By Eddie Dwyer, Copyright Credit, March 2016

Cleveland, Ohio - With a trip to Friday's Division I State Semifinals on the line, Garfield Heights junior guard Shawn Christian buried a deep fall-away, buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sent the game into the first 4-minute overtime.

After Christian gave the Bulldogs a 59-56 lead in the first OT with another three-ball, the Cats responded with a layup from junior post Matt Davet.

Garfield Heights, a Division I State Semifinalist last season, held a 60-58 lead after senior guard Braun Hartfield hit one of two free throws. Saint Ignatius would tie the score at 60 on two free throws by senior guard Deven Stover with 53.3 seconds left in the first overtime and it stayed that way entering the second 4-minute OT.

Bulldogs senior post/forward Willie Jackson, a Missouri recruit, put his team on top, 62-61, with a put back, only to watch Stover sandwich a strong post-up move and two fee throws around a Garfield Heights turnover with 1:44 remaining in the second overtime.

Saint Ignatius, a Division I State Champion in 2001 and a State runner-up in 1998, both under Head Coach Brian Becker '77, appeared to be headed for its first Final Four appearance since that winter to recall in '01 after two free throws by senior point guard Kyle Kalish had the Wildcats holding a 67-63 lead with 55.8 seconds left.

However, Christian stepped up again with a 3-pointer and Coach Becker called for a timeout with 39.2 seconds remaining and the Cats clinging to a one-point lead.

Kalish was money again with two free throws with 38.5 seconds to go, but the Bulldogs would beat the Cats to the glass for a put back that cut the deficit to 69-68.

Then came the crucial final 17.2 seconds that saw Saint Ignatius turn the ball over on a traveling call under tight defensive pressure.

Following the turnover, Willie Jackson went strong to the rim, the ball rolled out and Hartfield soared in the air for a tip-in that gave Garfield Heights the 70-69 lead with seven seconds left.

The Wildcats misfired on both of their final two shots, and the Bulldogs and their faithful were celebrating a second consecutive trip to the Final Four. Garfield Heights also advanced to the State Semifinals in 2011 and 1950.

For Saint Ignatius, a great season came to an end at 20-7 and a fifth-place area ranking versus one of the most demanding schedules in the state. Along with 2001 and 1998, the Wildcats also made trips to the State Tournament in 1953, 1952 and 1923.  

Garfield Heights, which advances to the 94th Annual OHSAA State Boys Basketball Tournament with a record of 23-4, will face Columbus Regional Champion Westerville South (24-4) on Friday at 8:30 PM in a Division I State Semifinal at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of The Ohio State University. Westerville South defeated Garfield Heights by three points in last year's State Semifinals.

The Bulldogs, who defeated the Wildcats by six points in Game 20 of the regular season at Garfield Heights, were ranked third in the seven-county area and ended up being the only area team ranked in the Division I State Poll at the ninth spot.   

BY THE NUMBERS: Deven Stover led all scorers with 30 points in 35 minutes. Deven was 8-of-17 from the field and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. Wildcats junior post/wing Austen Yarian finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Matt Davet totaled 11 points and 7 rebounds. Saint Ignatius out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 48-44.

The Cats were 27-of-38 from the free-throw line and Garfield Heights hit on 16 of its 29 attempts from the Charity Stripe. Saint Ignatius was 20-of-61 from the field and the Bulldogs also took 61 shots, connecting on 22. Coach Sonny Johnson's team made 10 of its 29 3-point attempts.

Coach Becker's Cats were just 2-of-18 on 3-pointers, with both of them coming off two-handed, buzzer-beating launches by senior guard Ryan Berger, one from just over half court and the other nearly a full-court effort.

Ryan's crowd-pleaser from just over half court cut the deficit to 16-8 entering the second quarter and his near full-court effort tied the sore at 40 entering the fourth quarter. Ryan gutted it out all night on an ankle he sprained during the District Final victory over St. Edward. He sat out the Solon Regional Semifinal on Wednesday night and left everything he had on the court Saturday night.  

Garfield Heights standout senior guard and Louisville recruit Frankie Hughes, who fouled out late in the fourth quarter, led four Bulldogs in double figures with 20 points. Willie Jackson and Marreon Jackson finished with 16 and 15 points, respectively, and Christian had 10 points. Willie Jackson also pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds, with 11 coming off the defensive glass.

There were 13 lead changes in the game and the score was tied seven times. Saint Ignatius outscored Garfield Heights in the paint, 30-14.

FAST START AND BIG RESPONSE: Sonny Johnson watched his Bulldogs jump out to a 12-point lead early in the second quarter and Brian Becker saw his Cats respond with a 10-0 run. It was game on!

FROM COACH BECKER, WHO WILL ENTER NEXT SEASON WITH 318 CAREER VICTORIES, INCLUDING 304 AT HIS ALMA MATER SAINT IGNATIUS: "It was one of the more emotional games that I have coached in. We showed a lot of heart and clawed our way back. Ryan Berger throws in a couple of half-court shots and they hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force overtime. It was everything you could want from a high school game, except the win at the end.

"That kid showed the heart of a lion," Coach Becker continued in reference to Ryan Berger. "He could hardly walk up and down. I give that kid all of the credit in the world. He is just a gutsy young man that I want on the floor with his fellow seniors. He was in a tremendous amount of pain and just gutted it out. He made plays when he had the opportunities.

"The seniors showed great, great leadership on and off the floor," Coach Becker said. "They're really good examples of how to play the game the right way. Tonight was unfortunate. We just didn't make enough plays. We had opportunities and showed a lot of character and a lot of heart in terms of battling back.

"It's just hard to have these seniors go out this way," said Coach Becker, who was coaching in his fourth Elite Eight or Regional Final Game . "But we proved we were one of the best teams in the state. They have five guys going Division I (to college) and we battled them pretty well."   

FROM DEVEN STOVER: "After (Shawn) Christian hit that three (3-pointer), they quickly had all of the momentum going into the first overtime. But we didn't put our heads down. We knew we could play with this team, we can play with any team in the state. We came back out there and did our thing, and unfortunately it wasn't enough in the end.

"It was a great job by the team," Deven continued after he closed out an outstanding three-year Varsity career at Saint Ignatius. "It was draining (four quarters and two overtimes), but we were prepared. We were told to leave it all on the floor and we did. We all played to our level. It's just sad."