DAYTON, Ohio — For the second straight year, in an Ohio High School Athletic Association boys’ basketball Division III state semifinal, Ottawa-Glandorf and Columbus Africentric put on a show, with a thrilling, 48-47 Titans win in double overtime.
Ottawa-Glandorf fell behind 31-19 with over five minutes to play in the third quarter, before starting to chip away at the lead. A 10-0 run that overlapped into the fourth quarter put the Titans up, 35-34.
With just 1:08 to play, a Levi Unterbrink basket gave OG a 41-38 advantage, which lasted all of 12 seconds until Cortez Freeman’s three-pointer evened the score.
Both teams had a chance at the end of regulation. Africentric forced a turnover, but couldn’t get a shot off, beckoning overtime.
In the first extra session, Ottawa-Glandorf (25-3) went out to a 45-41 lead, but the Nubians’ Preston Steele tied it at 47 with 51 seconds remaining.
There was only one point in the sixth period, as Colin White’s free throw ended up being the difference. Dailyn Swain’s drive and basket came after the final horn (confirmed by replay), and the Titans won their second consecutive two-overtime affair, after outlasting Wayne Trace, 62-55 in the regional final.
White, one of the top juniors in Ohio, was the leading scorer with 24 points. Theo Maag added 14 and 11 rebounds.
For the Nubians (23-6), Xavier-bound Swain had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
One year ago, these two also met in a Division III state semifinal, with Ottawa-Glandorf a 53-48 winner. Swain went for 32 points, while White had 31 in that contest. Their mutual respect was clear during a warm embrace in the handshake line.
It was the first overtime game in the boys’ state tournament since the 2018 Division IV championship, won by Marion Local (52-51) also after two extra sessions. The last one in Division III was ironically with Ottawa-Glandorf in 2013, when the Titans survived Ironton 61-60, in a semifinal on the way to a state title that year, their most recent.
Ottawa-Glandorf will shoot for a fourth state title, and first in ten years, previously cutting down the nets in 2004, 2008 and 2013. The Titans will play the winner of Lutheran East and Harvest Prep in the Division III championship at 5:15 p.m. Sunday.
