Reynoldsburg 64, Lakota West 63
Xavier McKinney scores at the buzzer to punch the Raiders first ever ticket to the state championship
FAIRBORN, OH - If the saying that we have “nine lives” is true, the Reynoldsburg Raiders have made the most of their first eight and have held on to their final ninth for just long enough to reach the final destination.
With nail-biting wins in the district final and regional semis, followed by a double-OT thriller against Olentangy Liberty in the regional championship, the Raiders had their most dramatic and Hollywoodesque win of the year on Sunday with a 64-63 victory against Lakota West as they advance to their first ever Division I state championship.
The Raiders came out of a timeout as they trailed by one point to inbound the ball under their own hoop with one second left.
Senior guard Damon Griffin was the inbound man as the Raiders attempted a double screen to get senior Toby Nwokolo an open jumper on the wing. In the process, Raiders junior Xavier McKinney ran off the screen as well and found a crack in the defense that left him wide open on the left side of the hoop. Griffin found McKinney who used a right-hand floater off the glass that swam through the net as time expired.
