COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The play, as coach Josh Sagester drew it up, was as simple as it could possibly be.
“Basically, get him the ball and get out of the way,” he said with a laugh.
Colton Linkous scored 22 points - and hit the game-winning 12-foot jumper with 3 seconds left - to lift No. 1 New Madison Harvest Prep to the Division 4 state championship with a 48-46 victory over Canal Winchester Harvest Prep on Saturday.
It was the first state title for Tri-Village (30-0), which had come up short in two earlier trips to the big tournament.
“Coach had drawn up a play for us, but credit to them, the other team got us out of it,” said Linkous, a first-team Associated Press All-Ohioan and co-player of the year in the division. “My teammates found me open. Coach was talking to me on the sideline, telling me to go. So I went and just hit the shot.”
Second-team all-stater Damion Cook added 15 points and 11 rebounds while Linkous added 12 rebounds.
Unranked Harvest Prep was making its fourth trip to the state tournament, although their championship in 2011 was taken away for multiple infractions. The Warriors are still on probation by the state’s sanctioning body for high school athletics.
David Dennis Jr., whose 65-foot shot at the buzzer just missed, had 14 points for the Warriors. He was also a first-team all-stater and co-player of the year with Linkous.
“I guess it kind of felt good,” Dennis said of his final attempt, which brought a loud groan from a crowd of 9,794 at Ohio State’s Value City Arena. “That’s a miracle shot. It just didn’t fall in our way.”
Rael Windley added eight points and 15 rebounds for the Warriors (25-5).
Tri-Village had lost in the semifinals a year ago to eventual champion Convoy Crestview and lost 71-45 in the 1991 title game to St. Henry.
The Patriots tried to take time off the clock to start the fourth quarter while ahead by seven points, but Harvest Prep made two consecutive steals with Dennis converting the first for a breakaway layup and then feeding Charles Aden for a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 35-33. After a Tri-Village miss, a Windley putback tied it with 5:35 remaining.
Linkous used a fake inside for a three-point play before Tyler Van Winkle was fouled - Dennis’ fourth - and he hit both shots for a five-point edge. However, Jordan Clark came right back with a 3 from the left corner to narrow it again.
With Tri-Village hanging on to a 44-43 lead, off a timeout the Patriots set a back pick for Linkous who took the inbounds pass and scored. But Dennis hit a foul shot and then, after the Patriots missed the front end of a bonus, he drove the lane and flipped in a layup in congestion to tie it.
Tri-Village ran the clock down until Linkous had the ball on the left wing. He drove on Dennis, who fell backward as he pulled up for a 12-foot, fall-away jumper that fell for the decisive bucket.
“I knew there were about 10 seconds left when he got the ball,” Dennis said. “I knew he wanted to go right. I thought I got in his way and got the pushoff - but he made a good shot.”
Harvest Prep called time with 1.2 seconds on the clock, and Dennis’ desperation heave at the buzzer just missed, glancing off the backboard.
The Patriots players rushed the court in celebration.
“They made a run; they probably had more runs than us,” said Harvest Prep coach David Dennis Sr. “We made that late run to tie it. We just couldn’t get over that barrier and get the ball back.”
Tri-Village built a 25-15 lead by halftime, while Harvest Prep struggled to find offense. But the lead narrowed and the last possessions loomed large.
“Fortunately for us, we were able to make just enough plays at the offensive end,” Sagester said.
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