With about eight seconds to go, senior Wendell Hughes of Woodward hit what could have been the biggest basket of his career. It gave Woodward a 60-59 lead in the Division II district semifinal at Mason against Wyoming.

However, Wyoming's Isaiah Walker got the ball and got a step on his defender. At 6-foot-6, Walker's steps are longer than most. As he had most of the game, he glided like a gazelle to the glass and deposited the game-winner as the clock hit triple zeroes.

The Cowboys prevailed 61-60 in overtime. 

"I didn't know how much time was on the clock," Walker said. "I figured I'd just take it to the basket and get fouled or get a layup. Coach said big-time players make big plays. That's what seniors are supposed to do."

Wyoming's coaches jumped with glee and it was a brief Cowboy dogpile at mid-court. Walker exited stage right with 30 points and 17 rebounds. Woodward junior Paul McMillan IV calmly walked past the Wyoming celebration looking toward his AAU season and one more prep run.

"It was kind of a scramble. Everybody was trying to find their man," McMillan said of the final seconds. "They ended up finding Isaiah and he made the layup. It was a tough one. It was a good game though."

Had more casual fans been permitted and minus the coronavirus pandemic, Mason's arena would have been packed for such a game between top teams and two of the best ballers in town. 

"That's our best player going and making a play for us," Wyoming coach Matt Rooks said. 

Walker has been signed to play NCAA Division I basketball at Belmont in Nashville. He came into Saturday's game averaging 21.7 points and 10.5 rebounds. McMillan IV has a plethora of offers including Cincinnati and Xavier locally. The junior finished the regular season averaging more than 28 points per game and dishing out over five assists per contest.

McMillan led Woodward with 22 points, six below his average, but they were all hard-fought. Both players were guarded, double-guarded and respected. 

"I thought we did a good job on Paul, but Paul's so talented you can't keep him out of the lane," Rooks said. "I'm proud of our guys for just containing him."

Both were recently named First Team All-District in Ohio Division II and many believe McMillan should have been District Player of the Year (Tipp City's Ben Knostman won in a narrow vote). 

McMillan IV made Division II First Team All-State as a sophomore in 2020 with Walker making Third Team in his junior campaign.

"Paul's a great player," Walker said. "He's tough to guard. He gets to the rim whenever."

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