COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In the Central Catholic League, some games are not truly over until the final buzzer sounds. 

That was the case on Friday night at Bishop Watterson, as the home Eagles squandered a 12-point fourth quarter lead against rival St. Charles, falling in the final second as Isaac Searls banked a runner off the glass to send the Cardinals home victorious, 38-37.

St. Charles ended the game on a 17-4 run in the fourth quarter, holding the Eagles without a field goal for the final three and a half minutes.

Bishop Watterson looked to have all momentum after dominant middle quarters, outscoring the Cardinals 26-10 to take a 33-21 lead into the final frame.

The wheels fell off in the fourth quarter, as inability to make crucial free throws cost Bishop Watterson greatly. The Eagles had multiple chances to put the game away at the line, however, they were unable to do so.

Junior Owen Samenuk buried a three-point field goal with 3:31 remaining to give the Eagles a 36-30 edge. St. Charles knew exactly who to go to on the ensuing possession, as junior Chase Walker scored through contact to cut the deficit back to four.

The play of Walker was crucial all night, as the 6-foot-8 junior big man dominated the interior, forcing a combined nine fouls on Bishop Watterson's duo of big men in junior Cole Rhett and senior Gilbert Oduro.

That foul trouble came back to haunt Bishop Watterson, as Rhett picked up his fifth and final foul after contact made to Searls following an offensive rebound and put back attempt with a little over a minute to go. 

This was where Searls fully made his imprint on the game. The senior was tremendous in the entire fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to a single possession with a big three-point play with 4:32 remaining.

After knocking down one of two free throws on Rhett's fifth foul moments later, Searls made another major hustle play, scrambling to his own missed attempt in the right corner, drawing a foul on a Bishop Watterson defender.

Searls knocked down one of two free throws to cut the lead to 37-36 with just over a minute to go.

Bishop Watterson's free throw woes were just beginning, as the Eagles proceeded to miss four-straight free throw attempts, setting up the final possession with eight seconds to go.

After securing the rebound, Walker passed up to junior guard Zach Auletta who dished to a sprinting Searls. Searls knifed his way through two defenders with slick footwork, gathering with his right foot and then landing on the same foot while covering a significant amount of ground.

Searls' ability to create separation allowed him to elevate uncontested and knock in a bank shot from a few feet out, giving St. Charles its final lead of the game with 1.3 seconds to go and leaving Bishop Watterson with no timeouts.

With the clock running out on the Eagles, St. Charles' bench stormed the floor and mobbed around Searls, who was the fourth quarter hero. The senior made all the big plays down the stretch that needed to be made, helping the Cardinals pick up a massive league win after dropping its CCL opener to Bishop Ready last week.

Walker was dynamite on both ends of the floor, leading all scorers with 21 points and a boatload of rebounds. Searls added 11 points, nine of which in the fourth quarter alone. No other player for St. Charles had more than three points, as Walker and Searls quite literally carried the Cardinals to the win.

For Bishop Watterson, Samenuk led all scorers with 13 points. Charlie Lewis added nine points, while no other Eagle had more than five on the night. Rhett, who was in the middle of a big-time one-on-one matchup with Walker, was hampered with foul trouble for large stretches in the game which certainly changed Friday's outcome.

St. Charles will look to keep winning when they host Bishop Hartley next Friday in an important CCL matchup.

For Bishop Watterson, the Eagles will need to quickly rebound when they take on Reynoldsburg tomorrow at the Tiger Roundball Classic at Pickerington Central.

Chase Walker (6'8 C / St. Charles / 2023): Walker is as traditional as traditional bigs get. The 6-foot-8 junior is the biggest player in the area and he certainly plays like it. He single handedly kept St. Charles in the game for three quarters, having his way around the basket and finishing through contact, getting his hands on every rebound in his area and living at the free throw line. Walker has great patience in the post, excellent footwork, soft hands and a great touch around the rim. He even showed the ability to step out and bury a three, while his passing and vision out of the post remains one of the best traits of his game. It's simply impossible to keep Walker off the glass at the high school level, as he can move around even the biggest and strongest of opponents, as that was the case once again on Friday. Finishing with 21 points, Walker could've finished with much more if he had a better shooting night at the line. Regardless, his performance was inspiring and was enough to help push St. Charles over the top in a tough environment against a great opponent. 

Owen Samenuk (6'1 SG / Bishop Watterson / 2023): Samenuk is one of the very best kept secrets in the 2023 class. The 6-foot-1 junior guard is a scoring machine who has a ton of natural ability. We really enjoyed watching him play on the offensive side of the floor, as he is an absolute dead eye shooter with one of the prettiest jumpers in the area. Samenuk can do more than just shoot, as he is an athletic finisher who was very consistent attacking the rim. The junior was a pest on the defensive perimeter, forcing a handful of turnovers, namely in the second quarter when Bishop Watterson got into transition and broke the game open. With his dominant three-point shooting and ability to finish at the rim, Samenuk will be due for some big scoring nights this winter and will be one of the best players in the CCL for the next two seasons. 

Isaac Searls (6'2 SF / St. Charles / 2022): Searls should be in the shadow of his older brother, 2020 St. Charles graduate and current Ashland big man Vic Searls, no more. The 6-foot-2 senior had a game that he will never forget, dominating the fourth quarter and helping St. Charles to a huge win. We really enjoyed watching Searls compete, as his motor never stopped running which helped him come up with two crucial hustle plays in the final few minutes that helped swing the momentum. Searls is a strong finisher going toward the rim where he can go up through contact and put the ball in the basket. HIs jump shot is not the strongest part of his game, however, he is an athletic slasher that has great footwork, exhibited on his game winning bucket. For St. Charles to have a chance to win yet another CCL title, they'll need consistent scoring from players outside of Walker and Searls has shown that he's more than capable of doing so. 

Charlie Lewis (6'0 PG / Bishop Watterson / 2022): We really enjoyed watching Lewis play on Friday, as he is an athletic lead guard with a shifty handle. The 6-foot senior showed the ability to both orchestrate an offense and score when needed, as he and Samneuk took the game over in the second quarter in transition. Lewis can break a defender down off the dribble and has the IQ and passing ability to make next level reads to find open teammates. Bishop Watterson is a balanced unit and has a nice mix of complimentary players, however, the straw that stirs the drink is Lewis, as he makes things go and can be trusted to bring a game home in the fourth quarter. While his missed free throws on Bishop Watterson's final possession may overshadow his performance, we really liked the way Lewis played and feel that he has the ability to play at the next level in college.

Cole Rhett (6'6 C / Bishop Watterson / 2023): The showdown between Rhett and Walker was extremely fun to watch, as you hardly get a big-time matchup between two back to the back post players in 2021. Rhett was the go-to guy that helped power Bishop Watterson to a Cinderella run to the regional finals last season and had a lot of expectations coming into this season. While foul trouble kept him out of large stretches in Friday's game, Rhett made a big impact with his ability to defend the post and cause havoc both on the boards and on defense. We really like the intensity and aggressiveness that Rhett plays with, as he is not afraid to get his hands dirty and make gritty plays. Offensively, Rhett can finish through contact and has great touch going over either shoulder. With another year of strength and conditioning, Rhett will be an impact guy at the next level with his unique play style as a bruiser of a post player.