COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 1 Berlin Hiland (28-1) defeated No. 3 St. Henry (24-4) 57-50 in the first OHSAA Division IV boys basketball semifinal Friday at the Jerome Schottenstein Center.
Up one entering the fourth quarter, Berlin Hiland came out hot and opened the quarter with an 8-0 run including two three-pointers by senior Kendall Hochstetler.
St. Henry was unfazed by the Hawks’ momentum and countered with an 11-4 run of its own to cut the Hiland lead to three with 1:34 remaining.
With an opportunity to make it a one-point game, St. Henry senior Jay Knapke missed the front end of a one-and-one and St. Henry was forced to foul following the miss. The Hiland lead quickly went back to seven via free throws, ending St. Henry’s hopes of a sixth state championship game birth.
Hiland junior Sam Habeger led the Hawks in scoring with 17 points, while senior Andy Miller contributing 14 points of his own.
St. Henry senior center Caden Niekamp finished with 13 point and eight rebounds, and senior Jay Knapke led the team with 17 points.
Berlin Hiland will be making its first appearance in the championship game since winning back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.
above courtesy OHSAA
Twitter Highlights –
We’ve got 4th quarter action from the @OHSAASports Division IV semifinal game between @HilandAthletics and @midwestathletic@kenjhoch912 @Samamuel11 @zmn7073 @caden_niekamp pic.twitter.com/CQtAWGIMIM
— Spectrum Sports OH (@SpecSportsOH) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
Ben Evers drains this open shot from behind the arc to give St. Henry the lead.@HilandAthletics 22@StHenryAD 23
3Q 7:26 pic.twitter.com/AMGjSaRx4C— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
St. Henry snags the missed FT and banks home the triple. Redskins not done yet. @HilandAthletics 55@StHenryAD 50
4Q 0:12.8 pic.twitter.com/aCOrZOIgGR— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
St. Henry’s Zach Niekamp strikes again, this one from Mercer County! Caden Niekamp follows it up with his own triple. Redskins are back in business. @HilandAthletics 49@StHenryAD 47
4Q 1:23 pic.twitter.com/AudCNDRKNB— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
Redskin’s Zach Niekamp stops Hiland’s run with this jumper in the lane. He has 9 pts. @HilandAthletics 45@StHenryAD 38
4Q 4:50 pic.twitter.com/CvvgEOZU2E— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
St. Henry’s Caden Niekamp cleans the offensive glass and gets the and-one, makes the FT. He has 10 pts.@HilandAthletics 32@StHenryAD 34
3Q 2:08 pic.twitter.com/WqQoTzRemh— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
St. Henry’s Caden Niekamp ties this game up with this mid-range jumper. He has seven pts. @HilandAthletics 29@StHenryAD 29
3Q 3:44 pic.twitter.com/5p5vnXYPZT— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
St. Henry’s Zack Niekamp crashes the boards and extends Redskins’ lead. @HilandAthletics 10@StHenryAD 18
2Q 5:32 pic.twitter.com/ke9gQGIlqw— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
#HILvSTHbbk
🏀Div IV State Semifinal🏀
Redskin’s 6’6” center Caden Niekamp is a load in the middle of the key, scores his first bucket of the game for St. Henry. @HilandAthletics 2@StHenryAD 4
1Q 5:58 pic.twitter.com/5fwZ04XFhK— OhioSportsTicket.com (@OhioTicket) March 22, 2019
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