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Marion Local players gather as Berlin Hiland players celebrate a 54-51 double-overtime victory in the Division VI boys basketball state championship game at the University of Dayton Arena on Saturday night.
DAYTON - Saturday night's Division VI state championship between Marion Local and Berlin Hiland had it all; four quarters, two overtimes and drama to the final shot.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, they were on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Luke Everman's corner three was off target, and Hiland won 54-51 to capture the programs fourth state title and its first since 2012.
"Everyone that came here today, everybody in attendance got treated to one helluva basketball game," Marion coach Kurt Goettemoeller said postgame. "These are two storied programs, Hiland is storied in their tradition, and we have a great athletic tradition. It was everything you wanted in a championship game."
The first three quarters of the game played out like a typical contest between two physical teams. Marion had four turnovers in the first quarter, but held a 6-5 lead by the end. Grant Kremer had three points in the first to pace the team.
Marion Local's Grant Kremer (5) and Kale Ahrens (24) close in on the loose ball during Saturday's Division VI state championship game against Berlin Hiland.
The second quarter began fast as both teams opened with threes. Hiland's Caleb Yoder began the action, and Kremer was the response for the Flyers.
After some tough possessions from both teams, the final three minutes picked up the pace. Brennen Hess gave Marion a 13-12 lead with a nice post move, but the Hawks closed the half on a 4-for-5 mark and took an 18-14 lead into the break.
While the first half saw Marion shoot 41% (5-of-12) from the floor, eight turnovers allowed Hiland to get easy baskets and control the clock. Kremer and Hess had six points each to lead the Flyers in the first 16 minutes. Yoder's nine paced Hiland.
The ninth Marion turnover opened the third quarter when Brayden Mescher's pass found no one, but Luke Everman's block on the other end kept the score where it was. Hiland eventually built up a 25-20 lead after Alex Miller's trey from the corner.
Isaac Moeller followed suit the next possession, but it was Hiland who took a 28-27 lead into the final quarter.
Despite trailing, Marion was perhaps lucky to still be in the game. Tough possessions and even tougher misses at the charity stripe (2-of-6) did not lend itself to winning, but the defensive effort was still there.
Ahrens' opened the fourth with a big time and-one over Hiland center Ryan Zerger. Marion's lead was shot lived however, as Zerger's floater tied it at 30-all with seven minutes left.
Three turnovers followed, as the intensity of the moment started to fill UD arena. Mescher put Marion ahead 31-30 from the line, just his third point of the game. A Hawk turnover followed, and Moeller put the Flyers up four with a three that banked home. It forced a timeout from the Hawks and Moeller was up to eight points on the night.
Marion Local's Isaac Moeller tries to get away from a Berlin Hiland defender.
The Flyers missed a chance to extend the lead after Mescher's pass found the scorers table, the team's 14th turnover of the game.
Ashton Schrock's layup cut the lead to 34-32, but Kremer pushed the margin back to four with a smooth jumper from the foul line. After the Hawks got another basket in the paint, Kremer nailed a three from the top of the key to make it 39-34 Marion with just over one minute left.
Hiland cut the deficit to four from the line, and Ahrens missed an open layup from the inbounds line that proved vital. Miller got his tough two to fall on the other end, and the Marion lead was just two with 49 seconds left.
With the Hawks fouling, Marion just could not take advantage. A 4-for-9 mark at the stripe in the fourth quarter allowed Hiland to stay in it, which they did.
Trailing 41-39 with 22 seconds left, Schrock stole an inbounds pass and got fouled. The senior made both free throws, and the game went to overtime tied at 41-all.
Zerger used his size and opened the first overtime with an easy layup. Moeller cut the lead in half at the line, but another layup from Schrock pushed the Hawks' lead to 45-42. Zerger added two more from the line with 44 seconds remaining, and Marion was down five with their season on the line.
Kremer was called upon. He answered by nailing a three with someone in his face, and he later tied the game at 48 a piece with 24 seconds remaining. It was a costly miss from Schrock at the line allowed the Marion guard a chance, and four more minutes were added to the clock.
Zerger won the tip and cashed in a layup to open the second overtime. Mescher drew a foul to cut the deficit. After the first one dropped, Hess gathered the following miss and Mescher was sent to the line again with under three minutes to go.
Marion Local's Brayden Mescher (32) goes to the hoop against Berlin Hiland.
The senior missed both, and Hiland stayed ahead 50-49. Mescher made up for it the next possession with a nifty reverse layup to give Marion a 51-49 lead with 1:15 on the clock.
A Zerger miss was corralled by Hiland's Grant Bille, who got fouled on the put-back attempt. The junior calmly made both to give the Hawks a 52-51 lead with 56 seconds left.
The next possession, Ahrens' pass was deflected and gathered by Hiland, forcing Kremer into his fifth foul. Losing Kremer was big on its own, but CJ Yoder's free-throws made it a bigger loss as the Hawks led by three with 17 seconds left.
Down their best deep-threat, Marion got the ball to Everman in the corner with four seconds left, but a good shot contest forced the shot to miss and the Hawks stormed the court soon after.
It was a tough pill to swallow for the Flyers, who had leads in the final minute of regulation and the final overtime. 15 missed free-throws, regardless of the score, will hurt anybody.
"Nobody's blaming anybody," Goettemoeller said. "When you're in the arena and everybody's watching you and you're laying it all on the line, you're not going to play perfect."
Kremer led the Flyers with 22 points in his final game. Moeller finished with nine points, while Hess and Ahrens had seven each.
Hiland was paced by Zerger's 18 points, and the sophomore took home the game's MVP trophy.
"It sucks, but we maximized as much time together as we could," Mescher said postgame. "Losing sucks, but coach said to Kale 'I'd rather lose with this group of guys than win with someone else', and that's about as true as you can get."
