FINDLAY (Crawford County Now) — When things looked darkest for Seneca East, Tigers’ point guard Luke Mason became their flashlight.
Van Buren led by four points with under two minutes before Mason took over.
Mason single-handedly scored the last six points of the game to rally his team to an improbable 39-37 win over the Black Knights in the Division VI district final at Liberty-Benton High School.
The win secures a berth in the regional tournament on Thursday at 6 p.m. against Northern 10 Conference foe Colonel Crawford, a 68-55 winner over Patrick Henry.
“I have no words for you,” Seneca East coach Anthony Langhurst said. “I didn’t expect anything except pulling out a victory like that with this team. It’s been like this all year.”
The rally started when, following a Van Buren turnover, Mason scored on a stick-back. After another Black Knights turnover, Mason hit a pair of free throws to tie the game at 37-37 with 1:27 to go.
That set the stage for the dramatic conclusion. With overtime seeming imminent, Mason attempted a turnaround 3-point shot from deep on the left wing. Van Buren (20-4) was whistled for a foul with one second left on the game clock.
Mason calmly hit two of three free tosses to secure the win as a Black Knights’ desperation shot at the buzzer fell short.
“We worked our tails off to get to come down to a one second call and let the guys not play for the points,” Van Buren coach Mark Bunn said. “They let a lot go, why not let that go?”
Bunn referred to the physical nature of the game throughout. Langhurst was not surprised.
“That was apparent on film,” Langhurst said of the Black Knights’ rugged play. “Hats off to Van Buren. You don’t win that many games without defending hard and being physical.
“We talked about that against Mansfield Christian. They call the game different (in tournaments). You’re not getting bumps, you’re not getting ticky-tack calls underneath. Play through it.”
Leading the Black Knights was Will Rampe, who threw his team on his back, scoring a game-high 21 points, all on the block.
“I wish he would have took it to the rack a little bit more,” Bunn said. “And that’s just him all year. He’s progressed into a dominant post player for us. He’s a fire, he’s awesome. He’ll be a huge loss for us after this year.”
Seneca East (19-6) hit 14 of 19 free throws compared to only four of 12 for Van Buren. Mason was seven of nine.
“Luke makes me look a lot smarter than I am,” Langhurst said. “I’m just happy for him for how the season went.”
Despite Rampe’s dominance inside, the Black Knights struggled shooting the ball. They were one of 20 from 3-point range.
“We haven’t shot the ball well, but we just rely on our defense,” Bunn said. “Tonight was one of those nights we did not shoot the ball well. Wednesday (against Columbus Grove), we did from 3 land. Tonight, we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.”
Alex Homan was the only other player in double figures for Van Buren with 11. He had the Black Knights’ only 3. Cole Bishop had six rebounds.
Freshman Jaron Depinet matched Mason with 12 points for the Tigers. Depinet also pulled down five boards.
“Jaron’s huge,” Langhurst said. “The way he plays, the way he carries himself, you’d never know he was a freshman.”
Bunn had envisioned a longer tournament run to go with a Blanchard Valley Conference championship. But he also recognized what was accomplished led by his eight seniors.
“This season’s seniors have really changed this program,” Bunn said. “My first year, they were freshmen. They bought into the system, and they just play nasty gate.”
Rampe, Homan, Bishop, Anakin Ortega, Brady Lance, Emmett Morey, Finn Martin, and Griffin Ware played their last game in a Van Buren uniform.
Seneca East now gets a third shot at Colonel Crawford in the regional semifinal at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green.
“It should be a great battle,” Langhurst said. “They can get you inside, they can get you outside, driving, their defense is phenomenal, they scout you to death. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, but I hope our guys will be up for the challenge.”
Box score
Seneca East 10 13 8 8 — 39
Van Buren 9 9 15 4 — 37
Seneca East (19-6): Shots 11-34; 3-pt. shots 3-21 (Brady Bloom 2, Luke Mason); Free throws 14-19; Rebounds 28 (Jaron Depinet 5); Turnovers 18. Scoring: Ayden Perkins 0 2 2, Luke Mason 2 7 12, Brady Bloom 2 0 6, Logan Collins 2 1 5, Jaron Depinet 4 4 12, Landyn Hicks 1 0 2.
Van Buren (20-4): Shots 16-41; 3-pt. shots 1-20 (Alex Homan); Free throws 4-12; Rebounds 23 (Cole Bishop 6); Turnovers 13. Scoring: Alex Homan 4 2 11, Brady Lance 0 1 1, Finn Martin 2 0 4, Will Rampe 10 1 21.