POWELL, Ohio -- Each Friday, when OCC divisional contests routinely take place, there's no division that has competed as competitive and evenly-matched as the OCC Central. With an opportunity for the winner to take a co-lead in the standings, Olentangy Liberty outlasted Dublin Coffman by a 52-50 victory in dramatic fashion.

A thrilling second half overcame a sluggish start from both teams. Excluding the solid offensive shooting display and 11 points from Liberty senior Cooper Davis,  the Patriots and Rocks traded turnovers, missed looks around the rim and shot jumpers that failed to touch anything. Even Coffman standout senior Ajay Sheldon was limited to just one made field goal in what was an unusually quiet half from one of the area's best scorers.

The subdued Sheldon would only last for so long.  The future Ohio Bobcat put on a clinic in the third quarter, first with a three pointer, followed by two more quick scores.  The 6-foot-1 athletic guard simply became unguardable, as he connected on two more triples towards a 15-point third quarter. Yet the Patriots would match Sheldon's production thanks to an all-around team effort, with five players adding to the scoring duties.

The Patriots stormed into the final period with momentum off a Davis pull-up three pointer, his fourth of the game, as time expired to give Liberty a 36-35 lead.

Both teams would swap leads throughout the fourth and Liberty found themselves down a point before senior Trey Majizadeh, who played an all-around excellent game and scored 17 points, made his best play of the night as he drove in the paint and found Davis who finished a difficult lay-in to put the Patriots in front 48-47 with a minute remaining. 

After two made free throws from Majizadeh pushed Liberty's lead to three, a missed Sheldon three attempt gave the the Patriots the ball with clock to kill. Yet an unforced turnover gave it right back to Coffman for a final opportunity with 24 seconds left.

Everyone in attendance knew who was going to get Coffman's final look. After Sheldon initially killed clock and even found teammates that had open looks, they would resort to giving the ball back to Sheldon. Sheldon then drove to the left corner through a double team and sunk a corner three to tie the game, leaving just over a second on the clock. 

"We knew [Sheldon] was going to shoot it," Davis said after the game. "He's one of the best players around, it was a great shot." 

Liberty still had 1.5 seconds left to inbound, but had a full court to do so. A somewhat risky pass was launched to Davis, who was positioned near half court, when Sheldon aggressively attacked the throw and made contact with Davis. Sheldon was called for a foul which would send Davis to the line for two attempts. The Toledo commit, who already was six of seven free throw attempts previously, sunk the final two and clinched a Patriots victory.

"We kept battling, we played so hard," Davis said as he led Liberty in scoring with 22 points. "So many guys played well, it was a great win."

Davis, who we'll highlight more in the Prospect Scouting Report, was fantastic and the game's MVP, but it was an all-around committee approach that helped Liberty overcome the masterful second half performance from Sheldon. 

Majizadeh scored most of his 17 points due to his active motor and strong finishes around the rim. As lead guard, he did a solid job of avoiding turnovers and played his best basketball in the second half, scoring 11 points. 

"Trey is great," Davis said. "He learned a lot from playing behind Henry Hinkle last year, it really helped."

Davis also acknowledged the all-around play from junior Alex Okuley, a 6-foot-3 wing that spent most of the game with the difficult task of defending Sheldon, who had some success despite Sheldon still finding a way to score.

"Okuley did a great job all game," Davis said. "[Ajay] just made some tough shots, but Okuley was big for us." 

Joining Okuley in the hustle department was fellow junior James Hummell, who also made positive plays on the defensive end and garnered three steals and made a big play in the final two minutes when he saved a possession from going out of bounds. Both Okuley and Hummell finished with four points.

After a rough start to their season that saw the Patriots lose their first five games, Olentangy Liberty has now won eight of their last nine, which includes six straight. Hardly any players in the area are as hot as Davis, who has now scored over 20 points in the last seven games. Yet Davis is quick to acknowledge it's the team's buy-in and trust in each other that's helped spur their run.

"We've been playing together since the third grade," Davis said. "We have a lot of confidence in each other."

While Olentangy Liberty has seemed to find their groove, the same can't be said for Dublin Coffman. After the Rocks made a seemingly statement win over previously undefeated Upper Arlington, Coffman has now lost four of their last five and have struggled to find consistent offense beyond the spectacular play-making abilities of Sheldon.

On Friday, the Rocks got support from senior Mason Maggs, who scored a season high 10 points. Maggs, whose college future is as a quarterback, showcased athleticism and strong finishes and did so in front of a couple Ohio University football coaches that were on hand to support.

No other player for Coffman scored more than four points.

The Rocks (7-6) will look to get back on a winning track when they play Olentangy Orange on Friday.

The Patriots (8-6) have a quick turnaround and will travel to play the always challenging Newark Wildcats on Saturday.

For more on the top performances from Davis and Majizadeh, read below in the Prospect Scouting Report.

Cooper Davis (6'4 SG / Olentangy Liberty / 2022) The sharp-shooting wing is playing at the best level we've ever seen him as he's developed into one of the area's best pure outside shooters. Davis showcased his quick release from his four made three-pointers, giving the Patriots multiple offensive bursts at the most-needed moments. A confident and aggressive Davis is when the Toledo commit truly looks the part of a well-rounded player that has some serious game. Davis responded to the big moment by making two game-winning free throws and showed excellent poise at the charity stripe all evening, as he went eight of nine. It's hard to not notice the impact Davis makes each game as he continues to make his case to be a first team all district player.

Trey Majizadeh (6'1 SG / Olentangy Liberty / 2022) After playing behind arguably the best point guard in program history in Henry Hinkle, Majizadeh has waited his turn and is making the most of his senior year. Majizadeh is noticeably strong and uses his built upper frame to absorb contact and finish well around the rim. Defensively, he had an impressive swat around the rim in the first half. While he doesn't necessarily possess a jump-out-the-gym vertical or top notch speed, Majizadeh is a good decision maker and is active without the ball, often times aggressively pursuing rebounds and never taking a play off. Division III programs that value hard workers should take a look at Majizadeh, who is playing consistently good basketball for a winning team.