With the season on the line for the top-ranked team in the nation, five-star junior
Cameron Boozer came through in the clutch as he spun through the lane to slam home a dunk in traffic with five seconds remaining to tie things up at 57-57 and send the FHSAA Class 7A state title into overtime.
Columbus (Miami, Fla.) (27-4) went on to claim their third consecutive state championship with a 72-67 victory over No. 10
Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla.) on Saturday paced by 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals from Cameron Boozer.
A three-pointer from
Cameron Simpson with 4:40 remaining tied things up at 52-52 after the Pioneers erased a 16-point third quarter deficit and rallied back with a 13-0 run late in the third quarter.
Top 40 Michigan State signee
Jase Richardson responded with a three-pointer on the other end to give them a 55-52 advantage with four minutes remaining before back-to-back baskets from Three-star Virginia Tech signee
Tyler Johnson and four-star junior
Jalen Reece gave Oak Ridge their first advantage since the opening minutes of the contest with one minute and 20 seconds to go.
Cameron Boozer scored 24 points and grabbed 11 boards Saturday to lead Columbus to its third consecutive state title. (File photo: Lonnie Webb)
After a missed layup from Cameron Boozer on the other end with 30 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Oak Ridge converted one-of-two free throws to open to the door for Boozer's game-tying dunk in the final seconds.
Although a potential game-winning three-point attempt from Reese looked good on the other end, the ball rimmed in and out as time expired in regulation.
Senior guard
Randy Smith opened up overtime with a three-pointer from the right corner before the teams traded free throws back-and-forth before a rebound and layup from Georgia Southern pledge
Jordan Tillery cut the deficit to 64-61 with just over one minute remaining in the overtime session.
Following a pair of made free throws from top 20 junior
Cayden Boozer with just over 30 seconds remaining in the overtime period, Simpson knocked down a three-pointer with 30 seconds to go to cut the deficit to 68-66.
Smith converted a pair of free throws for the Explorers to give them a four-point advantage before a stop on the other end secured the victory for Columbus.
Tillery finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds for Oak Ridge (27-4) in the loss, while four-star junior
Jamier Jones finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
Cayden Boozer played a key role in the championship game victory, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Richardson contributed 14 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Columbus dispatched
Evans (Orlando) 76-56 in the first semifinal contest led by 29 points and 15 rebounds from Cameron Boozer.
Junior guard
Arosco Dubois
was able to keep Evans within striking distance for much of the first
half as he tallied 22 of his game-high 33 points in the first half to
keep the Trojans deficit at 43-30 at the intermission.
A
strong third quarter surge saw Columbus extend its lead to 59-42 before
cruising to the victory in the final eight minutes of action.
Richardson contributed 13 points in the victory for the Explorers and junior guard
Benny Fragela knocked down four three-pointers for 12 points.
In the other semifinal contest, Oak Ridge knocked off No. 18
Winter Haven 85-74 paced by 29 points, three rebounds and three assists from Jamier Jones.
After
falling behind 2-0 to start the game, the Pioneers never trailed in the
impressive victory Friday afternoon. Oak Ridge jumped ahead 25-12 at
the end of the first quarter, took a 44-32 advantage into halftime and
maintained a 62-52 advantage at the end of the third period
Tyler Johnson
also chipped in 20 points
in the victory and Tillery tallied 11 points, nine rebounds and
five assists.
Yale commit
Isaac Celiscar finished with a team-high 28 points in the loss, while sophomore forward
Cezanne Mosley contributed 20 points for the Trojans.
