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Division II Sectional Semifinal Recap

By Zach Fleer and Jake Spegal, 02/26/20, 8:45PM EST

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A look at the Division II sectional semifinal action in the area

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Finally! It's tournament time in Division II. With six sectional semifinal games on tap for Wednesday, let's take a look at all the action in the area. 

#2 Heath (23-0) 69, #20 Highland (2-21) 30

Heath advances to the sectional finals to take on No. 10 Granville (12-9) for a third time this season, on Saturday at 7 p.m.

#6 Beechcroft (15-6) 77, #19 Horizon Science (11-11) 45

Beechcroft advances to the sectional finals to take on No. 13 Bishop Hartley (8-13) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

#8 London (16-7) 56, #12 River Valley (11-12) 41

In a game that looked to be very intriguing on paper, London dominated River Valley at home behind 27 points from junior Trey Woodyard, taking down the Vikings 56-41.

Jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead just a few minutes in behind a pair of triples from Woodyard and Isaiah Hatem, the Red Raiders came out of the gates playing with an aggressiveness and efficiency that we were very pleased to see. 

While River Valley cut the lead to single digits before the end of the first and kept it this close for the majority of the second quarter, London ended the first half on a 7-0 run behind two transition layups from Woodyard and Jainaz Cameron, taking a 30-17 lead and all of the momentum into halftime.

The Red Raiders rode this momentum into the third, putting together a fantastic quarter to head into the final frame leading 43-25.

Less than a minute into the fourth, Woodyard converted on a layup in the lane and came down on his ankle wrong, exiting the game with an injury.

While London looked like a completely different team after this and River Valley cut the lead to 47-35 with 4:26 to go following a three from Ethan Bell, the Red Raiders held on, getting some clutch free throw shooting from Cameron and Hatem in order to survive and advance. 

London executed like at a very high level against a good River Valley team tonight, looking like a team who has the potential to compete for a district title, however, we also want to send our prayers to Woodyard on a speedy recovery, as London will have to make some big adjustments if the junior has to spend some time on the bench.

London advances to the sectional finals to play at No. 7 Bloom-Carroll (16-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

#18 Bexley (6-17) 42, #9 Bishop Watterson (11-12) 38

In the upset of the tournament so far, Bexley went on the road and knocked off Bishop Watterson, 42-38.

Bexley advances to the sectional finals to play at No. 17 Lakewood  (9-13) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

#11 Eastmoor (12-10) 58, #16 Hamilton Township (10-13) 56

Eastmoor advances to the sectional finals to play at No. 4 Buckeye Valley (14-7) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

#14 Centennial (10-13) 86, #15 Licking Valley (11-12) 72

Wednesday was the Jaylen Gilbert Show at Centennial. The two-sport superstar went for a career-high 39 points to lead the Stars into the sectional finals in an 86-72 victory over Licking Valley.

Gilbert outdueled one of the area's top seniors in Licking Valley guard Carson Conley, who was no slouch himself with 36 points. Centennial's speed and length proved to be too much for Licking Valley, as the Panthers mightily struggled to score when the ball wasn't in Conley's hands.

While Conley went for 20 points in the first half to keep the game close, Centennial powered past the Panthers in the second half behind Gilbert and fellow junior guards Travonne Jackson and Tyreek Gunnell. 

Gilbert's performance was something to marvel at, as the junior went 16-for-17 from the floor and added 16 rebounds in a highly efficient showing. Jackson was just as terrific, adding 13 points and 15 assists in a career-high passing performance.

Centennial advances to the sectional finals to play at No. 3 DeSales (16-6) on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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