 |
| Kettering Fairmont head coach Johnathan Hedgepeth sends his team out for one last time in regulation with 5.9 seconds left. (Photo: Chuck Cordes/Ohsfbmedia.com) |
DAYTON, Ohio - You can never predict how a high school basketball game will turn out, particularly in a season that decides who comes out on top. One shot can decide it all in some cases.
The undefeated Kettering Fairmont team won in overtime against the 2023 Division I state champion Cincinnati Princeton, with a score of 61-55. This thrilling game went into overtime thanks to a 3-point buzzer shot made by Kaylah Thornton, who is committed to Akron University.
"I thought the girls didn't quit, and felt good once we got the overtime," said Finn.
Both teams had a pretty even beginning, but early turnovers by Princeton allowed Kettering to take a solid lead. With Kettering leading 9-6 with 4:07 remaining, Princeton managed to score just once more, with Kiara Harris hitting a free throw, but would not score another time during the period.
Thornton made three 3-pointers during the quarter, and with help from Nico Cornett, they scored a total of 16 out of the 18 points in that quarter. They finished the period leading 18-7.
In the second quarter, things would change as Princeton's defense started to take effect, as they held Thornton to just three points for the quarter after she scored 11 in the first period, and just seven points as a team.
"The coaches did a good job with the game plan, and stuck to it," Finn elaborated. Sophomore sensation Erin Thomas was held in check as she was face-guarded and blitzed every time she had her hands on the ball, definitely affecting her offensive output as she would settle for shots.
Still leading going into halftime, 25-19, the Firebirds did not flinch even as Cornett would commit some early fouls that had her out of the game at times.
With Cornett in foul trouble, Princeton's Erin Thomas took advantage as she would have one of her best quarters, as she would pick apart the inside scoring on two layups and action from the free throw line after an and one with 4:21 remaining.
Hargrove would pace the Firebirds as Thornton slowed down, scoring only one point in the quarter. Princeton would pull within three points, as Kamryn Lowe would score in the paint with 53 seconds left, trailing 34-31 at the end of the quarter.
The last quarter, in the early minutes, would be shot-for-shot as the lead for both teams would not exceed two points until 3:43 of the period, when Thomas would put the Vikings up by four, 40-36, after regaining the lead at 3:58.
After a missed free throw by Heaven Sneed that would have given Princeton a 4-point lead and may have led to another state championship, Kaylah Thonton had other plans as she crossed the logo with 5.9 seconds left in regulation.
She launched a long 3-pointer that went in, as the University of Dayton Arena exploded, which would tie the game at 50-50 and head into overtime. "Once the shot went in, the game's not over, once I hit that shot, I felt like it's go time," said Thornton. "We got the dub, and I'm so happy."
The shot probably drained Princeton's energy since they only managed to score five points during overtime, while Kettering scored 11, but it confirmed the victory for the new undefeated Division I state champions.
.jpg)
Connect with us!