"Our slogan all year has been banner year," said Dust Devil coach Rob Streeter about winning the zone crown. "We need to stay focused and go for another one. But we're just going to enjoy this."
Dayton came into the zone event as the No. 4 seed. "We knew we haven't played to our potential," Streeter said. "We're peaking at the right time."
Streeter and Deen also admitted the title was made even better because it was achieved by beating Manogue.
"That makes it even sweeter," Deen said. "That makes it all worthwhile."
"It's very sweet," Streeter said.
It was also sweet for Dayton's fans, who filled the ROP gym and far outnumbered Manogue's supporters.
"Good things happen to good people and good kids and our kids work hard," Streeter said. "As nice as it is for us, it's great for our community. I'm just proud and honored to be a part of it."
Deen also said the fan support was a key to the win. "We have great fans," he said. "We have great support from them. Our fans were way louder than their fans."
Manogue jumped out to a 15-6 lead, but Dayton gradually came back and eventually took control of the game behind its defense, a key to the Dust Devils' success all season.
"Our defense is what stepped up," Streeter said. "We've been rebounding and we just try to stay fundamental."
As the game progressed, Dayton did a much better job of handling Manogue's frenetic pressure as well. "Their pressure's incredible," Streeter said.
Justin Harris made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup to cut Manogue's lead to 15-10. Daniel Green then hit a three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to cut the Miners' advantage to 17-13 after one quarter.
Deen nailed a three to cut the deficit to 19-18 and Matt Bowman's trey tied the score 23-23. Nick McQueen scored on a drive through the lane to give Dayton a 25-23 halftime lead.
When Harris hit a three, Dayton had a 34-27 lead early in the third quarter. Manogue cut the lead to 34-32, but Brian Lahmann answered with a beautiful baseline drive and reverse layup. McQueen followed by nailing a three to give the Dust Devils a 39-32 lead.
The momentum appeared to swing, though, when Joe Tutson hit a three and was fouled. He converted the four-point play to bring Manogue to within 39-36 after three quarters.
Manogue closed to within 39-38, but Dylan Morris scored inside and was fouled. He converted the three-point play to give Dayton a 42-40 lead. That began a 9-2 run that gave the Dust Devils a 48-40 lead. Dayton made 8-of-10 foul shots down the stretch to put the game away.
Dean scored 18 points, McQueen had 11 points and Bowman and Harris each added seven points.
