COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Not again.

After losing two heartbreakers in the regular season that cost itself an OCC championship, Dominiq Penn and Dublin Coffman were not going to let history repeat itself in the Division I district final against hated rival Upper Arlington.

Behind Penn's 30 points, Coffman (20-6) blew Upper Arlington (23-2) away in the second half, securing its first district title since 2014 in a 68-51 victory. 

Upper Arlington never led on Saturday, as the closest the Golden Bears got all afternoon was a 5-5 tie within the first three minutes of the game.

Penn's hot start, which included 11 points in the first quarter helped Coffman establish a 16-11 advantage in the first eight minutes. Not going away from its aggressive style of play, Coffman applied more pressure in the second quarter, extending its lead to nearly double digits.

A 16-foot jab step jumper from Penn at the buzzer put Coffman ahead 31-22 going into halftime and was a great representation of how the sophomore controlled the game on Saturday. 

While Coffman may have felt it couldn't have played any better in the first half, the Rocks had no clue what was about to happen next.

Going on a 12-1 run to begin the third quarter, Coffman transformed suffocating defense into transition offense. The last open floor bucket came from junior guard Luke Bartemes, which put the Rocks ahead 43-23 with 3:41 remaining in the period. 

Getting Upper Arlington star and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year Dane Goodwin into foul trouble in the third quarter, the Rocks stifled the Notre Dame commit for most of the half. 

However, the Bears did not stop fighting. Ending the third quarter on an 8-2 run, Upper Arlington went into the final frame trailing 49-33.

Looking as if Coffman might opt to play not to lose in favor of continuing to remain aggressive, the opposite happened.

With Coffman in need of a big bucket, Bartemes delivered, knocking down a corner three that seemed to take the wind out of Upper Arlington's sails in the first minute.

In a game where Penn had his way with Upper Arlington's guards, the sophomore had another slick drive, finishing an up and under score to put the Rocks ahead 54-33 with 6:45 to go. On the following possession, Goodwin picked up a critical fourth foul on a charge taken by Coffman senior forward Nick Carlson.

Moments later, Goodwin fouled out on a Penn drive, as Upper Arlington's all-time leading scorer checked out for the final time with 5:45 remaining and Coffman up 56-35.

Cruising in the final minutes, Penn knocked down one of two free throws to give himself 30 points to put the Rocks up 65-48 with 1:15 remaining.

Emptying its bench and running out the clock for its first district title since 2014, Coffman exacted the revenge its been waiting to put on Upper Arlington since the Central District tournament draw roughly a month ago.

Taking down two of the top programs in Newark and Upper Arlington in back-to-back games, Coffman is rolling with belief and momentum at the moment. 

Penn was the best player on the floor in Saturday's rubber match, knocking down 11-of-15 shots and finishing with 30 points. Penn hit two threes but did most of his damage with his elite quickness and dribble moves, keeping Upper Arlington's defenders on skates for 32 minutes.

Penn's ability to hit contested jumpers off the dribble and his ability to finish with creativity at the rim gave Coffman the big-time scoring it needed to take down an Upper Arlington team that had not lost since Jan. 9.

Junior guard Will Hunter had a terrific second half, scoring eight of his 12 points after halftime. Hunter was disruptive with the ball for the UA defense, getting to the rim and finishing at will. The senior forward Carlson stayed hot and added 11 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Rocks while Bartemes added all seven of his points off the bench in the second half.

While only finishing with five points, junior wing Derek Van Vlerah was terrific on both ends of the floor, playing a great defensive game and rebounding at a high level. Van Vlerah is the one player in Central Ohio who can give Goodwin trouble on the perimeter, as the junior wing forced the Mr. Basketball candidate into a few turnovers when defending him one-on-one.

Dublin Coffman moves on to its first regional tournament since 2014. The Rocks will take on the team who has ended its last two seasons in Pickerington Central in the regional semifinal on March 15 at 7 p.m. at Ohio Dominican.

For Upper Arlington, Goodwin added a team-high 22 points. Fouling out early into the fourth quarter, Goodwin ends a storied career in which he helped Upper Arlington win two district titles and scored more points than any player in the 2018 class.

No other player for Upper Arlington scored in double figures, as junior forward Max Martz added nine points and five rebounds, while junior guard Sammy Sass and senior guard Will Grabovac pitched in eight points each. 

Upper Arlington was blitzed in the middle quarters, as Coffman had a 33-22 advantage in those periods. While the Bears held Coffman to an average of 41.5 points per game in its previous two matchups, the Rocks jumped out to 49 points through three quarters.

Losing its second game of the season on Saturday, Upper Arlington gave up 68 points in each of those losses. Graduating three of its five starters including the best player in program history, Upper Arlington will look to reload in a new era next winter.