ASHLAND — If Hudson Rohler is dreaming, don’t wake him up.
Mount Vernon’s 6-foot-1 senior sharp-shooter connected on a long 3-pointer as time expired in overtime Friday to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 74-72 win over Ashland at Arrow Arena in the Ohio Cardinal Conference opener for both teams.
An All-Ohio Cardinal Conference honorable-mention selection as a sophomore, Rohler lost his entire junior season to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He has been instrumental in Mount Vernon’s first 3-0 start since 2017-18.
“I took a full year for rehab because I wanted to be sure to make it back for this year,” said Rohler, who scored 21 of his team-high 26 points in the second half and overtime. “I had an amazing support system and they told me I was going to make it back. It feels great.”
Kamden Mowry gave Ashland (0-3, 0-1) a 72-71 lead when he hit the first of two free throws with 8.9 seconds remaining in the four-minute overtime session. Mowry misfired on the second and Mount Vernon snared the rebound.
Rohler brought the ball up the floor before passing to Caden Rowland, who hit the game-winner in Wednesday’s 55-53 win at Johnstown. Rowland was immediately double-teamed, but was able to get the ball back to Rohler.
“Caden got doubled and kicked it to me. He had all the confidence in the world in me and I had all the confidence in myself,” Rohler said. “As soon as I shot it I knew it was going in. It felt amazing out of my hand.”
Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon could have used a timeout after the Yellow Jackets grabbed Ashland’s missed second free throw, but instead allowed the sequence to play out.
“You have to know your team. With our guys I trusted that whatever play needed to be made, we were going to make the right one,” Coon said. “Now that doesn’t guarantee a shot is going to go in. But I felt like, with our group, we would come down and get the last shot and we were going to live with it regardless.
“That’s exciting to see when you know the type of kids you have and they just reinforce it to you.”
Mount Vernon led 18-13 after the first quarter and 34-27 at the half, but the Arrows clawed their way back into it in the second half. Ashland cut the deficit to 51-46 going to the fourth before outscoring the Yellow Jackets 17-12 in the fourth quarter to force the extra session.
Grayson Steury, Ashland’s 6-foot senior marksman, scored 21 of his game-high 34 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. His 3-pointer under heavy pressure tied the game at 63-63 with 1:20 remaining in regulation. Steury then scored Ashland’s first eight points in OT as the Arrows opened a 71-68 advantage. A trey by Mount Vernon’s Ben Bridges tied the score at 71-71 with 1:07 remaining, setting the stage for Rohler’s heroics.
“(Rohler) gave it up and got it back,” Ashland coach Jason Hess said of Rohler’s game-winning shot. “When he gave it up we kind of lost sight of him apparently. He hit a deep shot. Tip your hat to him for knocking it in.
“We didn’t get a chance to set our defense … and it kind of put us in a scramble situation. Unfortunately, we left one open who we shouldn’t have left open.”
Rohler had plenty of help in the scoring column Friday. Rowland scored 16 points, while Bridges had 14 and Cooper Carpenter added 11. Mount Vernon connected on 14 3-pointers and was 10-for-13 from the free throw line.
For Ashland, Keslar Bates backed Steury with 13 points. Freshman forward Nathan Bernhard added 11.
