LEXINGTON — Brandon Wagner didn’t score any of Ontario’s 16 points in overtime Saturday night, but the senior’s fingerprints were all over the Warriors’ 56-49 win at Lexington.
On a night when points were at a premium, Wagner’s steal and assist early in the four-minute extra session gave Ontario a four-point cushion and some much-needed breathing room. The Warriors (9-0) outscored the Minutemen (4-4) 16-9 in overtime to break away from a 40-40 tie.
Ontario struck first in OT when Cameron Mack connected on a pair of free throws. On the ensuing inbounds play, Wagner tipped the ball and, as he dove to save it from going out of bounds, had the presence of mind to bat the ball back to Tyler Boatwright. Boatwright scored on a layup to give the Warriors a 44-40 advantage.
“We were in our 1-2-2 diamond press and I was active on the ball and was able to get a hand on it,” said Wagner, who scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds and had three steals. “I dove after it and I saw Tyler coming down the lane so I threw him a bounce pass.
“Coach really stresses hustle plays like that.”
For his part, Boatwright wasn’t surprised to see the heady senior make the play.
“We’re built around hustle plays like that in our program,” said Boatwright, who had 10 points, five assists and two steals. “As soon as I saw ‘Wags’ make a break for it, I flashed down the lane and was thinking, ‘Go get it.’ ”
Ontario coach Joe Balogh said Wagner’s heads-up play was a game-changer.
“The steal on the baseline by ‘Wags’ was huge,” Balogh said. “A lot of times, games like this come down to somebody making a play. It made it a two-possession game and changed the complexion of overtime because you’re not so concerned about a 3-point shot giving them the lead. That really energized us right there.
“We chart effort plays and our kids understand that if they are going to earn time on the floor, they’ve got to take a charge or dive for a ball that is going out of bounds. They have got to be willing to make those plays.”
The game almost never made it to overtime as the Minutemen nearly upset a second undefeated Richland County school in as many nights. Lexington, which stunned Mansfield Senior on Friday, had a chance to take a lead at the free throw line with just 1.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter but sophomore Joey Zahn misfired on the front end of a one-and-one situation.
“Ontario has been in some grinders and some overtime games and they’ve got an experienced team,” Lex coach Scott Hamilton said. “We had some opportunities, but we have some young guys who haven’t been in pressure situations like that before.”
Zahn and Matt Barkett, who each scored 20 points in the win over Mansfield Senior, led Lexington’s fourth-quarter comeback. The Minutemen outscored Ontario 16-7 in the fourth quarter to erase a 33-24 deficit. Zahn hit a pair of 3-pointers, while Barkett drained a triple off a Zahn assist
“We lost them a couple times and they hurt us,” Balogh said. “We made some mistakes defensively, especially in the fourth quarter, but fortunately we were able to make a couple plays.”
Cameron Mack led Ontario with 13 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. Lenell Shelby had 12 points, five steals and four assists.
Barkett scored a game-high 14 points and grabbed six rebounds. Zahn had 10 points, while Jonah Yaussy added seven points and a game-high seven rebounds.
“For us to come in against two undefeated teams and to have a chance to go 2-0, I’m pleased with the way we played this weekend,” Hamilton said. “We weren’t happy with a split, because we felt like we had this one and let it get away, but I think we got better this weekend.
“With the weekend we had to face with those two teams, I’m proud of the effort.”
In junior varsity action, Ontario’s Trey Jordan scored 14 points and the Warriors held on for a 39-35 win. Tytray Gilmore led Lexington with seven points.
Lexington visits Clear Fork on Friday in Ohio Cardinal Conference action before hosting Shelby in a non-league game Saturday. Ontario is at Tiffin Columbian on Friday and hosts Sandusky on Saturday in a pair of Northern Ohio League games.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
