, based on a time when every school in the state, no matter what the enrollment, was thrown into one division.

“We watched the movie together as a team the day before the game,” Otsego coach Steve Carroll said.

“I think the kids saw the importance that gym represented for a small school that defied odds to win a state championship. All your schools are trying to accomplish that.

“It is motivating to see what another accomplished, then to play there, it meant a lot to the kids and we had a great experience as a team,” added Carroll.

The trip was planned over a year ago, and with team fundraising to make the dream a reality and help from Hoosier Gym staff, the Otsego team made the 185-mile trip to Indiana to play against the Van Buren Black Knights.

“They make it very easy. I set it up with Hoosier Gym, and we raised all of the money ourselves through fundraising,” Carroll said. “They provided the officials, and we took care of everything else.

“Then came the opponent. We were very fortunate that Van Buren was looking for an opponent. They also have a great coaching staff that is very easy to work with.

“We knew it would be a very good game. They are a well-coached team that plays very hard. It was very fun to go down there and have a very competitive matchup.”

Otsego (5-3) defeated Van Buren (1-6), 70-65, breaking open a game tied at 44-44 at the end of three quarters by scoring 26 points in the fourth, including two three-point goals and making 10-of-12 free throws down the stretch.

One of the unique parts of the Hoosier gym is the placement of the benches. Normally on the sidelines of a basketball court, both teams sit at the end line, making it a unique challenge for coach Carroll.

“It was a very competitive game the whole way through,” Carroll said. “Once the ball tipped, it was like any other game you are trying to win.

“It was a little different because the benches there are at the end lines and not the sides. It was new and took some adjusting.

“In the first half, you could coach your defense super hard, but then in the second half, they were on the other end of the court.

“It was an adjustment, but besides that, we were trying to win a basketball game, so we lost track of the environment until it was over.”

Otsego senior guard Cohen Feehan, who was 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the fourth stanza to help preserve the win, was pleased with how his team played in the historic gym, made famous as a movie set.

“I really thought our team played well. We shared the ball a lot, which is good for us as we go into the rest of our season.” said Feehan.

For junior shooting guard Kaidyn Hutton, who scored a team-high 22 points, he hopes this will become an annual tradition for the Knights to head to the Hoosier Gym.

“It was a fun game,” Hutton said. “I’m super glad we got to go out there and win. We left our jersey there just like all of the other teams who have ever played there.

“I think it would be really cool to do it again next year, especially with the younger guys, to get a chance to play there as well.”

For Otsego, Owen Weaver scored 15 points, Devin Silva scored 12, Jack Simpson scored nine points, and Carter Lampe scored eight points.

Parker Beilharz led VB with 26 points, Lucas Harrington scored 13, Brady Lance, Mason Thorla-Lopez, and James Homan scored six apiece, Seth Gregory scored five, and Finn Martin added three points.

Otsego had seven turnovers and was 24-for-37 from the free throw line, VB had six turnovers and was 15-for-25 from the stripe.