Oak Glen boys bow out in regional semifinals
Ron Firth REBOUND — Oak Glen’s Tyler Evans gets to a loose ball before Tyler’s Korbin Highley on Friday.
NEW MANCHESTER — Tyler Consolidated swept the season series from Oak Glen, but it wasn’t easy.
The fifth-seeded Knights rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit with a 16-7 fourth-quarter run for a 46-41 win in Class AA, Region 1 action Friday.
Oak Glen lost its fourth in a row to finish the season with a 12-11 record.
Tyler won its fourth in a row to improve to 9-14. The Knights — who beat Oak Glen 70-66 on Jan. 24 — will play at defending state champion Wheeling Central (19-0) on Thursday. The Knights lost to Wheeling Central, 91-50, on Jan. 17. The winner goes to the West Virginia state tournament.
Garrett Bordenkircher led Tyler with a game-high 15 points, including eight in the third quarter.
Tyler closed the deficit to 34-30 after three quarters.
John Mace scored six points in the fourth quarter to highlight the Knights’ 16-7 run. The Knights pulled ahead in spite of 4-of-12 free throw shooting in the final period.
Chase Hartung topped the Golden Bears with 10 points. Mason Kell added nine points, all in the first half, and Will Weekley had eight points.
The Golden Bears went ahead 10-2 before the Knights hit their first field goal with 2:10 left in the first quarter.
The Knights shot 1-of-12 in the first quarter and 5-of-21 in the first half with seven turnovers as Oak Glen built a 24-15 lead.
Oak Glen also had five field goals in the first half, but was 12-of-17 at the foul line to take a nine-point lead on Hartung’s late jumper in the lane.


