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Division I Sectional Final Recap

By 270 Hoops Staff, 03/01/19, 8:55PM EST

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A look at the sectional final action in Central Ohio on Friday

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Round of 32 has come and gone. Just eight days away from the district finals at the Columbus Convention Center, the playoff picture in Division I got much clearer on Friday.

Let's take a look at tonight's games.


#1 dublin coffman 80, #47 Franklin Heights 20

After jumping out to a 19-2 lead after the first, Dublin Coffman never looked back in a huge 60 point win over Franklin Heights. Junior guard Keaton Turner scored a game-high 19 for the Rocks.

Dublin Coffman advances to the district semifinals to take on No. 13 Olentangy Orange on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#2 Hilliard Bradley 57, # 37 Lancaster 39

Sophomores Keaton Norris and AJ Mirgon combined for 29 points, while junior Matt Allocco added 12 points as Bradley rolled over Lancaster on Thursday night. 

The Jags will take on No. 17 Thomas Worthington on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#3 Pickerington Central 64, #44 West 23

Garner Wallace and Javohn Garcia combined for 22 points tonight as Pickerington Central took down West. The Tigers had seven players score between six and 12 points.

Pickerington Central moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 26 Big Walnut, who upset No. 15 Gahanna on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#4 Olentangy Liberty 89, #39 Licking Heights 52

Ben Roderick was himself tonight, scoring a game-high 27 points in the Patriots victory over Licking Heights.

Tyrese Hughey led Licking Heights with 17 points on the night.

Olentangy Liberty moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 22 Westerville North on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#5 Pickerington North 71, #41 Briggs 25

Pickerington North outscored Briggs 43-14 in the middle quarters tonight on their way to a big 71-25 win. Jack Sawyer led the Panthers with 19 points.

Sophomore Javion Williams led Briggs with nine points in the loss.

Pickerington North moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 10 Canal Winchester on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#6 Hilliard Davidson 41,  #29 Teays Valley 30

Hilliard Davidson fended off an upset from Teays Valley tonight behind a strong free-throw shooting performance from senior Jacob Drees.

Drees was the games only player in double-figures scoring, finishing with 13 points.

Hilliard Davidson moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 16 Olentangy on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#7 Reynoldsburg 65,  #27 Westerville South 63 (ot)

Reynoldsburg avoided upset on Friday by overcoming a seven point deficit in the final frame of play. Ben Fort led the Raiders with 24 points while Xavier Prince scored sixteen, including the game-sealing free throws.

Jordan McMillan scored 23 in the loss for the Wildcats.

Reynoldsburg moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 8 Upper Arlington on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#8 Upper Arlington 57, #35 Worthington Kilbourne 38

A big 21-10 second was the difference in Upper Arlington's victory over Worthington Kilbourne tonight. Max Martz led the Golden Bears with 20 points while Sammy Sass (13 points) and C.J. Karsatos (12 points) combined for 25.

Upper Arlington moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 7 Reynoldsburg on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#9 Newark 61, #31 Whitehall 43

Newark outscored Whitehall 35-13 in the first and third quarters tonight to roll over the Rams.

Keshawn Heard, Kade Bafford, Drew Ballinger and Bobby Crenshaw combined for 45 points in the win.

Newark moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 12 Walnut Ridge on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#10 Canal Winchester 75, #25 Tri-Valley 48

Canal Winchester exploded for a big 28 point fourth in a convincing win over No. 25 Tri-Valley at home tonight. Junior Bilal Sow went off for 32 points for the Indians.

Keaton Williams led Tri-Valley with 18 in the loss.

Canal Winchester moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 5 Pickerington North on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#12 Walnut Ridge 66, #14 Chillicothe 37

Too fast, too strong, and too athletic. Overwhelming No. 14 Chillicothe in a big time sectional final matchup on Friday, No. 12 Walnut Ridge dominated from the first possession to the last in a convincing 66-37 win.

Junior guard Qian Magwood came out playing with an incredible amount of energy for Walnut Ridge, and it translated to the entire team.

After opening up the game with a tough driving score, Magwood later threw down a transition dunk and knocked down a three-pointer, putting Walnut Ridge up 13-4 just five minutes into the contest.

Junior wing Jayvon Maughmer was the only option for Chillicothe in the first, scoring all seven of their points in the frame as they found themselves down 19-7 heading into the second. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, this was the story all night.

Opening up the second on a 9-2 run, the Scots continued their great play as they increased their lead to 28-9 with five minutes to go in the half after a three-pointer from senior Isaiah Murphy.

Maughmer knocked down a prayer of a half court shot at the buzzer for Chillicothe, cutting the deficit to 34-16 and giving them at least a little bit of hope heading into the locker room.

Junior Von Cameron Davis dominated the third for Ridge as they continued their great play. He scored 10 dominate inside points to help them take a 48-27 lead into the fourth, where they continued to roll.

Combining for 39 points, Davis (20 points) and Magwood (19 points) controlled the game all night for the Scots. Kaveon Ross also played a great game in the paint, finishing with nine points and nine rebounds.

Maughmer played a solid game for the Cavs, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds. Maughmer is a solid two-way prospect who could really catch some eyes with continued development.

Junior Brandon Noel also scored 13 points for Chillicothe.

Walnut Ridge moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 9 Newark on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#13 Olentangy Orange 66, #20 Delaware Hayes 59

When tournament time comes around, it’s not about how ugly or pretty you win, it’s just about getting the victory and living to fight another day. That was the case in Olentangy Orange’s 66-59 sectional final game against Delaware Hayes tonight.

The first half belonged to the Pioneers, as they cruised into halftime with a 36-18 lead. This was attributed to the trio of Bryson Lane, Andre Irvin, and Ryan Cutler who combined for all 36 of Olentangy Orange’s first half points.

The Pioneers also did an outstanding job of defending the heavy dosage of ball screens and low post possessions that Delaware Hayes ran in the first half. Frequently blitzing or hard hedging on ball screens and fronting the post, they were heavily reliant on outstanding weak side help from guards like Lane and Irvin. It was probably some of, if not the best off ball coverage I have seen all season in the first half.

The second half was the turning point in the matchup.

Juniors Paul Burris and Nate Griggs who combined for 16 of the Pacers 20 third quarter points, trimming their team’s deficit down to 10 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Delaware Hayes thrived in the third quarter thanks to a sense of urgency on the defensive end of the floor. With all their attention focused on Lane’s self creation, the Pacers got stops that lead to easy transition opportunities. This was along with converting a higher percentage of attempts at the rim that were often missed in the first half.

Going into the final frame, Delaware Hayes found themselves trailing 48-38. They upped their defensive pressure to a full court trap.

This really disturbed Olentangy Orange, who clearly was not equipped with the kind of personnel outside of Lane to handle a physical and aggressive trap. By the end of the quarter, the Pioneers totaled at least seven turnovers and gave the Pacers plenty of chances to force overtime or take the lead.

Unfortunately, the Pacers could not capitalize on these mistakes and found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard, despite a gusty fourth quarter performance from Griggs, who scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the quarter.

A solid showing at the free throw line in the final three minutes of the quarter also helped Olentangy Orange hang onto the victory.

Olentangy Orange moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 1 Dublin Coffman on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#26 Big Walnut 59, #15 Gahanna 52

Pulling off the upset of the night, Kegan Hienton, Jordan Koebel and Brody Lawhun combined for 47 points as Big Walnut took down Gahanna on the road.

Freshman Sean Jones capped off a great freshman season with a team-high 17 points for Gahanna.

Big Walnut moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 3 Pickerington Central on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#16 Olentangy 78, #19 Northland 47

It was never really close. Opening up on a 9-0 run, Olentangy blew past Northland in a sectional final on Friday, rolling to a 31-point win. Senior point guard Sean Marks starred, finishing two points shy of his career high with 38 points as Olentangy led by as much as 32 points in the fourth quarter.

Marks set the tone early, scoring 16 points in a 24-11 first quarter for Olentangy. Northland never stopped fighting back, however, the Braves were just much too strong as Olentangy stretched its lead to 38-20 at the half.

While only scoring two points in the second quarter, Marks opened it up in the third, going for 14 points in the period to help Olentangy build a 54-34 lead going into the final frame.

In the fourth, Olentangy ramped up the pressure, rolling to an eye-opening victory.

Marks was absolutely spectacular in his final home game, going for an efficient 38 points and adding six rebounds, six assists and two steals. The Ohio Dominican signee knocked down five threes, four of which in the first quarter alone, while also playing a strong game on the defensive side of the floor and on the glass.

Outside of Marks, junior forwards Austin Brown and Tavian James each finished in double figures, adding 14  and 10 points, respectively. Marks set the tone offensively, powering more than half of Olentangy's points, as he scored or assisted on 50 points.

For Northland, senior point guard N'Keeley Elmore finished his career with 26 points and three assists. Elmore didn't go down without a fight, playing with elite energy on both ends of the floor and fighting until the very final buzzer.

Elmore and freshman guard Rob Dorsey combined for all of Northland's points until the 1:55 mark in the third quarter, as Dorsey added 12 points. The rest of Northland's roster combined for just nine points in the sectional final loss.

Olentangy moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 6 Hilliard Davidson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Braves defeated Davidson in their previous matchup on Feb. 5, 61-54. If Olentangy can upset the Wildcats once more, the Braves will get a third matchup against a league opponent as Olentangy Liberty and Westerville North will duel in the district semifinals on the other side of the bracket.

#17 Thomas Worthington 63, #21 Groveport 52

The sophomore duo of Jalen Sullinger and Isaac Settles combined for 37 points as Thomas Worthington rolled over Groveport Madison 63-52 on Friday.

However, Groveport came out guns blazing. Senior Martez Knight started the night off going three-for-three from beyond the arc, helping Groveport to a 17-11 after one period.

The second quarter was a big one for Thomas Worthington, as they outscored Groveport 19-8. They finished the quarter with a ton of momentum after a Jalen Sullinger layup followed by a Isaac Settles steal and lay in at the buzzer.

Although Thomas Worthington only led 30-25 at the half, they never trailed again.

Every punch Groveport threw at the Cardinals was answered with a counter. The Cardinals extended their lead by as much as 13 in the fourth quarter on the way to this win.

Sullinger led all scorers with 19 points to go along with three assists. Settles chipped in 18 points, four rebounds, and two steals.

Senior Ben Wight was huge on the defensive end of the floor, tallying a final stat line of 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and five blocks.

Elijah Monroe led Groveport with 13 points on the night.

Thomas Worthington moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 2 Hilliard Bradley on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

#22 Westerville North 78, #28 Grove City 66

Westerville North ended Grove City's cinerella story on Friday behind a game-high 24 points from Lincoln Memorial commit Jeremiah Keene.

Senior sharpshooter Sam Stoll finished with 23 points on seven three's for the Greyhounds.

Westerville North moves on to the district semifinals to take on No. 4 Olentangy Liberty on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

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