Marietta College’s Ethan Andersen, left, tackles Ohio Northern’s Hayden Hanson during a college basketball game Saturday at Ban Johnson Arena. Marietta won 103-102 in double overtime. (Photo by Jordan Holland)
MARIETTA — Marietta College would have been in for a long trip to Puerto Rico if it lost Saturday afternoon’s game against Ohio Northern, but Jayden Bradshaw saved the day.
Leading by two points with just 3.3 seconds left in double overtime, the Pioneers had to go the length of the court and get a bucket. Head coach John VanderWaal crafted the perfect play, and his players executed it to perfection. Jack Mayne threaded the inside pass to Sahmi Willoughby just outside his own half. Willoughby caught it, turned to his right and slipped a pass to Bradshaw on the wing, and Bradshaw knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer to give Marietta a 103-102 win in front of a capacity crowd at Ban Johnson Arena.
“It’s a play we love to run.” said VanderWaal, whose Pioneers are scheduled to make a two-game stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico starting Tuesday. “We leave tomorrow morning for our trip (Puerto Rico), so this makes it a little easier.”
Marietta (7-2) led 40-32 at halftime, but ONU (3-6) battled back in the second half and finally tied the game at the 5:22 mark on an assist from Will Miller, who scored a game-high 27 points. The score was 78 points when Marietta’s Jack Alexander missed a 3-pointer at the end of regulation.
Marietta took a three-point lead with a minute to go in the first thanks to a 3-pointer by Bradso and a basket by Willoughby, but Ohio Northern’s Carter Reese drained a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left to tie it and force a second overtime.
The Pioneers trailed by as many as five points in the second overtime and trailed 100-96 with 1:23 left in the game. Frank Waganfield’s layup cut the score to two with 1:08 remaining, and De’Ovion Price hit a pair of free throws to tie the score with 15 seconds on the clock.
However, the Polar Bears appeared to have the dagger when Reese’s basket with 3.3 seconds left put ONU up for second down. It’s usually difficult for teams to get a good shot with so little time left, but Marietta found a way.
“It’s one of the few plays we have in under four seconds.” Vanderwaal explained. “We don’t have enough time to dribble the ball up the floor, so you try to advance it with a long pass. Give credit to Jack Mayne – they put their 6-8 player on the ball and he had to juggle him a little bit to get the pass. He put him right on the money, where we wanted to go He throws it in. Sahmi did a great job of catching it and then finding one of the shooters, and Jayden obviously did the rest.
Bradshaw and his teammate David Sanford scored 18 points each off the bench for Marietta. Eight of Bradshaw’s points came after regulation, and he was ready to shoot when it mattered most.
“We actually do this (playing) all the time in training.” The second year MC said. “I had the hot hand at the end of the game. They gave me the ball and I blocked it.”
VanderWal added, “He’s 6-4. He jumped over his guy and shot. What a play.”
Marietta was playing without its top scorer, Cooper Parrott, who was suffering from injury. Another starter, Levinson Xavier, was injured late in the game after contributing eight points. Through all the adversity, the Pioneers never stopped fighting.
“Just a good team effort from the players stepping up.” VanderWaal said. “Proud of them for not giving up. Nothing was easy today. We kind of struggled. Give Ohio Northern credit. I think they played a great game. I never felt comfortable there, and I couldn’t move forward. But the men remained strong. They didn’t give up too much and made enough plays to win the game.”
Willoughby finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Ethan Andersen added eight points and 10 boards. Other scorers for Marietta were Alexander with 14 and Waganfield with 10. Alexander also recorded five assists and four steals, both team highs. Price added nine points in a game where every play was pivotal.
“We kept going, kept our composure, performed well in the end and got the win.” Bradshaw said. “it’s a wonderful feeling.”
Reese finished with 25 points, while Kayden Jacoby had 19 points and nine rebounds. Jade Cunningham Jr. scored twice with 11 points and 10 assists, while Carson Conley scored eight points for the Polar Bears, who fell to 0-4 in league play.
“It’s good to get some wins, especially in this league this year.” VanderWaal said. (Ohio Northern) lost by three to Mount (Union) in their last game, so they are playing tough with everyone else. There won’t be any easy matches. “We are happy to achieve any victory.”
Marietta plays Christ University at 11 a.m. Tuesday and then Lancaster Bible College at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Puerto Rico Classic.
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ADA – The Marietta women spent a chilly afternoon shooting the ball and falling to host Ohio Northern on Saturday in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest. Marietta falls to 6-2 this season and 3-1 in the OAC. Ohio Northern moves to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in conference games.
Paige Tolson led the Pioneers with 12 points. Mackenzie Wilson and Hannah Croft finished with nine points each while Olivia Grebble had a team-high 10 rebounds.
Brynn Serbin led ONU with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Brooke Allen added eight points and nine rebounds, while Waterford graduate Mackenzie Soprano scored six points from the Polar Bear bench.
Marietta has one more contest before Christmas break as they will travel to Washington & Jefferson College on Wednesday for a tipoff at 7 p.m.
In a thrilling performance, Jayden Bradshaw delivered an outstanding performance to lift Marietta past Ohio Northern. The game was a display of talent and determination by Bradshaw, as he scored three crucial goals to secure the victory for his team. His remarkable sportsmanship and skill on the field have undoubtedly solidified his place as a standout player in the world of sports. This impressive feat has not only made headlines in the world of sports, but has also earned Bradshaw recognition for his exceptional abilities and contributions to his team’s success.