Trojan boys are champs!

Ed Newcomb The Cambridge boys basketball team captured the 2004 Nebraska Class C-2 state championship Saturday.

Cambridge becomes 8th school to win state titles in football, boys hoops in same season

LINCOLN -- Cambridge captured the Class C2 boys championship Saturday morning in the Devaney Center with a 58-50 victory over the Louisville Lions.

Cambridge, a school that has won six football titles since 1993, was runner-up in basketball in 1977 but had never been crowned champion.

Cambridge, which finished its dream season with a 26-1 record, became the eighth school in Nebraska history to win state titles in football and boys basketball in the same season.

Brothers Marcus and Waid Vontz opened up the game by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers that put the Trojans on top 9-4 early.

Marcus led the Trojans with 20 points and Waid tacked on 17.

With 30 seconds left in the opening period, Louisville took its only lead of the game when Chris Osterloh hit a jumper to put the Lions on top 12-11.

A steal and fastbreak layup from Matt Sexton with nine seconds left in the quarter had Cambridge back on top at the finish of the first quarter 13-12.

The Trojans built a 31-23 halftime lead in the second quarter mainly because of the defensive pressure placed on Louisville's Joe Jackson, a University of Denver recruit.

Cambridge forced Jackson to take awkward and contested shots that led to him shooting 6-for-17 in the first half.

Jackson, who scored 14 points in the first half, finished with a game-high 25 points.

"We knew he was going to be a big load and I didn't think we'd be able to stop him completely, and we didn't," said Schoenfish.

"We knew he was their best threat," Senior Matt Depperschmidt, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds. "The other players were good, but they weren't going to hurt us as bad.

"We knew Jackson was going to get his points. We just wanted to slow him down and make his teammates score. I think we did a good job of that."

The Trojans' defense came up big again in the third quarter, limiting Louisville to its lowest scoring quarter at 10 points.

Cambridge ended the period with its largest lead of the game at 44-33.

Louisville rocketed back into the game when Jackson began dishing the ball to his teammates in the fourth quarter.

The Lions cut Cambridge's lead to 47-45 with 3:30 remaining.

"They battled back so hard," Louisville head coach Stan Hendricks said. "Joe really showed that he's a team player by the way he distributed."

Cambridge held a 52-45 lead with 1:07 left, but after a Jackson 3-pointer and a Jesse Gardner offensive rebound put back Louisville was within three points with 25 seconds to go.

Cambridge's free throw shootinghelp seal the championship.

"We wanted to get into the free throws," Schoenfish said. "I thought once we got into the free throws then our kids don't normally miss."

Waid Vontz, Marcus Vontz and Matt Depperschmidt knocked down free throws in the final 24 seconds to clinch the victory.

Louisville's Tommy Robbins grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and scored 13 points for the Lions.

Cambridge seniors Matt Sexton and Derik Light each scored 5 points.

Playing three games in three days was tiring for Cambridge, said the players.

"It drains a lot out of you, both physical and mentally. But it's a great feeling," said sophomore Waid Vontz.

The large crowd and a championship atmosphere help energize the Cambridge squad.

"It's really tough playing three games in a row, especially since we didn't have much time for rest in between games," Sexton said. "But when we got on the floor and there were so many people and it was so loud the intensity just goes way up."

Depperschmidt agreed with Sexton.

"I think we did great today. The whole tournament we played Cambridge basketball. I think you could see today that we played, by far, our best game of the tournament."

Cambridge players and fans celebrated their accomplishment.

"This is great. It was the first time this group had won a football championship, but other teams had won football in Cambridge. But this is the first time anyone in Cambridge has won basketball, so it's special," said Sexton.

"It's pretty exciting to win state football and basketball in your senior year. It's something that you dream of and it's finally happened," said Light, a senior.

"It's been great to end with wins in both football and basketball. I couldn't end with a better note than with a win in Devaney," Senior Marcus Vontz said.

"Playing in Devaney has been my dream. I'd come down and watch game every year, it's always what I wanted to do. And I'll always remember having fun with the team on and off the court."

Marcus played his final game for Cambridge on Saturday, but it was also the final time he would play with his brother as a Trojan.

"It's been fun playing with him," Marcus said. "We would always go up to the school and shoot and play horse together. "We've got an inside and an outside game. We have good chemistry and work well together."

Along with Marcus, also playing their last game for Cambridge were Depperschmidt, Sexton, Light and Travis Maatsch.

"We have a great bunch of seniors," Waid Vontz said. "They've been great role models for us in both football and basketball. They've been great leaders."

Cambridge: Marcus Vontz 20, Waid Vontz 17, Matt Depperschmidt 11, Sexton 5, Light 5.

Louisville: Gardner 4, Osterloh 4, Ronnfeldt 2, Deacon 2, Jackson 25, Robbins 13.