The 2023 OHSAA Boys Sectional have begun and many local teams started the playoff season with wins.
No. 9 Fredericktown 54, No. 17 Baltimore Liberty Union 42
No. 9 Fredericktown (16-7) got a bit of redemption in a game where the Freddies came back from being down early to beat No. 17 Baltimore Liberty Union (12-11) 54-42 in the opening round of the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA tournament.
“Proud of the kids for being resilient and battling a really physical and tough Liberty Union team who had beaten us earlier this year by 16,” Freddies coach Derek Dibling said. “Ben Mast really stepped up and led this squad with his decision making and ability to control things. Solid team win and a great way to kick off the tournament run. Freddies are back in action this Saturday at home against North Union with a sectional title on the line.”
Fredericktown got on the board to go up 3-0, but Baltimore Liberty Union then went on an 11-0 run to make it an 11-3 game. The Freddies found themselves down 13-7 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Freddies were down 18-13, but then went on a 7-2 run to tie up the game at 20-20. They went on to take a 24-22 lead at the half, outscoring the Lions 17-9 in the second quarter.
Both teams battled in the third and had a tie game at 26-26, but by the end of the third quarter the Freddies had widened the gap to take a 41-32 lead. The Freddies outscored Liberty Union 17-10 in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter got a bit scary for the Freddies, with the Lions fighting to come within two points with Fredericktown up 44-42. That would be the closest Liberty Union would get, as the Freddies closed out the game on a 10-0 run to secure the win.
Kaid Carpenter had 16 points, six boards, two assists and two blocks to lead the way for the Freddies. Brady Lester scored 16 points and tallied four rebounds, one assist and two steals. Mast had 10 points, five rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Teegan Ruhl scored seven points to go with two boards, one assist and a block. Trevor Bellman scored three points and gathered two boards, while dishing out three assists. Justin Woodring rounded out the scoring with two points and a defensive board.
The Freddies shot 44.7% as a team and 34.6% from the free-throw line, while making 66.7% of their free throws. They held Liberty Union to 33.3% and 17.4% from three, and also made 66.7% from the free-throw line.
Fredericktown will host No. 19 Richwood North Union (11-12) on Saturday, Feb. 25, in the second round of the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA tournament with a 7:30 p.m. tip off. Richwood North Union previously upset No. 7 Heath by a score of 51-41.
No. 11 Centerburg 54, No. 18 Columbus Tree of Life 34
It was a battle between two Trojan squads in the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA tournament opening round, but in the end it was No. 11 Centerburg (15-8) on top over Columbus Tree of Life (14-9) 54-34, fueled by the hot hand of Colton Martin.
In the first quarter, the Centerburg Trojans found themselves down 9-4, but Martin drained a three to pull within two points. Centerburg ended the quarter trailing 9-7, with Martin scoring all seven of the team’s points.
In the second quarter, Bennett Hill tied up the game 16-16 with a wide open three from the corner. The Trojans of Centerburg outscored Tree of Life 12-7 led by Hill’s seven points, giving them a 19-16 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Centerburg woke up and widened the gap to 28-16. Tree of Life was looking to score with 5:20 left to try to make it a 10 point game, but Martin thought otherwise with a block on a jump shot. He then followed up with a fast-break layup to make it 30-16 with about four minutes to go in the quarter.
With 3:49 on the clock, Hill struck again from deep with another corner three to go up 33-16, and seconds later he showed solid defensive work with a steal. With 2:20 on the clock, Grayson Reynolds got in on the three point action to make it a 36-20 game. He then followed with a steal on the next Tree of Life possession. With about 40 seconds left in the quarter Jack Lawrence scored on a fast break layup to put Centerburg up 40-22. It was a 42-25 game after three quarters with Centerburg outscoring Tree of Life 23-9. Martin had eight points in the quarter.
With 4:05 left in the fourth quarter it was a 44-30 game in favor of Centerburg when Bennett Hill poked a ball loose for a steal and took it to the basket for a layup to go up by 16 points. Centerburg outscored Tree of Life 12-9 with Martin tallying six points to lead the way to a 20-point win.
“We played a much better second half,” Centerburg coach John Marhefka said. “We were led by Colton Martin with 24 points and Bennett Hill added 14. Grayson Reynolds played an excellent floor game offensively and defensively. Overall the defensive focus is what helped us. Now we get ready for a trip to play at Columbus Academy. Execution will be key.”
Martin’s 24 points led all scorers, and he hit one three in the game. Hill had 14 points that included two threes. Reynolds and Isaiah Sule both had five points, with Reynolds hitting one three. Carter Morgenstern scored four points and Hayden Love had two points to round out the scoring.
Centerburg shot 45% from the field and 29% from three, while making 60% of their free throws. Tree of Life was held to 39% and 23% from three, and hit 50% of their foul shots. Centerburg had a 31-20 rebounding advantage and also led 18-10 in assists and 18-7 in steals. Tree of Life had a 3-1 advantage in blocks.
Centerburg will take on No. 3 Gahanna Columbus Academy (21-2) on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the second round of the Division III, Region 11 OHSAA playoffs. Gahanna Columbus Academy previous beat No. 22 Grove City Christian 50-37.
No. 12 Utica 85, No. 20 Mount Gilead 54
The three-headed monster of Trenton Collins, Brody McDaniel and Roman Gamble combined for 69 points for No. 12 Utica (15-8) in a lopsided 85-54 win over No. 20 Mount Gilead (11-12) in the opening round of the Division III, Region 12 OHSAA tournament.
Utica went up 4-0 to start the game, highlighted by a steal and fast-break layup by Gamble. With 2:50 left in the first quarter, Utica went up 13-6 on a three by McDaniel. Gamble then drained a three of his own to make it an 18-6 game, and the quarter ended with Utica up 20-10. Gamble led the charge with seven points, while Collins had six and McDaniel had five. Dylan Yates rounded out the scoring with two points. Carter Kennon scored six points for Mount Gilead.
Utica started off the second quarter on a 5-0 run, led by Brody McDaniel, who scored on a fast-break layup and a 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Then, with the score 27-12, Kennon drained a three to make it a 27-15 game.
It was all Utica in the second quarter with the Redskins outscoring the Indians 23-12, fueled by 16 points by Collins. McDaniel had five points and a blocked shot. Kennon had seven points and Hayden Somerlot had a steal on defense for the Indians, who found themselves down 43-22 at halftime.
Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter, with Utica outscoring Mount Gilead 27-22. Collins scored eight points to lead the Redskins and Gamble had seven points and a block in the quarter. Kennon hit a pair of threes for Mount Gilead and Matt Bland had nine points and a steal. Rowan Fitzpatrick also hit a three. Somerlot also recorded his second steal of the game.
In the fourth quarter, McDaniel nailed a corner three to put Utica up 73-44. McDaniel then hit a three of his own to go up 78-46. The Redskins outscored Mount Gilead 15-10 down the stretch to secure the blowout victory. McDaniel had eight points in the fourth quarter and Kennon hit a pair of threes for six points.
Utica was led by Collins, who had 32 points to lead all scorers. McDaniel scored 21 points with four threes and Gamble had 16 points with a pair of threes.
Mount Gilead was led by Kennon’s 25 points, which included five threes. Bland was recently named KMAC Player of the Year and ended the season leading the conference in scoring with 20.7 points per game, but the Redskins managed to hold him to 13 points.
Utica shot 47% as a team and 39% from three, while making 53% of their free throws. Mount Gilead shot 33% and 23% from deep, and only made 25% from the foul line. Utica dominated the glass with a 50-37 rebound advantage. They also had a 17-14 assist advantage and 2-0 block advantage. Mount Gilead had six steals while Utica had five.
Next up for Utica is a road matchup with No. 5 Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, who just had a blowout victory over No. 25 East Knox, 91-46. The second round of the Division III, Region 12 is on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m.
No. 7 Pickerington North 38, No. 40 Mount Vernon 36
Caden Rowland and the No. 40 Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets (8-15) gave No. 7 Pickerington North (17-6) a run for their money, but in the end the higher seed prevailed with the Panthers winning 38-36 in nail biter in the sectional semifinal of the Division 1, Region 3 OHSAA state tournament.
“We played with a lot of guts and belief,” Mount Vernon coach Nick Coon said.
The game was a back-and-forth battle from the start, and with less than a minute left in the first quarter it was a 10-10 game. With time winding down, Pickerington North’s Jaiden Vital drained a three to give the Panthers a three-point lead, and then they added another bucket to take a 15-10 lead at the end of one quarter.
The Panthers had a 19-15 lead in the second quarter, but Pickerington North extended their lead to seven on a three by Arness Lawson, and then made it 24-15 on a rim rattling alley-oop slam by Favor McFadden. The Panthers took a 26-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the third quarter, Pickerington North extended their lead to 10 with a score of 28-18, and after three quarters it was a 32-24 lead for the Panthers.
By the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets had mounted a comeback and it was a 32-29 game in favor of Pickerington North. However, Lawson came away with a steal and took it to the rim for a two-handed slam on a fast break to go up 34-29.
With 1:06 on the clock, the Yellow Jackets trailed by only two with the score 33-31, and with time winding down the Yellow Jackets made it a 36-33 game. The Panthers were able to hold on for the win despite Mount Vernon coming within two and having a 12-6 fourth quarter advantage.
“Our players gave great effort and we gave ourselves to pull the major upset on the road," Coon said. "We got the game to 34-31 with less than two minutes to play but couldn't quite get it tied to really put the pressure on Pickerington North. Our players were disciplined in how we defended and competed for each other. We thank our seniors for their time in our program and wish them all of the best moving forward.”
Mount Vernon shot 44% as a team and 36% from three, while making 90% of their free throws. However, the Panthers were able to hit 54% of their shots, 29% from three and 60% from the line. Each team had 15 assists, but Pickerington North led 9-6 in assists and 6-4 in steals. The Yellow Jackets had the game’s only block.
Leading the Yellow Jackets was Rowland with 17 points. Trevor Buttke chipped in with eight points for Mount Vernon.
Pickerington North was led by Lawson’s 14 points, three assists and three steals, and McFadden who had eight points and a pair of assists.
Pickerington North now takes on No. 28 Thomas Worthington (10-10) on Friday, Feb. 24, at noon in the second round of the Division I, Region 3 playoffs.
No. 15 Columbus Eastmoor Academy 78, No. 18 Highland 44
No. 18 Highland (9-14) couldn’t keep up with the duo of All-City junior guards Elijah Watkins and James Nowell of No. 15 Columbus Eastmoor Academy (8-15), who combined for 43 points in the sectional round of the Division II Region 7 OHSAA tournament to beat the Fighting Scots 78-44.
Eastmoor Academy was led by Nowell with 23 points and seven boards. Watkins also had a big game with 20 points and six steals.
Eastmoor Academy will now take on No. 5 Columbus Bishop Hartley (12-9), which had an opening round bye. The Division II, Region 7 second round matchup takes place at Bishop Hartley on Friday, Feb. 24, with tipoff at 7 p.m.
No. 5 Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 91, No. 25 East Knox 46
It was a rough way to end the season for No. 25 East Knox (3-19), who couldn’t keep up with No. 5 Canal Winchester Harvest Prep (16-6) in a 91-46 blowout loss in the opening round of the Division III, Region 12 OHSAA playoffs.
The game started off close with Harvest Prep up 6-4, but Brandon Roddy came away with a steal and took it to the basket to make it an 8-4 lead for Harvest Prep. East Knox came within one, but then Roddy struck again but this time from deep to make it an 11-7 game. East Knox trailed 18-10 at the end of one quarter.
With 7:20 left in the second quarter the Warriors started to pull away and were up 24-10. With 1:55 left, Harvest Prep was up 41-23 and at the half it was a 46-27 game, with the Bulldogs trailing.
In the third quarter, Roddy scored on a fast break to make it a 52-27 game, and then Ephraim Campbell scored on a fast break to put the Warriors up 58-27 with 4:10 left. Roddy added insult to injury with a big one-handed slam at the 2:40 mark to put Harvest Prep up 64-27. Nyelle Shaheed then threw it down with two hands for a dunk to go up 66-27 with 1:44 left. With 1:29 left, Shaheed continued his high-flying acts with a two-handed slam on a fast break to go up 68-29. At the end of three quarters the Bulldogs trailed 72-29.
In the fourth quarter, Harvest Prep found themselves up 84-43, highlighted by a three for Jaylen Sims. The Bulldogs outscored the Warriors 14-12 in the quarter.
East Knox made a high percentage of their shots at 55% and 58% from three, but made only 43% from the foul line. Harvest Prep shot 51% and 30% from three while making 55% from the free-throw line. Harvest Prep dominated defensively with 29 steals and a block compared to two steals and no blocks for East Knox. The Warriors had a 26-24 rebound advantage and 26-10 assist advantage.
Next for Harvest Prep is No. 12 Utica (15-8) who had a commanding 85-54 win over No. 20 Mount Gilead. The second round of the Division 3, Region 12 OHSAA playoffs will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25, with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
