It was another closely contested match-up between the two traditional NCAA Div. III Ohio powers, which have met seven times over the last 13 seasons with the Scots now holding a 7-6 edge. Four of those games have been decided by less than 10 points.
Ohio Northern’s Ryan Lee completed a backdoor lay-up with 1:20 remaining to give the Polar Bears a 69-68 lead., but Wooster answered thanks to an offensive rebound by Tom Port. After Kyle Witucky’s driving attempt from the right didn’t fall, Port came down with the ball in the lane, went back up with it, and was fouled. He made both free throws to put the Scots back on top (70-69) at the 1:06 mark.
On the ensuing possession, Ohio Northern (1-1) misfired on a jumper and Port corralled the board again.
The Scots (2-0) then worked the clock down before Andy Van Horn produced a nice individual move, scoring on an off-balanced shot just right of the basket to make it a three-point margin (72-69) with :21 left.
The Polar Bears had a decent look at a potential tying 3-pointer, but the long attempt was off target and Witucky came down with the rebound this time. He was fouled and calmly sunk both free throws, sealing Wooster’s eighth Al Van Wie Rotary Classic title.
The Scots had to play catch-up for much of the contest. Ohio Northern jumped out to an 18-11 lead about seven minutes in, but then Wooster scored 15 of the next 18 points to take a 26-21 advantage. The Polar Bears responded with a run of their own, retaking the lead at 29-28 and eventually going into the half ahead 36-34.
Ohio Northern held the biggest lead of the game at 44-36 early in the second. The Scots eventually strung together an 11-3 run to go up 52-51 at the midway point.
The Polar Bears then went back in front for about a four-minute stretch before Blake Mealer got himself free for a lay-up, which gave the Scots a 58-57 lead with 5:33 remaining. The last time Wooster would trail was after Lee’s aforementioned basket.
Witucky was named the tournament’s MVP after scoring a team-high 15 points on Saturday, while Ohio Northern’s Nate Lieb earned defensive MVP honors. He played a big part in Port’s off-night, holding Wooster’s leading scorer to 10 points on 3-of-12 field-goal shooting.
Joining Witucky and Port in double figures for the Scots were Matt Schlingman and Van Horn with 13 points apiece. It marked a career-high for Van Horn, a sophomore who saw limited action as a freshman. Port, who totaled a team-high nine rebounds, and Van Horn also represented Wooster on the all-tournament team.
For the Polar Bears, Ryan Lee scored a game-high 20 points to earn all-tourney recognition. Lieb complemented his defensive effort with 16 points, while Mark Killian chipped in 11 markers and a squad-best nine rebounds.
In the consolation, Ohio Dominican University weathered a late rally by Campbellsville University to win 89-82. Campbellsville (3-4) trailed by 21 points (53-74) with less than 10 minutes to play, but pulled within four (79-83) at the 1:35 mark before Ohio Dominican (3-1) sunk six-straight from the free throw line.
Also on the all-tournament team were Zach Allender (Campbellsville) and Donta Patterson (ODU).