NEWARK, Ohio -- It doesn't feel quite accurate to declare a rematch when there are different players involved, but Olentangy Liberty should enjoy the near-hour bus ride home a little more on Tuesday after they defeated Newark 58-49, over nine months after the Wildcats upset the Patriots by a similar margin in the district finals.

A game that started close, with six lead changes and four ties in the first half, blossomed into a five-point Liberty lead going into halftime. Two Tyler Kropp free throws would give the Patriots a nine-point advantage to start the fourth and signal perhaps a comfortable finish, but back-to-back buckets along with a foul from senior Steele Meister and sophomore Ty Gilbert, capped by a Meister three pointer gave the Wildcats a one-point deficit with under six minutes to go.

After both teams traded offensive fouls, Liberty's Parker Van Engelenhoven connected on his first made attempt, as he drew the foul and converted the three-point play. The Wildcats would get within two thanks to a midrange from Meister, but after a three-pointer from Kropp, the Wildcats would never get within four, before they ultimately surrendered 58-49, which resulted in their first loss on the season.

Within the game, an entertaining individual duel between Kropp and Meister took place, as both players put up hefty numbers while also at times defending one another. While Meister led in scoring with 27 points, Kropp ultimately was the MVP with his 26 point, nine-rebound effort. 

The Patriots received great shooting from junior Nick Butterfield, who finished with 14 points and four rebounds. Senior Addison Bailey and junior Christian Moulton added five points each. 

Meister was the only Wildcat to reach double digit scoring, but received support from Gilbert's nine points and junior Braylon Morris' seven.

Olentangy Liberty will look to make it five straight wins when they host Upper Arlington in league game Friday. Newark has a league match of their own, a crucial opportunity against top ranked Reynoldsburg.

For more on Tuesday's impressive win for Liberty, check out the 5 Keys

1. Liberty Re-Loaded: It's become a common theme that a new batch of starters will come in almost on annual basis and pick right up where the previous team left off. Head Coach Greg Nossaman has done a tremendous job of developing players through his program, often times welcoming in new faces each year to elevated roles. That appears to be the case once again with this year's Liberty team, as we saw newish players such as Butterfield, Bailey, Van Engelenhoven and Moultry all make the most of their opportunities. Built around a tremendous asset in Kropp, the encouraging 5-1 start for the Patriots indicate another district final contender out of Powell. 

2. Tyler, the Dominator - Like taking an axe to a tree, for 32 minutes, Kropp continued to chop away at Newark as the Wildcats really didn't have an answer for six-foot-nine forward. Kropp was almost unstoppable, as he bullied his way in the post, but also showed his versatility with two threes and midrange pull-ups. Just as effective, Kropp went to the free throw line for nine attempts and made eight. We'll have more on Kropp's performance in our Substack Prospect Scouting Report, but there seems to be a serious elevation in play from the junior that has fetched ten Division I offers, and that elevation raises the Patriots' ceiling.

3. Free Throws Make A Difference - It's no one's favorite, but you can't argue free throws don't impact the game. Having plentiful attempts and making the most of them were a plus for the Patriots, as they had 13 attempts in the fourth quarter and hit on 11 of those. Meanwhile, Newark had just ten attempts the whole game, seven of which were in the fourth. With Kropp's physicality, he can expect to attract physical defense which will result in trips to the line. If he continues to shoot the bonus shots at a high level, along with his teammates who mostly did so on Tuesday, that can only help Liberty with inevitable future close games.

4. Steele Force - He wasn't alone, but a good chunk of the Wildcats production was at the hands of six-foot-three senior that can play nearly any position at the high school level. Meister was at his best to start and finish the game, as he scored 23 of his 27 points in the first and fourth quarters. Meister is big and tough, but has a soft and smooth stroke that pairs well with his competitive nature. The future Findlay Oiler is one of the area's top players and on Tuesday against Liberty, he gave the Patriots a top-notch effort.

5. Division (And District) Outlook - While this game doesn't contribute to their league standings, it had the feel of a conference game. At minimum, it gave each other a quality look and preparation for the upcoming conference schedule. Liberty has proven they will always be in the hunt for the OCC-Central and this year looks to be no different. Newark has top heavy competition in the Buckeye and already picked up a crucial win over Pickerington Central, but will have to face league favorite Reynoldsburg on Friday. We'd expect both teams to finish in the top three of their respective leagues and also predict that neither will be a team anyone will want to face early in the District tournament.