COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gahanna jumped out to a 24-point first half lead and dominated both ends of the floor, cruising to a 63-28 win over New Albany in a crucial OCC-Ohio game.

The name of the game for the Lions was turning defense into offense and they did just that. After causing some turnovers and hitting some transition buckets, Gahanna forced New Albany to call a timeout with 4:40 left in the first quarter. New Albany settled down a little bit and ended the first quarter down 16-6.

Gahanna used their three-quarter court press almost all of the first half which caused trouble for the New Albany guards. They also blitzed the ball handlers for the Eagles which forced a lot of turnovers and easy layups on the other end.

The press was unrelenting, because when Gahanna was able to score in transition, they could set up their press and continue to hound the New Albany guards. The Eagles couldn’t set up their half-court offense and had to deal with constant pressure all night.

The Lions jumped out to a 39-15 halftime lead and didn’t take their foot off of the gas in the second half. Sean Jones had 13 first-half points along with eight from Javan Simmons. For New Albany, Justin Perry had four points along with five from Braylen Nash.

Gahanna will host Westerville Central and look to stay undefeated next Friday while New Albany will look to get back on track as they travel to Westland.

Sean Jones (5'11 G / Gahanna /2022): Jones was at the top of Gahanna’s press all night and got a lot of his points in transition. After hitting a three early, the defense stepped up on him which allowed him to get into the lane easily and finish well at the rim. Because he is such an effective slasher, Jones drew a lot of fouls and hit five from the charity stripe. He finished with 18 points on the night. He caused defenders to rotate to him which allowed for easy passes to open teammates. The Marquette-signee has a high motor and is a great player on both ends of the floor.

Javan Simmons (6'7 F / Gahanna / 2022): The Gahanna big man finished with 10 points, most of which came on transition dunks. He did a great job running the floor and finishing those dunks. The big man also showed his versatility on the defensive end of the floor. Gahanna would jump ball screens and blitz opposing guards, which causes Simmons to have to guard out on the perimeter. He did a nice job staying with New Albany’s guards and keeping them in front of him. He contested shots at the rim and played great interior defense. The Toledo-signee also commanded the board on both ends of the floor. 

Justin Perry (6'7 F / New Albany / 2022): Perry was the top scorer for the Eagles with 10 points on the night. He opened with a pair of steals with one leading to a layup on the other end. He found success inside the paint and finishing through contact. He did a great job sealing off his defender to create an opening to score. Perry also stepped out to hit a three from a nice cut to get open. He is the focal point for this Eagles team and will look to lead them moving forward.