Liberty’s rally falls short in state semifinal
Akron SV-SM 58, Olentangy Liberty 49
A bushel of “what ifs” will haunt Olentangy Liberty coach Greg Nossaman for some time after a spirited rally fell short in a Division I state semifinal Friday night.
Untimely missed shots ultimately doomed the Patriots in a 58-49 loss to eighttime state champion Akron St. Vincent-st. Mary. It was Liberty’s first trip to the state tournament.
“I’m happy with how we battled back, but, gosh, 5 for 24 (on three-point shots) and all the missed free throws really bug me,” Nossaman said.
Liberty fell behind 25-9, enduring a stretch in which it went 6:56 without a point.
“Seven minutes without scoring? I know that’s something we’ve never done before,” Nossaman said. “We wanted to keep the score as low as we could and we did OK in that regard. We just couldn’t make shots. It’s a little tougher to do with their size and length.”
With senior standout Ben Roderick coming alive, the Patriots clawed back by the middle of the third quarter to make it a two- or three-possession game.
Liberty pulled as close as 45-42 with 4:02 left, but with the crowd roaring, Nick Nakasian missed two free throws. Chris Painter responded with a driving basket for the Fighting Irish.
Joey Thatcher made 1 of 2 foul shots with 1:32 to make it 52-49.
Lunden Mcday converted a putback for SV-SM at the 1:23 mark. Malaki Branham then swooped in to block a three-point shot by Thatcher, and that was all she wrote.
“After a great first half, we did some things I wasn’t too pleased with, but great teams find a way to get in done,” St. Vincent-st. Mary coach Dru Joyce said. “Good teams are going to make a run, but we’ve got an experienced team and our guys know what to do in a position like that.”
St. Vincent-st. Mary (24-3) will face top-ranked Cincinnati Moeller (29-0) in the state title game at 8:30
p.m. Saturday. Moeller beat the Fighting Irish 99-62 in early December.
Mcday finished with 21 points to pace the Fighting Irish, who outrebounded the Patriots 41-32, blocked seven shots and committed only seven turnovers.
“Their balance from one to nine is outstanding,” Nossaman said. “We wanted to pack it in and make them shoot from the outside. But when they jump over the top of us to get offensive rebounds, it’s tough. Plus, they’re a bit quicker than us as well.”
Roderick, a firstteam All-ohio choice, had 25 points and nine rebounds in his final game.
For Liberty, the ride was memorable for six graduating seniors — most of whom have played together in various sports since they were in fourth grade.
“To get all the way to the state semis is like a dream come true,” Liberty senior Mitchell Kershner said. “It’s something we’ll never forget.”
Liberty was making the first state tournament appearance for a Delaware County team since 1951 when Ashley played in the 16-team event. Ashley later consolidated into Buckeye Valley.