Redemption time: Dawson, Willard pull off dramatic win over Galion in sectional tournament
MADISON TOWNSHIP — When Willard's Max Dawson stepped to the free throw line with 28.2 seconds left and the Flashes trailing by one Wednesday night, there was just one thing going through his mind.
It was what happened moments earlier when he had a 1-and-1 opportunity that would have tied the score with two makes, but he missed the front end, leaving an empty possession for the Flashes.
It was redemption time.
Dawson calmly sank both free throws to put the Flashes ahead of Galion 78-77 and Willard never surrendered the lead again in a 82-77 Division II sectional semifinal win over the Tigers. He finished with a game-high 33 points, but it was that missed free throw that had him fuming after the win.
"It makes me so mad because of how many free throws I shoot in practice, but it happens and I have to give so much credit to Isaac (Robinson) for coming up with huge rebounds off of those misses," Dawson said. "He makes plays, and that is what he did in a key moment."
Robinson picked his teammate up in the closing seconds of the game when Dawson was back at the free-throw line. After making his first to give Willard a 79-77 lead, Dawson missed his second but Robinson come up with a big rebound to keep the possession alive and head to the line for two of his own. He knocked down both to give the Flashes an insurmountable lead with less than 10 seconds remaining.
Heading into the third quarter, Willard led 36-35, but on the first Galion possession the Tigers took the lead and kept it until 28.2 was left in the game. The Flashes trailed by as many as seven points in the closing minutes before Dawson and his crew went to work. They never seemed to be rattled.
"We talked about how to play with composure and never to panic and we even practice these kinds of situations," Willard coach Joe Bedingfield said. "It is an experienced group that expects to win. There is a big difference between wanting to win and expecting to win. We put these kids in a lot of different situations in practice and they respond every time.
"It is different in a tournament situation, but when you have guys who have been playing in these types of games for three years now. Isaac Robinson stepped up and made some huge free throws, Alex Strayer did a great job rebounding in the second half and it was a total team effort tonight."
Galion did everything it could to win the game. The Tigers nailed 17 3-pointers and Cooper Kent went off for 27 points, making seven of those 3s himself. Elijah Chafin scored 22 and made four 3s.
"Those two are the heartbeat of our team," Galion coach Ryan Stover said. "Tonight, we fed them a lot and they put us right on their backs and pushed us to an opportunity to beat a really good team."
Bedingfield had to tip his cap to the two sharpshooters and the entire Galion staff for the improvement the Tigers have shown over the course of the season.
"We knew they were very capable shooters and that no matter what their season record was the tournament always breaths new life into teams," Bedingfield said. "Credit to Coach Stover and Galion's staff. Those kids are very much improved from when we scrimmaged them in the fall, and they played with a lot of confidence tonight."
When a team makes 17 3-pointers, it is almost a given it is going to walk away with a win.
"Except for when you are playing Willard," Stover said with a laugh. "On a serious note, I am extremely proud of the way we played tonight. That is just the start of where our program is heading. But you have to credit Willard. That is a really good team. They feed off of each other and everyone knows their role. They deserve the credit."
The Flashes seemed to cut the Galion lead down to within reach before the Tigers would respond with a massive 3-pointer to make it comfortable, but when the Flashes needed to make plays, they did in key moments, including a Dawson steal with his team down one and Galion trying to chew up some clock. It is what led to Dawson's go-ahead free throws and ultimately what won his team the game.
"Defense and rebounding wins tournament games," Bedingfield said. "As much focus as Max puts in on the offensive end, he is fully aware that if he wants to be a complete player he has to play on both ends. We challenged him and Cam (Robinson) to guard Chafin and Kent, but the way those two played tonight, I don't think there is anyone who can guard them."
Dawson also credited how well his team has bonded over the entire season to why the Flashes pulled off a stunner.
"It is easy for teams to get down and argue with each other when they are losing, and we don't do that," Dawson said. "A big part of what we do is no matter what the score is we try to play with the same intensity all the time and don't yell at each other. We are resilient and we always believe we are going to come back and win any game."
But, it was a program-defining mentality that kept the Flashes composed and always believing no matter how many times Galion seemed to land the knockout punch.
"The biggest thing in our program is an emphasis on next-play mentality," Dawson said. "When they make a shot, we don't even think about it. We push it right back at them and make one on our end."
Willard (15-8) has won seven in a row and moves on to the Division II sectional championship game against Lexington at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Madison.
"Our nonleague schedule prepared us for this stretch of games," Bedingfield said. "We have taken some butt whoopings and learned from them. You mix that with the chemistry this team has and the desire for this season to not end is the key for any good team. It is a credit to our kids and what they do day in and day out."
Cam Robinson paced Willard with 19 points, while Isaac Robinson added 14 and Alex Strayer scored 12.
Galion (8-15) has shown vast improvement compared to the last few years. Its eight wins are the most since 2018-19 when the Tigers won eight games in back-to-back seasons. It was a massive step in the right direction after winning just seven total games over the last three seasons.
"I am absolutely pleased," Stover said. "When I got here this program was not very good and the guys have bought in, and that is a credit to them. We won eight games. Could it have been more? Yeah. But it also could have been less. This year, we closed the gap and we haven't been blown out very much this year. Tonight, we showed our growth against a very good team."
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Willard beats Galion in OHSAA sectional semifinal boys basketball
