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Jeremiah Keene's buzzer-beater lifts Westerville North over Olentangy Liberty

By Zach Fleer, 01/06/17, 9:15PM EST

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Jeremiah Keene hit a three with no time left to lead Westerville North to a win


Jeremiah Keene

POWELL, Ohio -- Big-time players make big-time shots in big-time games. Fortunately for Westerville North, Jeremiah Keene is a big-time player. Draining a buzzer-beating three-pointer as time expired, Keene led Westerville North over Olentangy Liberty on the road, 59-57.

In a game that Westerville North controlled for most of the night, leading after every quarter, sloppy play allowed Liberty to sneak back in. Liberty capitalized on back-to-back North turnovers late in the fourth quarter, as senior guard Jack Barnett sparked a quick 7-0 run. Barnett would hit two free throws with :45 to go to give the Patriots a 57-56 advantage.

Running the clock down to ten seconds, the Warriors needed a bucket in the worst way. That bucket came from Keene, who led all scorers with 20 points on the night.

Keene was mightily impressive shooting the ball, knocking down five threes and stretching the Liberty defense. Keene's shooting prowess allowed North to capitalize inside, as senior forward Connor Ledford excelled, scoring 16 points.

North also got hefty contribution from senior wing Austin Bennett, who finished with nine points including two big steals that resulted in momentum dunks in the fourth quarter.

Starting off hot in the first half, junior guard and the team's leading scorer Julius Brown added nine points for the Warriors. Senior forward Malik Sammons finished with two points, five rebounds and three assists, the last of which to Keene for the win.

For Liberty, Barnett led the way with 14 points, 10 of which in the second half. Barnett did a great job handling North's pressure and made enough plays to give the Patriots a chance at the end.

Sophomore forward Mitch Kershner was key off the bench for Liberty, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. Kershner and fellow sophomore Ben Roderick were both impressive, as Roderick added 10 points, all of which in the first half. Sophomore wing Nick Nakasian added eight points for the Patriots, who had no other player with more than four points.

With the win, Westerville North improves to 8-1 and will look to keep rolling against Eastmoor in a game played at Africentric on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

For Olentangy Liberty, the Patriots will look to bounce back on Tuesday at Hilliard Davidson.

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