WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Westerville Central hosted both Division II girls district finals on Friday. Let's take a look at the results from each.

#1 Eastmoor 48, #2 Granville 40

A back and forth game the whole way through, the district final between No. 1 Eastmoor and No. 2 Granville was about as close a match-up as can be hoped for between the top teams at this stage.

The experience of Eastmoor, who started five seniors, won out over the youth of the Lady Aces in the end and the veteran leadership of their guards at the line is what ultimately proved to be the difference in the game. Eastmoor ended up winning 48-40 in this hard-fought game and will advance to the regional tournament.

Eastmoor got off to a fast start, scoring five quick points and making it look like their pressure would be too much for the Aces to match. However, Granville was able to gain some separation on the perimeter, hitting two jumpers to answer another Warrior bucket and keeping it a one possession game at 8-6 as the first quarter concluded.

The Blue Aces responded in a big way to start the second quarter, going on a 9-0 run and jumping out to a 15-8 lead a little more than three minutes into the period. The blistering stretch for the Aces was orchestrated by sophomore Lanie Hilaman, who canned two big threes and an aggressive driving finish to lead all scorers with eight points going into the half. The Warriors were able to keep pace with Aces the rest of the way and make it 20-13 at the end of the second. Eastmoor was led at the half by senior Hailey Jordan, who had four points, while three other Warriors chipped in three.

The start of the second half proved that this would be a game of runs for both teams. Similarly to the Aces hot start in the second quarter, Eastmoor opened the third with an 8-0 run on the back of senior Kehlani Pack, who had two nice finishes within that stretch to give her team a 21-20 edge.

Eastmoor kept the pressure up as the quarter went on and began to use their quickness and athleticism to wreak havoc on defense and convert on the other end. After three more quick scores in transition, it looked as though the Warriors speed would do the Aces in; however, Granville was able to claw back into it with timely shooting and keep it a 31-29 Eastmoor lead heading into the final period.

The young Aces proved that they were not going to back down to the senior-laden Warriors during crunch time. Granville opened the fourth quarter with two threes by the sophomore Hilaman and fellow sophomore Ella Rogers to give them a sudden four point lead less than a minute into the period.

Eastmoor would bounce right back, though, and gain a one point edge over the Aces in two possessions. After trading blows down the stretch and with each time taking turns with the lead, Eastmoor was able to take the lead on a lay-in by senior Elise Pryor with two minutes left.

The Warriors then came up with a stop on the other end and forced the Aces to play the foul game with just under a minute left, sending senior leader Hailey Jordan to the line for a one-and-one. Jordan sunk both, and after a quick turnover by the Aces, Eastmoor was able to ice the game with more free throws and put the game out of reach. Eastmoor pulled out the win 48-40 and will advance to the regional semifinals to play district champ Sheridan at Zanesville High School on Tuesday at 8 p.m..

The Blue Aces finish up an incredible season that saw them win a second straight Licking County League title, win 20 games, and make their first district title appearance since 2003. The Lady Aces were led by super sophomore Lanie Hilaman, who had 16 points on four made threes to go along with three rebounds and an assist. Fellow sophomore Ella Rogers had eight of her own on two threes, both coming in the second half, and also had four rebounds and assists apiece. Freshman Cate Schieber chipped in five points that included a three as well as five boards and three assists, and senior Paris Arthur had four points and rebounds each. Granville will return four underclassman starters next year and look to build on the progress the program has seen as of late.

Eastmoor advances to the regional tournament on the back of their stable of senior leaders. They were led by Hailey Jordan with 16 points and six rebounds, followed by classmate Samaria Rodgers-Gossett, who had 11 points to go along with four boards. Kehlani Pack and Elise Pryor both added seven points for the Warriors. Eastmoor will continue their great season next week against Sheridan in the regional semifinals.

#14 Bloom-Carroll 69, #4 Jonathan Alder 57

The saying “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” was personified on Friday by the Bloom-Carroll girls basketball team in the district final against Jonathan Alder; five minutes into the game and seven turnovers deep, it looked like the Bulldogs would never be able to break the Alder press.

However, after steadily regaining footing as the game went along and keeping it close throughout, Bloom-Carroll was able to take advantage of a raid of threes during the fourth quarter and pull ahead for good from the higher-seeded Pioneers, winning in convincing fashion by the score of 69-57.

The start of the game was about as good of a start as you can wish for if you were Jonathan Alder, as they utilized their stifling full-court trap to get in the heads of Bloom-Carroll and jump out to an early double-digit lead, led by five quick points by Sydney Bouguin that included a three. However, senior post and leader Chloe Davis could not be stopped in the half-court, and after a stretch that included seven straight turnovers for her team, the Bulldogs were finally able to get some offense going with her down low. She finished the quarter with seven points and pulled Bloom-Carroll to within four at 16-12.

With Bloom-Carroll finally figuring out how to break and take advantage of the Alder press, the game became much more even. Davis began to dominate down low to the tune of 15 points at the half, most coming with smooth post moves around the block, and three even coming with a made shot beyond the arc. However, the consistency and efficiency of Jonathan Alder answered back at every turn and they would lead 33-25 with six made team threes at the half.

The second half was characterized by offense, offense, and more offense, especially from beyond the arc. Junior Mackenzie Mason was everywhere for Bloom-Carroll, hitting shots and hounding the boards on both ends; though being the shortest player on the court, she consistently led both teams in rebounds throughout the whole game. While Jonathan Alder held the lead for most of the third, Bloom-Carroll pulled it within a one possession game at the end of the quarter at 40-38.

The fourth quarter was a complete offensive explosion by Bloom-Carroll from outside, as junior Nikki Bradbury caught fire and hit FOUR threes in the quarter, totaling five for the game and hitting nearly half of her team's 11 triples and pushing the Bulldogs well ahead of the Lady Pioneers down the stretch and helping them maintain a double-digit lead for much of the quarter.

The strong, fundamental play of Jonathan Alder turned into desperation turnovers and a sagging defense as the game went on, preventing them from making any sort of comeback as the clock winded down. Efficient free-throw shooting by lead guards Mason and Bradbury put the game away for good, and the Bulldogs pulled out a 69-57 victory to win the district for the second consecutive year.

Jonathan Alder showed efficiency and hustle all night, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the hot shooting of their opponent on this night. The Lady Pioneers were led by freshman Mary Ferrito, who had 14 points, followed by junior Abby Jones and her 12 points. Junior Melissa Walbom had 10 points for Jonathan Alder, and classmate Sydney Bourquin chipped in eight points herself.

The veteran Bloom-Carroll squad caught fire at the perfect time on Friday, using a streak of outside shooting to flip their outlook on the game on a dime, as they went from being on their heels for three quarters to in the driver's seat up a comfortable margin for most of the final period.  The Bulldogs were led by the senior Davis with 23 points, followed by the junior Bradbury with her 22 points on five threes. Junior guard Mackenzie Mason put together a phenomenal all-around game, finishing with 18 points and 12 boards. Bloom-Carroll moves on to regionals for the second straight year and will face Dayton Carroll at Springfield High School on Tuesday at 8 p.m.