Centerburg 52, Elgin 49
Colton Martin has been one of the most prolific scorers in KMAC and he shined once again in the final game of the regular season for the the Centerburg Trojans (14-8, 9-3), who beat Elgin (13-9, 6-3) 52-49 in a game that came right down to the wire.
Elgin started on a 7-0 run, but Trevin Harris was able to stop the momentum when he leaped in front of a pass for a steal with about two minutes left. Centerburg then went on a 9-0 run of their own, highlighted by a three for Isaiah Sule to tie up the game with less than a minute on the clock, and then a fast-break layup by Martin to take a 9-7 lead with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. Sule also had a blocked shot as time was winding down in the quarter to preserve the lead, but Elgin was able to tie things up before the quarter ended at 9-9. Martin led the charge with six points in the quarter.
The game remained tight into the third quarter with Elgin leading 36-35, when Grayson Reynolds blocked a jump shot and gained possession. Centerburg got the ball downcourt to Martin, who was waiting under the basket for a fast-break layup. Centerburg outscored Elgin 12-10 in the third quarter to take a 39-36 lead into the final frame.
Centerburg was leading 50-47 with 32 seconds left and Elgin was looking to tie up the game, but Martin had other ideas and swatted away a 3-pointer to keep the lead. The Trojans were able to hold on for the three-point win in what was a nail-biting victory. Both teams scored 13 points in the quarter, and the Trojans were led by Martin’s seven points down the stretch.
Martin scored 22 points to lead the Trojans. He is currently second behind Mount Gilead’s Matt Bland in scoring at about 18 points per game.
No. 11 Centerburg will host No. 21 Columbus Horizon Science Academy in the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA state tournament opening round.
Utica 51, Newark Catholic 38
Utica (12-8, 6-5) got another solid scoring night out of Trenton Collins in a come-from-behind win over Newark Catholic (5-17, 2-9) on Feb. 17, as the Redskins prepare for the upcoming state tournament.
Utica was down 11-7 in the second quarter, but Roman Gamble hit a shot from deep to make it a one-point game. Later in the quarter with Newark Christian up 23-16, Gavin Chinn stepped in front of a pass for his second steal of the game. Newark Catholic outscored Utica 15-11 to take a 23-18 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Utica came back to tie up the game at 23-23 on a seven-point run that was highlighted by a big three for Brody McDaniel. With the game tied 27-27, Collins came away with a steal. Utica was down 32-31 and Chinn showed off more of his pickpocket skills with his third steal of the game.
Gamble gave Utica a 36-32 lead in the fourth quarter with a three from the corner. Later in the fourth, Utica widened the lead to make it 51-37 after a steal by Collins leading to a fast break one-handed dunk. Utica outscored the Green Wave 18-5 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
“Trent Collins led a great second half,” coach Brian Radabaugh said. “We showed tremendous resilience and mental toughness all game long.”
Collins led all scorers with 24 points in the win for Utica. Gamble added 16 points, including a seven-point fourth where he hit a three. Gamble was a perfect 10-for-10 from the line.
The No. 12 Redskins will host No. 20 Mount Gilead (11-11, 7-5) in the opening round of the Division III, Region 12 OHSAA tournament.
Watkins Memorial 49, Mount Vernon 43
Mount Vernon (8-14, 4-10) hosted Watkins Memorial (13-10, 3-7) in the last game of the regular season, and the Warriors proved to be too much, beating the Yellow Jackets 49-43 on Feb. 17.
The top scorer for the Yellow Jackets was Hudson Rohler, who put up 23 points. Caden Rowland also hit double digits in scoring with 10 points.
“It was an emotional night as we honored our seven seniors prior to the game for Senior Night,” coach Nick Coon said. "Unfortunately, that emotion did not play in our favor for three quarters of the game. We found ourselves down 35-20 late in the third quarter, but credit our players for showing heart in coming back to take the lead 43-42 late in the fourth quarter. However, Watkins Memorial hit a big shot to regain the lead and we were unable to convert late. We are proud of our players for responding and giving ourselves a chance. We now turn our attention to the tournament and getting ready for a tough Pickerington North team. We want to compete for each other and give ourselves a chance in the fourth quarter to pull off an upset.”
No. 40 Mount Vernon takes on No. 7 Pickering North (16-6, 7-3) in the opening round of the Division 1, Region 3 OHSAA tournament.
Northmor 63, Mansfield Christian 60
Grant Bentley has been a major scoring contributor for Northmor (14-8, 8-4) all season as he has been among the top scorers in KMAC, and on Feb. 17 he put up 19 points to lead the charge in a 63-60 win over Mansfield Christian (15-7, 8-2) to finish the regular season in the winning column.
In the first quarter, both teams scored 20 points, with Bentley leading all scorers with 11 to set the tone for the game.
Northmor outscored Mansfield 15-7 in the second quarter to give the Golden Knights a 35-27 lead at the half. Hunter Fulk scored six points and Bentley had four for Northmor.
Both teams scored 15 points in the third quarter, and Mansfield Christian made a late push and outscored Northmor 18-13 in the fourth, but the Golden Knights were able to hold on for a three-point win.
Bentley led all scorers with 19 points, including a three and going 4-for-4 from the foul line. Jax Wenger scored 16 points and was 4-for-4 from the line.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, No. 3 Northmor will host No. 12 Sugar Grove Berne Union (4-18, 2-12) in the Division IV, Region 16 OHSAA tournament’s opening round.
