Lafayette Central Catholic and Gary 21st Century met at the Crawley Center in Lafayette with a trip to the 1A state title game on the line, and the game was a back-and-forth battle that saw 14 lead changes before LCC staved off 21st, 68-65, in overtime.

 

Tempo and turning defense into offense was the expected game plan for Gary 21st Century, but Central Catholic had as many deflections as the Cougars early in the game. The Knights contested and blocked Ashton Williamson in the lane early to give LCC the early lead.

 

Clark Barrett was a force behind that. He defended and rebounded at a high level for Lafayette Central Catholic, scoring in the lane on the other end. Barrett tallied six points and six rebounds in the opening quarter to push LCC ahead 13-10 after one.

 

Foul trouble bothered 21st Century early in the game. Williamson drew his second foul with 3:19 remaining in the opening quarter, but the junior point guard did not sit on the bench. Eric Price and Quintin Floyd also picked up two early fouls.

 

The Knights did not slow the tempo in the second; instead, it increased. Williamson created nearly all of the offense for 21st Century. Despite having two fouls, he collected 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the first half.

 

For LCC, Clark Obermiller started dominating the offensive glass in the second quarter. He also broke out for two dunks in the period. However, his second one was nasty as he finished over two 21st Century defenders in the open court and drew a foul.

 

Central Catholic found more supporting help to Barrett and Obermiller in the form of Albert Schwartz, Tanner Fields, and Ben Mazur. At the same time, 21st Century had Williamson creating most of the offense, with Eric Price and DJ Moss contributing here and there.

 

With the game tied at halftime, 21st Century opened a lead to begin the third. Williamson scored a quick six points to help the Cougars take a 39-32 lead. However, Obermiller did not allow LCC to stay down long. He collected eight rebounds in the third quarter and helped the Knights claw back into the game.

 

Price helped 21st Century keep a 48-42 lead going to the fourth. The senior center proved tricky to handle for LCC all game. He finished with 16 points and seven rebounds.

 

Obermiller continued to grab offensive rebound after offensive rebound in the fourth. His effort on the glass was remarkable. Early in the fourth, he gave LCC the 51-50 with two free throws. Every time the Knights needed a play, Obermiller was there.

 

The fourth was incredible back-and-forth action as the lead changed on nearly every possession. Finally, Williamson drilled a three-pointer with two minutes left to give the Cougars a 59-57 lead.

 

A minute later, it was Obermiller once again. He put back a Barrett miss to tie the game with 58 seconds.

 

Williamson missed a three-pointer with 20 seconds to play, and Obermiller grabbed the rebound, but he threw the outlet pass away. It gave 21st Century another chance to win it in regulation.

 

That was not the case as Williamson missed a three with five seconds, and the game went to overtime.

 

The Cougars sprinted to a good start in overtime as Floyd scored off the opening tip and drew a foul. However, LCC took the lead back with a Fields triple, then Obermiller finished a layup off a feed from Mazur to put the Knights up four.

 

Down two possessions, the Cougars found an unlikely production source as Williamson found Price for a corner triple. On the next possession, Williamson created a steal and drew a foul. He split his free throws to tie the game with 90 seconds left.

 

With the game tied, Barrett missed inside, but Williamson fouled Nick Page. It was Williamson’s fifth and final foul. A game-changing loss for 21st Century.

 

Page gave Central Catholic the lead with a free throw following the Williamson foul, then LCC came up with a stop as Moss drove from the right side.

 

After the stop, Alx Hardebeck went to the line for two free throws. He missed both shots, but 21st Century could not get a handle on the ball before it went out of bounds.

 

The Cougars fouled Hardebeck again as the Knights inbounded the ball, but Hardebeck converted both free throws this time.

 

Without Williamson, 21st Century missed its key playmaker and settled for a long Floyd three-point with a few seconds left. But unfortunately, it missed the mark, and the buzzer sounded with Lafayette Central Catholic capturing the 68-65 victory.

 

Obermiller finished with an insane 23 points and 22 rebounds, with 16 on the offensive end. He also had three assists and a steal. It was an outstanding effort from the senior.

 

Barrett added 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Fields finished with ten points. Mazur added nine. Schwartz tallied seven points and four rebounds, while Hardebeck tallied four points and five rebounds.

 

Williamson tallied 27 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and six steals before fouling out. However, he only shot 11-33 from the field. Moss added nine points and six rebounds, while Floyd contributed seven points and five rebounds.  

 

LCC heads to the 1A state title game to play North Daviess on March 26 at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.