Jordan Priddy lled LCC in scoring with 24 points. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Dale Barger)
A well-executed final play, capped by Nick Wigton’s three-point shot at the top of the key on a nifty assist by Logan Hershberger, helped Berlin Hiland escape with a 62-59 state semifinal win over Lima Central Catholic.
Dayton, OH – Fans will forever remember the buzzer-beating three-point shot by Nick Wigton that gave Berlin Hiland a 62-59 double-overtime win over Lima Central in a thrilling Division IV state semifinal before 5,256 at University of Dayton Arena.
But this was a case where perhaps the pass – or perhaps passes – leading to the basket deserved as much praise. In ice hockey, it is glowingly referred to as a tic-tac-toe play.
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Fully expecting standout Sammy Detwiler to take the final shot, LCC instinctively trapped him in the corner. Detwiler skipped it to Logan Hershberger, who deftly made a touch-pass in the air to Wigton at the top of the key just in the nick of time to get the shot off.
“That play reminded me of the shot (current Hiland athletic director) Seger Bonifant made 12 years ago in the regional final at Canton Fieldhouse to beat Richmond Heights,” Hawks coach Mark Schlabach said. “It was very similar in that we made the extra pass to get off the shot in the corner.”
Hershberger, who didn’t make a shot all day and had to be helped off the court with leg cramps at the 43-second mark of the second overtime, became an unlikely hero of sorts. He told coaches afterward he sneaked a glance at the clock atop the backboard and heard Wigton call for the ball. Hershberger also did a bang-up job holding Thunderbirds guard Willie Foster to six points and just four shot attempts.
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“Logan knows his role and who to get the ball to in that situation,” Schlabach said. “It was a great ending to a great game.”
LCC’s Carson Parker sank two foul shots with 39.7 seconds left to set up the final shot. Everyone knew Hiland would be holding it for a final shot.
“You’ve got to have special players to win a game like that,” Schlabach said.
Berlin Hiland Nick Wigton hit the winning three-point shot with no time left on the clock.
Detweiler played only 26 of the 40 minutes due to foul trouble but still finished with 25 points. He went 10 of 15 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range. He picked up his third foul at the 5:34 mark of the second quarter and fourth with 6:50 left in the third, but his Hawks teammates picked up the slack.
Wigton added 17 points, including three treys. Sam Wengerd and Alex Miller also contributed key shots.
Tenth-ranked in the final Associated Press poll, Hiland (23-6) took a 14-point lead early, but LCC (26-3) used its full-court pressure and one-on-one skills to gradually claw its way back into the game.
Jordan Priddy scored 24 points and Parker 23 to pace the fifth-ranked Thunderbirds, who, despite a notable height advantage, were outrebounded 35-20.
“That was the difference in the game,” Schlabach said. “We were really worried about rebounding, and we outrebounded them which we were not expecting to do. We also knew we had to shoot the ball extremely well to beat them, and we did that as well.”
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Lima Central Catholic coach Sean Powell credited Hiland for installing and executing a clever defensive game plan.
“They did a great job understanding what we wanted to try to do against them and they spread us out and controlled the boards,” he said. “After all of that, we still fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win. We had good opportunities at the end of regulation and in the overtimes but we just couldn’t convert.”
Hiland will be shooting for its fourth state title at 10:45 a.m. against two-time defending champion Richmond Heights. This marks the Hawks’ 14th time in the final four.
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