By TIM STRIED
OHSAA Media Director
DAYTON, Ohio - Nick Wigton’s three-pointer at the buzzer in the second overtime lifted Berlin Hiland to a 62-59 win over Lima Central Catholic in the first Division IV semifinal at University of Dayton Arena.
Hiland (23-6) advances to Sunday’s state championship game. LCC closes its season at 26-3 after its 10th trip to the state tournament.
Hiland called timeout with 31 seconds remaining and held for a final shot. As the clock ticked under 10 seconds, Sammy Detweiler drove toward the right block, spun and passed to Logan Hershberger at the top of the key. Hershberger’s touch-pass found Wigton open on the left wing, and his jumper from five feet behind the three-point line swished through as time expired.
Hiland led by as many as 16 points in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but LCC trimmed the deficit to 10 by halftime, three after three quarters and eventually took its first lead, 43-42, on a jumper by Carson Parker with 6:14 left in regulation.
The teams were tied at 51 at the end of regulation and 55 after the first overtime period. In the second extra session, Wigton and Parker traded baskets to open the scoring, Alex Miller’s layup gave Hiland a two-point lead with 43 seconds left, and Parker made two free throws to tie the score for a final time.
Hiland was 14 of 20 from the floor (70 percent) in the first half, including 6 of 8 on three-pointers, and finished 25 of 46 (54.3 percent) from the floor, including 9 of 17 from three. Hiland held 16-3 rebounding edge in the first half and 35-20 for the game.
Detweiler led Hiland with 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting, including 5 of 8 from three. Wigton finished with 17 points, while Miller and Sam Wengerd had nine apiece.
Jordan Priddy played all 40 minutes and scored 24 points to lead Lima Central Catholic. Parker scored 23.
It was the 17th multi-overtime game in state tournament history.
Richmond Heights 65, Russia 52
DAYTON, Ohio - Richmond Heights will play in its third consecutive Division IV state championship game after defeating Russia, 65-52, in the second state semifinal at University of Dayton Arena.
Richmond Heights ended the game on a 23-10 run after Russia tied the score at 42 on the opening possession of the fourth quarter.
Richmond Heights’ DeErick Barber, Jr. led all scorers with 17 points. He also handed out six assists while playing all 32 minutes. Dorian Jones played just 17:13 before fouling out, but made 6 of 7 shots, scored 16 points and blocked four shots. Demaris Winters, Jr. added 15 points, while Hosea Steele, Jr. had eight points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Brayden Monnin had 15 points to lead three Russia players in double figures. Benjamin York and Felix Francis both scored 12 points, while Francis also grabbed nine rebounds.
Richmond Heights (18-9) will play in its third consecutive Division IV state title game, seeking its third straight state title. Russia, after making its second straight appearance, and third overall, in the state tournament, ends its season at 27-2.
After falling behind 14-5 early, Russia outscored Richmond Heights 16-7 over a six-minute span to tie the score at 21 midway through the second quarter. The score was tied two more times but Richmond Heights never trailed and led by two, 31-29, at halftime.
Russia’s York connected on a three-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth quarter to tie the score for the final time. From there, Richmond Heights scored seven straight as part of a 10-2 run and Russia never drew closer than six points down the stretch.
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