Cannen Blast: Wolf’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer sends Liberty into sectional championship game

WHITE HALL, Ill. — The inbounds play worked the way Liberty coach Greg Altmix thought it would. Clayton Obert set a screen for Logan Robbins, who curled toward the basket.

“Our first option was actually open,” Altmix said.

Cannen Wolf, who was throwing the inbounds pass with 2.9 seconds left in the game, didn’t agree.

“I didn’t think (Robbins) had enough room,” Wolf said. “I thought (Waterloo Gibault was) going to set up a charge (when Ian Bollinger stepped into Robbins’ path). At first, I didn’t throw it and hesitated. I was thinking about throwing up a timeout sign in the heat of the moment, but I didn’t.”

Instead, Wolf went to his second option — and made Obert’s prediction come through.

Wolf threw the inbounds pass to Jackson Tenhouse, who tossed it back to Wolf in the corner. The senior then swished a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Liberty a heart-stopping 44-41 victory Tuesday night over Gibault in the semifinals of the Class 1A sectional at North Greene High School. 

The Eagles (27-5) will play for its fifth sectional title in school history at 7 p.m. Friday against the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between Metro-East Lutheran and Jacksonville Routt.

Wolf tossed the pass to Tenhouse on the wing. Tenhouse immediately tossed it back. Wolf had an opening to shoot because Bollinger helped in the lane to defend Robbins, and the left-handed guard let it fly with Bollinger flying out with an outstretched hand.

The play happened exactly how Obert had called it in the huddle.

“He said, ‘Jackson, he’s going to throw it to you, you’re going to throw it right back to (Wolf), and he’s going to hit the game winner,’” Altmix said with a grin. “So Clayton called the shot. They didn’t listen to the what the coach said.”

“He always calls these end-of-the-game shots for me,” Wolf said. “He calls it, and I execute it. It’s just something special he has.”

“I figured we should get the ball in (Wolf’s) hands,” Obert said. “I knew Jackson would be wide open going to the corner, so I figured a pitch back, and that’s Cannen’s shot, a corner three.”

Liberty wouldn’t have needed Wolf’s heroics had it not blown a 12-0 run in the first four minutes of the game and an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter.

Gibault got within 22-21 on an eight-foot jumper by Kameron Hanvey just before the end of the first half. The Eagles held the Hawks to just one basket in the first seven minutes of the third quarter and led 35-26 entering the fourth quarter. A layup by Wolf on an assist from Robbins to open the fourth quarter put Liberty ahead 37-26.

The Hawks, who made just three 3-pointers in the first three quarters, stormed back with four 3-pointers in 4 1/2-minute span. Kaden Augustine made two, Bollinger made one, and Hanvey hit one from the corner to get Gibault within 41-40 with 2:43 remaining.

“We got rolling there and made some threes, which were capable of, but we’re not a great 3-point shooting team,” Hawks coach Dennis Rueter said. “We were fortunate the ball started going in there a little.”

“We didn’t execute, and we didn’t take care of the ball,” Altmix said. “Our press had helped us create some turnovers, but they were getting some good looks. We had a couple guys being aggressive, and they lost track of some of their shooters.”

Liberty then turned the ball over, and Gibault had a chance to take its first lead when Klauser fouled Owen Scherff with 1:20 remaining. Scherff split a pair of free throws to tie the game.

Once Liberty advanced the ball to midcourt and saw the Hawks’ defenders sagging into the lane, Altmix ordered his team wait for the last shot. Gibault only had two team fouls and fouled twice to stop the clock before Liberty called a timeout to set up the game-winner.

“We couldn’t foul that late, because they might be shooting on the catch,” Rueter said. “I didn’t like where they gave (Liberty) the inbounds (for the last shot). I don’t think it should have been on the baseline. 

“I thought (Liberty was) better than we were, but if we could get this thing into overtime, the pressure goes to them, because they were the ones in control of the game the whole time. So that was my decision (to stay back defensively for the final 1:20). We were getting worn down. Late in the game, we were playing small. They had all kinds of size on us. I just thought … we’ll take this down to the end, and we’ll take our chances. We were where we wanted to be.”

Wolf, who led the Eagles with 12 points, said he didn’t catch the pass from Tenhouse cleanly on the final play.

“I was thinking my shot was a little left and a little short,” he said with a smile. “To see it go in, it’s electrifying.”

Altmix said watching Wolf’s shot go in was “satisfying.”

“He had a 3-point shot to beat Monroe City (at the QND Shootout in February), and it didn’t go in,” Altmix said. “But I think as we got toward the end here, everybody knew he was gonna hit a three. … It’s rewarding for a young man who’s worked so hard this last year. For him to hit that shot was huge.”