Westerville South knocks off state ranked Olentangy Liberty at buzzer
In a year full of improbable comebacks and finishes, a new chapter was added tonight by Westerville South. Trailing by 11 with 4 minutes to go, the Wildcats used a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 57-54. With the three point lead, Liberty’s Jake Bischoff missed the first of a one-and-one, giving South a chance in the game. With 5 seconds left, South’s Stephen O’Daniel makes a free throw to cut the lead to 2 at 57-55. After a Patriot timeout, O’Daniel purposely missed the second free throw, and was rebounded by South’s Zeek Rodgers. What happened next will leave some with nightmares and others with dreams. Rodgers flips the ball behind him, back to O’Daniel, who buries the three as time expires, sending the South student section into a frenzy as they stormed the court.
Coming into the game, Olentangy Liberty was 18-1 and ranked fourth in the latest OHSAA Division I poll. With the loss, they finish the season 18-2 and champions of the OCC-Cardinal, despite losing 2 of their last 3, with their previous loss to Westerville Central last friday. The Wildcats finish the regular season 16-4, 11-3 in the OCC-Cardinal, 1 game back of the Patriots.
Here is a video of the shot:
