Waterford wins overtime nailbiter with halfcourt heave.

By: Tyler Bush
Posted on: Thursday, January 15, 2026

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STEWART, Ohio (WOUB) – The Waterford Wildcats were locked in an intense battle the entire night with the Federal Hocking Lancers, but a miracle shot in the dying moments of overtime would give the Wildcats the win 51-48. 

The first quarter was just a glimpse into how close this game would be as the teams traded buckets. Waterford’s Reese Lang would help start the action for his team, tallying up four assists in the first to give Waterford the lead 13-12.  

Waterford’s offense would slow down in the second, not getting many shots to fall. The Lancers would turn to senior Cameron Joy to keep their offense flowing this quarter. Joy was scoring at will inside the paint, putting 14 on the stat sheet before half and helping Federal Hocking get out to a 22-20 lead. 

The game continued to be a defensive slugfest coming out of the break. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc and were plagued by turnover woes. Waterford’s Gavin Heiner would be the answer for Joy’s scoring, closing off the paint with his intimidating presence, forcing misses and stuffing shots. The Wildcats were able to get their offense moving again and would walk into the fourth quarter leading 30-28. 

The final quarter completely flipped the game script as both teams caught fire from the field. Federal Hocking’s Gabe Bray hit shots from all over the field, while Waterford’s Finn Pennock started racking up points with highlight reel clips. After a quarter full of madness, Lang would wind up with the ball in his hands and launch a three but would miss as time expired.  

Tensions were high, but overtime was another low scoring affair. Bray would score the first basket, and Federal Hocking would burn two minutes off the clock. Lang would answer with a layup on the other end to bring it back to even. Later, Pennock would find himself at the charity stripe after being fouled by Bray.  

The first shot would bounce out off the back iron and with the game on the line Pennock would sink the second attempt. A whistle from the referee would silence Waterford supporters, as he signaled for a lane violation and disallowed the free throw. 

A few more shots would be fired by both teams, but none would find their way into the basket. With 2.6 seconds left on the clock, the ball would find its way to Lang again. He would dribble out to halfcourt before launching a prayer that would bank to take the win for the Wildcats. 

Waterford rises to 4-8, taking on Fort Frye this Saturday, while Federal Hocking falls to 4-10 and will play Athens Tuesday.