Two points not only separated Lloyd Memorial and Dixie Heights, they summed up a night defined by patience, possessions and postseason ramifications in the 34th District.
Tied at 41 in Edgewood entering overtime in the LINK nky Game of the Week presented by Mr. Kentucky and Skyline Chili, the Juggernauts bled the clock, using 3:57 of the four-minute extra session before Anthony Blaackar calmly knocked down two free throws for a 43-41 win. The victory secured a perfect 4-0 mark in district play and the No. 1 seed.
Given the familiarity between the two programs and their styles, the game unfolded as it often has, deliberate and low-scoring, and Lloyd leaned into it.
“I don’t know that there’s been a game that’s been high-scoring,” Lloyd head coach Michael Walker said. “We knew we had to be patient. We knew they were going to come out in zone (in overtime), and their hope was for us to miss a shot so they could go run offense. I felt like they weren’t going to come out on us, and I don’t like doing it, but I did and said we’re going to get the last shot.”
In a game with limited possessions, every trip mattered.
Late in regulation, a long pass nearly the length of the floor sailed out of bounds for Lloyd, giving the ball back to Dixie. Moments later, after advancing the ball near halfcourt with just three seconds remaining, Parks Vonderhaar buried a buzzer-beater to tie it at 41 and force overtime.
He nearly delivered déjà vu in the extra period, getting a similar look to extend the game again, but this time the shot bounced away as time expired.
“It’s a play that we’ve run quite a bit this year,” Dixie head coach Scott Code said. “One of those situations where you have limited time to score and it’s one where we can throw the ball into the middle of the court and he has a two-way go. It’s simple — you’re not going to turn the ball over and you’re going to get a shot off. To Parks’ credit, he hit the first one.”
As much success as Lloyd has had in recent years against district opponents, not just in the postseason, but the regular season too, that standard looked like it carried over early, despite heavy graduation losses from teams that had been through these moments before.
Lloyd jumped out to a 17-9 lead after one quarter and extended it to 26-18 at halftime.
The lone returning player with significant district experience, senior Anthony Blaackar, scored all eight of Lloyd’s points in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 34-28 entering the fourth. Fittingly, he was the one with the ball in his hands in the biggest of moments.
“We’ve been the one seed every year since I’ve been here,” Blaackar said. “I didn’t want this year to be the year that we slip up.”
His mindset when the ball found him?
“Got to go score,” Blaackar said.
He finished with 24 points, earning Skyline Chili Player of the Game honors.
Expectations for Blaackar were clear, but for players without that same district experience, Lloyd never wavered.
“The guys that decided to stick with it,” Walker said. “They’re tough. They stuck with it and bought in.”
Dixie was led by Max Rubemeyer with 12 points.
As the No. 1 seed Lloyd will face the winner of the quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Ludlow and No. 5 Villa Madonna in the semifinals. Dixie (3-1 in district) takes the No. 2 seed and will meet No. 3 St. Henry in the other semifinal.
Still there’s more regular season to be played. Friday evening, Lloyd (18-4) hosts Cincinnati Trailblazers at 7:45 p.m. in Erlanger, while Dixie (16-8) travels to face top-ranked Covington Catholic at 7:30 p.m.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
JUGGERNAUTS 43, COLONELS 41 (OT)
LLOYD MEMORIAL — 17-9-8-7-2 — 43
DIXIE HEIGHTS — 9-9-10-13-0 — 41
Scoring
Lloyd Memorial (43) — Blaackar 24, I. Golsby 7, Coleman 6, Barger 2, Kabeya 2, Lewis 2
Dixie Heights (41) — Rubemeyer 12, Seng 9, Vonderhaar 8, Metzger 7, Collins 5
Game Stats
3-Pointers: Lloyd Memorial 2, Dixie Heights 2
Free Throws: Lloyd Memorial 13/17, Dixie Heights 3/6
Fouls: Lloyd Memorial 12, Dixie Heights 19
Records: Lloyd Memorial 18-4, Dixie Heights 16-8