What a week. The City League reopened play on Monday, finally fully opening the 2020-2021 basketball season to every school in Central Ohio. Here on The Countdown, let us take a look at some of the big games, moments, players and facts to know about the past week as the season continues to move forward.
Africentric 54, Walnut Ridge 53 (Friday)
A much-discussed no-call at the buzzer of Friday night’s game overshadowed what was otherwise another City League South classic finish, with Africentric taking a hold of the division lead. A quick seven-game league sprint to the finish means the Nubians are in the driver’s seat to play in the City title, as of right now. Dailyn Swain continues to open eyes around the area, as his game-high 24 points paced the Nubians in the big victory.
Thomas Worthington 56, Worthington Kilbourne 46 (Saturday)
The fourth quarter push by the Cardinals in a key cross-town rivalry game is just another sign that Sean Luzader’s bunch is peaking at the right time. Since a 53-48 loss to Westerville Central dropped the Cards to 2-4, Thomas Worthington has won 10 straight games; including big wins over Newark, Gahanna, and Canton McKinley. For more on this game, read Cameron Carter’s piece on the Battle for Worthington.
Gahanna 62, Pickerington North 59 (Saturday)
A week after a stunning 26-point loss to Thomas Worthington, Gahanna bounced back in a big way, knocking off old OCC-Ohio rival Pickerington North on the road. Led by Javan Simmons (13 points) and Jarius Jones (12 points), the Lions showed they can be a balanced bunch. There is one thing that Gahanna will want to clean up for March—free throw shooting, as the Lions were just 11-of-19 at the line on Saturday.
Bishop Ready 75, DeSales 69 (Friday)
Despite a gargauntan effort from Des Watson, Bishop Ready and Darius Parham got the last laugh on Friday night, knocking off first place DeSales in one of the best games of the 2020-21 season. While Parham dropped a cool 26 points, it was sophomore Charlie Russell’s layup with :2.1 seconds left in regulation that gave the Silver Knights a chance to win the game, forcing overtime. Russell and fellow sophomore Kaleb Schaffer give head coach Tony Bisutti some serious hopes for the future as well.
Olentangy Orange 65, Dublin Coffman 55 (Friday)
Arguably the most eye-popping final of Friday night’s action came from the Pioneers of Olentangy Orange, who ushered a major blow to any chances Dublin Coffman had of winning the OCC-Central. Despite 28 points from Ajay Sheldon, the Rocks were unable to recreate the magic of Tuesday night’s thrilling upset of Hilliard Bradley. A balanced attack by Andre Irvin, Jason Foster and Elias Lewis proved to be too much, as the Pioneers notched win number nine of the season.
Wear your mask, and practice social distancing. Let’s do our part to help all of Central Ohio and beyond get the tournament that we all deserve.