
Buzzer-Beater in Overtime: Buckeyes Stun Bulldogs in Thrilling 55-54 Victory
By: TJ Sweeney
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BUCHTEL, Ohio (WOUB) — When the Athens Bulldogs welcomed the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes for their second meeting of the season, everyone knew it was going to be a battle. The Bulldogs and Buckeyes did not disappoint, in a thrilling overtime matchup, the Buckeyes won 55-54.
The tone for the game was set early on as every shot was highly contested, every rebound came with an elbow, and every point was hard-earned. The fans made sure their presence was known, every foul was followed by the famous “you can’t do that” chant. In that quarter, the Buckeyes scored eight points, with six of those coming from Briant Call.
Nelsonville-York knew that if they wanted to win this game, they would have to shut down Athens’ point-guard and leading scorer, Leo Martin. The Buckeyes were all over Martin, shutting him out in the first three quarters and only allowing him four points all game.
At the end of the first, the Buckeyes led 8-4 but the Bulldogs were determined to stay in the game. If you wanted to know how physical this game was, all you had to do was look at the scoreboard, at halftime the Bulldogs led 19-17.
After the break, the Bulldogs continued their strong play, establishing a nine-point lead midway through the third quarter. Nelsonville-York Head Coach Blaine Gabriel called two timeouts, urging his team to regroup and get back into the game.
The boys responded as Gavin Lavy put the team on his back. Lavy shot 75% from the arc, going for three for four and putting up shots in crucial moments. Despite the team’s strong run, they found themselves down seven with two minutes to go in the game.
Briant Call woke up the stadium with his 3-pointer to bring the Buckeyes within four. Freshman, Grant Elliott matched Call’s energy as he knocked down a 3-pointer and suddenly the Buckeyes were only down by one. The Bulldogs stayed in front, but Lavy swished another 3-pointer to keep the Buckeyes within striking distance.
Now, to set the stage, the Buckeyes are trailing 49-46 with eleven seconds left on the clock. Alec Thompson inbounds the ball, finds Lavy who can’t find a shot, so he passes it to Bean Martin who makes an unlikely 3-pointer from distance to tie the game as the buzzer beats.
Martin says that his dad has helped him gain confidence in his shot, “Him working with me ever since I was a little kid helped me with my confidence, I know if I put up a shot, it’s gonna go in.”
Martin’s father wasn’t the only one who believed in that shot. Coach Gabriel turned to his bench and said, “That’s in,” as soon as the ball left Martin’s hands.
Headed into overtime, the Buckeyes were confident and put up a lot of shots early, however none seemed to fall. Fast forward to 23 seconds left in overtime, the Bulldogs were leading 54-52.
With the clock winding down, the Buckeyes can’t find a shot. Or so we thought, Alec Thompson finds Cam Sullivan at the top of the arc, and he drains it and the Buckeyes win the game 55-54 in an overtime thriller.
After the game, Gabriel admits he didn’t have as much confidence in Sullivan as he did Martin, “He’s shooting it and I’m yelling no,” Gabriel said, laughing. “It’s the first three he’s made all year… but I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Sullivan’s first 3-pointer of the year couldn’t have come at a better time. With that, the Buckeyes completed a stunning overtime win. They’ll look to carry this momentum back home as they prepare to face the Alexander Spartans next.