TIFFIN — Logan Gooding was a one-man wrecking crew on Friday night, and his outstanding effort ended the Lexington boys basketball season.
The Tiffin Columbian standout poured in 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Tornadoes to a 65-57 overtime win over the Minutemen.
Gooding’s performance gave the fifth-seeded Tornadoes a Division III sectional championship and a ticket to next week’s district tournament. Columbian will challenge top-seeded Toledo Central Catholic (19-3) at 8 p.m. in Ontario.
The Fighting Irish eliminated Fremont Ross 72-49 on Friday night.
Tiffin (12-11 overall) needed every bit of Gooding’s heroics to subdue the sixth-seeded Minutemen. The home team led 11-10 after the first quarter, but coach Scott Hamilton’s team pushed in front 20-19 at halftime and enjoyed a 35-32 cushion at the end of the third period.
But Columbian forged a 51-51 tie at the end of regulation, and dominated the extra session with a 14-6 spurt to claim the win.
Jayden Perkins topped Lex with 21 points and Dantrell Hughes chipped in 19 points and 11 rebounds.
In this game, Gooding broke Tiffin’s single-season scoring record set previously by Tony Eisenhard (499).
Tiffin won the game at the free throw line, making 21-of-33 free throws, compared to just 9-of-15 for Lexington.
The Minutemen finished the season with a 10-14 record.