Martz spoils Wesson's career night as Upper Arlington shocks Westerville South

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio -- Two players on Tuesday night combined for 84 of the 135 points but it would be a third player who had the final say. As the gym at Upper Arlington (13-2) was packed to the gills, the Golden Bears shocked Westerville South (11-4) behind Max Martz' game-winning three as time expired.

In a game where South star center Kaleb Wesson scored a career-high 49 points, Upper Arlington had an answer for the Wildcats all night long, taking down the defending state champs 68-67.

Tuesday offered a showcase of two future Ohio State Buckeyes, as Wesson and Upper Arlington junior guard Dane Goodwin put on an absolute show. While Wesson would win the matchup, scoring 49 points, 35 of which in the second half alone, Goodwin won the war, finishing with 35 points and the victory.

Navigating foul trouble all game long, Upper Arlington showed an incredible amount of grit and resiliency on Tuesday. Despite picking up nearly 10 team fouls in the first quarter alone, the Golden Bears would manage to claw to a 32-30 lead at the break.

A major reason for that was Goodwin, who scored 16 points in the first half to get the Golden Bears going. In a wild ride of a second half, Westerville South and Upper Arlington exchanged knockout blows back and forth for 16 minutes.

Martz would heat up in the third quarter, knocking down two threes and scoring eight points out of the break. Leading 54-48 after three, the Golden Bears looked to be in business, but Wesson would have other plans.

Scoring 16 points in the third quarter alone, Wesson was a mad man in the fourth quarter. Scoring 11-straight points in the first three and a half minutes, Wesson converted two attempts at the line to put the Wildcats ahead 59-56 with 4:22 to go.

This is where it got fun.

On the next possession, Goodwin buried a three, tying the game at 59 with 3:35 remaining. Wesson would score again, putting the Wildcats ahead 61-59 with 2:44 to go. Responding with another three, Goodwin's eighth triple of the night gave the Golden Bears a 62-61 with 2:07 to go.

Whatever Goodwin could do, Wesson would do better. Responding with an And-1 bucket on the next possession, Wesson put the Wildcats ahead 64-62 with two minutes to go. While Upper Arlington failed to score on its next two possessions, the Golden Bears forced back-to-back steals, resulting in a coast-to-coast three-point play from Goodwin.

Calmly knocking down the go-ahead free throw with 35 seconds to go, Goodwin put Upper Arlington ahead 65-64. As was the story all night, Wesson answered back.

Scoring a jump hook on the left block, Wesson converted the shot through contact, converting at the line to put the Wildcats ahead 66-65 with 15.5 seconds remaining.

Calling a timeout before its final possession, everyone in the gym anticipated Upper Arlington to go back to its hot hand Goodwin. While Goodwin was not able to get open, Upper Arlington, who nearly threw it away in the final seconds, found Martz open on the left wing, who nailed a deep three-point field goals to give the Golden Bears a monumental victory.

While Goodwin's 35 points gave the Golden Bears the offensive punch it needed, Martz came through on the most important possession. Finishing with 19 points, Martz scored 13 in the second half alone. The duo of Goodwin and Martz combined for 54 points on the night, hitting 11 threes between the two.

For Westerville South, Wesson's 49 points are a career-high and school record for scoring. Wesson scored 35 of South's 37 second half points and broke his own school record that he set just 11 days ago. Dominating on the block and at the line, Wesson looked the part of a Big Ten big man who is going to have a strong college career.

Unfortunately for Westerville South, nobody else really stepped up on the night, as senior wing Cameron Caldwell's 10 points were second most on the night. Seniors Anthony Mills and Antoine Smith mightily struggled on Tuesday, combining for just four points.

With the win, Upper Arlington avoids dropping its second game of a row. Taking down a healthy Westerville South is a tough task, which really speaks to the high-level performance of Goodwin and Martz on Tuesday. Locking in its signature win of the season, Upper Arlington will now look to rally in the OCC-Central behind Dublin Coffman.

For Westerville South, the Wildcats fall to 11-4 on the season. With Wesson virtually producing all of the Wildcats points in the second half, Westerville South will be looking for answers on how it can surround its prized big man with help going forward. The road does not get easier for the Wildcats, who take on undefeated Newark on Saturday.