LaSalle (22-3) only scored two points in the extra session as Moeller (21-4) used a steal to seize the game's momentum en route to a 48-41 win.
“What’s really tough is when you’re leading in regulation [game] and you blow the lead, so going into OT the other team has all the momentum,” said LaSalle head coach Dan Fleming. “[In overtime] they scored right away, so we had to score, then they ran a minute off the clock and [Moeller junior Alex] Barlow got those free throws and the steal and that was pretty much the game.”
Barlow was a major factor in the win, scoring
six points - four on free throws and a break away layup - in the last minute of OT,
which sealed the deal for the Crusaders. Barlow finished with 13 points, six
rebounds and three assists.
“What we did really well was be patient on our possessions in overtime, and when you’re patient and score a bucket off that it puts a lot of pressure on the other team,” said Moeller head coach Carl Kremer. “Plus Alex Barlow made a few plays that only a special athlete makes; you can’t define it, he just has the ability to make those plays.”
LaSalle trailed for most of the game, at one point by as much as eight. But they kept playing and they came around in the third quarter, matching Moeller basket for basket until finally taking the lead in the fourth period.
LaSalle had the ball in the last 1:04 of regulation, deliberately running time off the clock before sinking a 3-point shot with 12 seconds remaining, giving them a two-point lead at 39-37. But the Lancers committed a foul after the made basket. Moeller took advantage of the easy points from the foul line and tied the score at 39 to send the game into overtime.
Griffin McKenzie was another major contributor for the Crusaders, grabbing nine boards and finishing with 13 points. The Lancers were led by Ryan Fleming — 14 points, three rebounds, and 2 assists — and Josh Lemons with 11 points, 3 rebounds, and four steals.
Moeller will play the winner of Mentor vs Lakewood St. Edward at approximately 5:15 p.m. March 26 at the Jerome Schottenstein Center on the campus of Ohio State University.
