Seniors lift Newark to district championship after game-breaking run

COLUMBUS — The Newark boys basketball program had played in 11 district finals during Drew Oberholtzer's lifetime. He finally had the opportunity in the 12th on Saturday to be between the lines.

Staring at his final quarter, Oberholtzer played an unforgettable eight minutes to ensure he and his Newark teammates would play at least one more game. Highlighted by a 19-2 run, the No. 11 Wildcats ran past No. 2 Olentangy Liberty for a 57-48 victory to win a Division I district championship at Ohio Dominican.

"Growing up with my dad as a coach, this has been a dream. To finally say I've done it, I'm speechless," said Oberholtzer, whose father Mark starred for Newark and has been a long-time coach and teacher in the district.

Oberholtzer's assist to sophomore Austin Rose gave Newark lead for good at 33-31 early in the Wildcats' fourth-quarter onslaught, and he hit a baseline runner on the next possession to extend the lead.

"I had to leave it all on the line. It was this or nothing," Oberholtzer added.

Newark (19-7) plays Olentangy Orange (23-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday back at Ohio Dominican with Pickerington Central (21-5) to play Westerville South (21-5) in the second semifinal the following night. The winners meet at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ohio University.

The Wildcats trailed 29-22 after back-to-back Liberty 3-pointers late in the third quarter when coach Jeff Quackenbush took timeout. The Wildcats scored the final two baskets of the third quarter, and they were just getting started.

"(Quackenbush) said they were going to make a run at halftime when we were up 18-17," senior point guard Grant Burkholder said. "We had to respond to adversity. That's what we did really well."

Braylon Morris, whose 3-point barrage saved Newark's season in a first-round victory against Olentangy, hit a 3 to start the fourth quarter to tie the game at 29. He hit another 3 following Oberholtzer's two big plays to push the lead to 38-31.

Liberty (21-4) stopped the bleeding with five consecutive points, including a double-clutch 3 from senior Matthew Wilson, to cut Newark's lead to 41-36 with 3:07 left. Oberholtzer, however, answered with a basket, and he later dove on the floor to secure a loose ball and end a Liberty possession with Newark up six.

"(Oberholtzer) finished around the rim and made some huge plays for us," Quackenbush said. "You could tell after the game with how emotional he was how important this was to him."

Newark's free-throw percentage has hovered around 80 all season, and it went up Saturday. Burkholder, who racked up a game-high 25 points, was 13-for-15 from the line, helping the Wildcats finish 23-for-28.

Burkholder also had a team-high four assists, and junior Steele Meister added six points and seven rebounds. He had two key assists after his offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter.

"It feels so good to know all of the hard work I've put in since I was 5 years old has paid off," Burkholder said. "I am so happy I was able to do this today. I haven't won a league or a district before this. To win district my senior year, it's really special."

Sophomore Tyler Kropp, 6-foot-8, and 6-5 senior Jackson Mikola used their size advantage for Liberty to score 13 points apiece, but Newark has been undersized all season. On Saturday, the Wildcats did not mind being the underdog, too.

Newark lost to Liberty, which finished No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll, in December 42-39 on a buzzer-beating 3, but the Wildcats did not give the Patriots an opportunity for more heroics. Newark now will have an opportunity to repay Orange for a 50-45 loss in December.

"The biggest thing is when we were down 13 to Olentangy, the kids realized, 'Hey, it can be over like that.' They have taken advantage of every practice since that's happened," Quackenbush said.

Orange, which finished No. 4 in the state media vote, beat Delaware 54-39 to win its first district championship. Newark won its 27th.

The Wildcats had a full and vocal section of support on Saturday. They expect more of the same Wednesday.

"It was a great environment," Oberholtzer said. "Look at all of these people that came out. It felt like a home game. It was awesome."

ksnyder@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @newark_sports