Destiny fulfilled!

SOLON — It’s not easy to get to the state tournament. The New London boys basketball team knows this all too well.

That’s why Saturday night’s Class 1A Substate 4 final was so significant. The Tigers broke a streak of five years of promising seasons falling short with a thrilling 70-69 overtime win over Marquette Catholic, and for the first time in six years, New London is going to the state tournament.

“It means everything,” said senior Blaise Porter, who has been a varsity standout since freshman year. “The last three years, we came up short. It just means everything.”

It was another longtime star who got things going for New London. Kade Benjamin was dominant in the first quarter, as the Tiger big man had 10 first quarter points. Marquette, however, held a 16-14 lead after the first quarter.

New London temporarily took back the lead early in the second period with the help of two clutch 3-pointers by Rylan Martin, who sank two-straight shots to send the New London crowd into a frenzy.

“I'm not really a basketball player at all, but when I hit those 3-pointers, I like to really celebrate,” said Martin. “I like to let people know.”

Marquette, however, had the upper hand down the stretch in the first half. New London failed to take the lead on its final chance, and a couple of free throws earned when Porter got caught fouling on a half-court heave put the Tigers down 36-33 at the break.

After scoring just four points in the first two quarters, it was Porter who found his rhythm in the third. Porter scored 10 points in the third quarter, and helped New London get up by two possessions. Marquette, however, closed out the third and tied the game up at 53-53.

The Tigers had their backs against the wall multiple times in the fourth quarter, but the two players who have led the team since they were freshman were ready to shine.

Down 57-55 with just over five minutes left, Benjamin came away with a steal just past half -court and busted down court for a game-tying dunk. Then, down 62-59 with 1:50 showing on the clock, Porter stole the ball at half-court and converted a game-tying 3-point play.

“It's just awesome to get them there,” said New London head coach Bryant Porter. “They've been itching and coming up short, and they finally put their heads together said 'we're going to do it this time.'”

Tied 62-62 both teams had a chance to win it. First, Porter’s layup attempt with eight seconds left fell just short, and then Marquette’s Evan Scott had not one, but two shots at the buzzer fall off the rim.

“That was probably the highest my heart rate has been, man,” said (Blaise) Porter. “I can't explain it.”

When overtime came, the big two kept on churning out points. Porter and Benjamin attacked the rim over and over, and eventually, New London found itself with a 70-67 lead and 35 seconds to go.

“I had plenty left,” Benjamin said. “I was going to leave it all out there.”

New London played tough defense, and Marquette had to settle for a two-point shot in the final 10 seconds. Although the shot went in, the Tigers could bleed out five seconds before throwing the ball in, and by the time Marquette had fouled junior Brendan Richey, only 0.3 seconds remained in the game.

“I thought the buzzer rang, so I was going crazy,” Martin said.

Martin and his teammates would be doing just that minutes later. After sorting out the clock situation, Richey hit back rim with his free throw, and Marquette’s full-court heave went wide left.

“I just looked at Kade and gave him a big hug,” said Porter. “We deserve it. Our team deserves it. Our coaches, and fans and communities deserve it.”

Porter ended the night with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Benjamin finished with 27 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Martin had eight points. Leo Gebauer scored six. Brigham Porter scored two, and Richey finished with a rebound and an assist.

“We've been at this for four years,” Benjamin said. “The fourth year at it, we finally got it.”

And the Tigers will get top-seeded Grand View Christian in the first round of the Class 1A state tournament. New London and Grand View will start off the tournament with a game at 10:30 a.m., on March 6.

“We're not just happy to be there,” said Coach Porter, who has now led the only two New London teams to the promised land. “We're going to compete. We want to keep playing.”