Boys basketball: Medina can't close, falls in OT to Gahanna Lincoln

The big picture was more important than knit-picking a tough overtime loss, because Medina's boys basketball team competed well against one of the better teams in the Columbus area. After nearly a 2-hour bus ride to Ohio Dominican University on Sunday, the Bees had Gahanna Lincoln on the ropes at the Battle in the 614 but allowed a 3-pointer with 1.4 seconds in regulation that gave the Lions the momentum they needed to finish a 56-51 victory in overtime. Medina (10-4) saw its six-game winning streak end despite leading 45-42 after a pair of clutch free throws by Carter Hipp with 16.4 seconds in the fourth quarter. "I told Carter Hipp, 'These are the types of games you win and go home and feel good about yourself,"' coach Chris Hassinger said. "When you lose a game like this against a tough team, it makes you dive deeper into what you've got to fix. "We're not going to get upset about losing to a team that had to drive 6 miles to play. Our kids competed today. We've got to get better at situational basketball, but our kids played hard and pretty disciplined today." The game-changing shot came off a sideline inbounds play with 5.8 seconds to go. Lincoln (11-3) lobbed a deep pass to rangy forward Branden Ivery in the post, who then kicked out after sharpshooting Luke Murry slipped behind a screen. A rare Medina defensive breakdown allowed Murry, who was initially double teamed, to get open and fire a quick-wristed shot before two scrambling defenders could arrive. Murry then gave the Lions the lead for good on a 3-pointer to begin OT, and Lincoln made 6-of-9 free throws to hold on. "The kid hit a tough shot," Hassinger said. The Bees very well could have had a comfortable lead heading into the fourth but struggled to shoot against a Syracuse-style matchup 2-3 zone, making just 5-of-23 3-pointers (.217). Many of the shots were good looks off quality passes, as Medina committed just one turnover over the final 20 minutes. Combo guard Luke Klanac had a solid all-around game for Medina with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Center Hunter Smith made 3-of-7 3-pointers en route to 12 points, Carter Hipp dished out five assists and Jaylen Payne added six points off the bench. The Lions got a game-high 18 points from the high-flying Ivery, whose give-and-go alley-oop prevented Medina from making a legitimate push in OT. Murry scored eight of his 11 points in the final 4:01, while Nas Turner added 11 points and four assists off the bench as Lincoln posted 14 assists on 21 field goals. Medina did a ton of things well. The Bees simply didn't shoot well enough from deep to win. "It's the first time we've seen a 2-3 zone run the way they did," Hassinger said. "With their length and athleticism, it was very difficult to score. I thought our kids did a really good job of being patient at times and getting good shots but didn't get things to fall early in the game. "They run a lot like Syracuse, where the bottom wings come up real high. With their length, it's tough to get anything inside or in the short corner. If you're going to score against it, you've got to hit threes on the backside. We got some opportunities, but we just didn't get them to fall." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. Gahanna Lincoln 56, Medina 51 (OT) Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican University MEDINA &emsp;&emsp;7 11 10 17 6 — 51 LINCOLN &emsp;&emsp;4 15 12 14 11 — 56 Medina — Brock Beech 2-0-5, Connor Smith 2-1-5, Hunter Smith 4-1-12, Luke Klanac 6-4-17, Carter Hipp 1-2-4, Luke Hassinger 0-0-0, Benny Meyers 0-0-0, Jaylen Payne 3-0-6, Kellon Johnson 0-0-0, J.T. Mog 1-0-2. TOTALS: 19-8-51. Lincoln — Luke Murry 3-2-11, Branden Ivery 8-1-18, Maurice Charleton 1-2-4, K.J. Reynald 1-2-4, Joseph Boddie 0-0-0, Jon Whiteside 3-1-7, Nas Turner 4-1-10, Caden Coyle 0-0-0, Dylan Scott 1-0-2. TOTALS: 21-9-56. 3-point goals — H. Smith 3, Klanac, Beech, Murry 3, Turner, Ivery. Rebounds — Medina 24 (Beech 6), Lincoln 17 (Charleton 6). Assists — Medina 11 (Hipp 5), Lincoln 14 (Murry, Reynald, Turner 3). Records — Medina (10-4), Lincoln (11-3).