WARREN — The All-American Conference title was up for grabs when Warren G. Harding hosted Canfield on Tuesday.

It was one of the most highly contested games in the area this season, and it was only fitting that it took overtime to decide the outcome.

After Canfield (14-5, 5-2) sophomore Ben Weaver made a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining in overtime, the game was tied 56-56.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, five seconds was just enough time for Donovan Herron to take the ball the length of the court, and lay it in at the buzzer, for a 58-56 Raiders victory.

“I’m happy I could contribute to the win,” said Herron, who finished with a team-high 18 points. “It felt amazing to end the game like that. I’m just happy we won.”

Canfield clobbered Harding 70-31 in their first meeting on Jan. 13th. However, Herron and the rest of the Raiders (13-7, 5-2) have improved dramatically in recent weeks.

“We can’t let one guy dribble the length of the court,” said Canfield coach John Cullen. “There has to be a team reaction to that. We have to handle those situations better. It’s a game of mistakes. We responded well to our mistakes. We just ran out of time after that one.

“It was a heck of a game. I’m proud of our guys. Both teams fought their tails off. Donovan Herron is a different player than the first time we played. He made a big difference because you have more players to guard.”

Another Harding player you have to try to guard is senior Jacob Lawrence, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and was pivotal in sending it to overtime on both ends of the floor.

“We really gritted it out,” said Lawrence. “We rebounded and defended well. Last time we played, they blew us out. We needed to get this one.”

Now, the Raiders have a chance to clinch at least a share of the conference championship with a win at Boardman (7-12, 1-6) on Friday.

“This is a good feeling right now,” said Lawrence. “We just have to handle business against Boardman.”

It would be the first All-American Conference title for third-year Harding coach Keelyn Franklin.

“It was stressful tonight,” said Franklin. “It was a great game on both sides. Guys were making plays, and making shots. No one wants to drop a crucial conference game like this. It was back and forth. Those are the types of games you want to be a part of as a high school coach. Luckily, we came out on the good side.

“We haven’t won the conference since I’ve been here. It’s been Boardman every year. We want to be recognized as one of the better teams in the area, and we want to win our conference. If we take care of business on Friday, I think we can kill two birds with one stone.”

Harding led 22-15 at the end of the first quarter thanks to a 3-pointer from the corner by Khamari Adams.

Herron was fouled while shooting from downtown, and he completed a 4-point play. Khalil Williams and Jake Schneider (game-high 20 points) each made great plays to keep the ball from going out of bounds and Harding led 32-28 at halftime.

The game slowed down in the third quarter. Chaz Coleman made two free throws for the Raiders’ first points of the quarter with 1:35 left in the frame. Coleman had a put-back to keep Harding on top 36-35 after three.

Sam Castronova made a 3-pointer from straight away for Canfield. Schneider converted an and-one. Tony Russo (16 points) had a steal, and a layup, and the Cardinals were up 45-41 with 4:37 left in regulation.

The Raiders tied it back up after both teams exchanged turnovers. Schneider, and Weaver both had chances to win it with 3 seconds to go for Canfield, but they just missed and Herron stole the show at the end.

Donovan is more settled in now,” said Franklin. “He’s a Warren kid. He just came back from Georgia. He played for me as a sophomore.

“He understands his role. The last time we played Canfield, that was Donovan’s second game with us. He’s another ball handler that relieves pressure from Jacob. He can make shots. If you have guards that can handle pressure, and make shots, you have a chance to win.”

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