COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There have been eight district final Saturdays since 2012. Pickerington Central has cut down nets in seven of them, as the Tigers survived an upset scare from rival Reynoldsburg to capture its seventh district title in eight years, 50-49.

Despite holding a 39-32 lead heading into the final frame, Pickerington Central allowed Reynoldsburg to storm back. Going into attack mode on the offensive end and increasing its pressure on the other side of the floor, Reynoldsburg put together a 15-6 run, as a three-point play from senior Xavier Prince gave the Raiders a 47-45 lead with 2:44 remaining.

This was where Pickerington Central's senior leader Javohn Garcia took the game into his hands.

After failing to score on the next trip down, Central got some good fortune, as a steal from Garcia and timeout helped the Tigers regain possession with 2:02 to go.

Garcia hit one of two free throws eight seconds later, which cut the deficit to 47-46 with 1:54 remaining.

Central forced another stop which resulted in a go-ahead score from sophomore Garner Wallace which gave Central a 48-47 advantage with 1:22 on the clock.

In what felt like the longest minute in world history, Reynoldsburg got things started as two free throws from Prince put the Raiders back up 50-49 with 55 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for the underdog Raiders, Reynoldsburg never led again.

Garcia struck back 17 seconds later, as the unsigned senior was fouled attacking the basket. Going to the line for the biggest free throws of the season, Garcia delivered, sinking both attempts to put Central up for good at 50-49 with 36 seconds to go.

Reynoldsburg never got an open look for the rest of the game, as the Raiders ran off more than 28 seconds, calling a timeout with 8.3 seconds to go. Turning it over out of the timeout, Reynoldsburg fouled Central senior Coleton Landis, who went back to the stripe for the Tigers with 2.5 seconds to go.

Landis missed the front end of the one and one, which gave Reynoldsburg one last chance to take the lead with 1.9 seconds to go. 

Putting the ball in the hands of senior wing Ben Fort, the Reynoldsburg's senior's game-winning attempt just missed, as the clock struck midnight on the Raiders' dreams of upsetting its rival Central.

Despite outscoring the Tigers 17-11 in the final frame, Reynoldsburg could not get the clutch bucket it needed in the final minute to take the lead. Losing to the Tigers in its last 10 meetings, Reynoldsburg will head into next season aiming to defeat Central for the first time since Dec. 12, 2014. 

Garcia led the way with 16 points, four rebounds and three steals, as the senior stepped up when the Tigers needed him most. The 6-foot-3 senior has really developed into the leader that Central needed this season, as he always seems to enhance his play in the most important moments. 

Outside of Garcia, Landis pitched in 11 points and 10 rebounds. The 6-foot-7 senior was a load to handle on the glass, as he helped the Tigers maintain a lead on the boards. Landis made his biggest play in the final minute, forcing a steal that disrupted Reynoldsburg's final possession.

Wallace added eight points, while senior Jaidon Lipscomb finished with six points on two three-point field goals. 

For Reynoldsburg, Fort led all scorers with 15 points. The 6-foot-5 wing is as athletic as any senior in the area, as he came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring six points in the Raiders' key run. 

The athletic wing trio of the Raiders were nearly good enough to power Reynoldsburg to the win. Junior wing Sean Moore had a solid showing, adding 11 points, five rebounds and two assists while Prince pitched in nine points and seven rebounds. 

Junior guard Nick Wallace added nine points for Reynoldsburg, knocking down three triples in the first half, but was held scoreless after halftime.

Undefeated in its last seven district title games, Pickerington Central will look to advance to its third-straight regional final when it takes on the winner of No. 4 Olentangy Liberty and No. 6 Hilliard Davidson on Thursday, March 14 at 7 p.m. 

With the win, Pickerington Central became the first Division I team in Central Ohio to win four-straight district titles since Brookhaven rattled off seven in a row from 2000-2006. 

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