skip navigation

State of the City League: Championship Week

By Mark Francis Jr., 02/07/22, 12:15PM EST

Share

A breakdown of City League basketball heading into title Saturday

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Welcome to the State of the City League! Here we will look at the past week of action, along with who stood out and any major performances from players across the most passionate league in Central Ohio, while also looking ahead to the biggest games of the upcoming week.

With the snow storm of 2022 hitting heavy on Thursday, there were multiple games rescheduled, making this a light week of game play. Also, now the game is set, but which two teams are going to the City League Championship game?

Finally, seeding for the Central District tournament was released on Sunday night, where were City League teams seeded? Without any further ado, here is your look at the Columbus City League throughout the past week of the season: 

North Division

With games only on two day this past week, the biggest piece of news came on Tuesday (2/1) as Beechcroft (15-2; 13-0) hosted Linden-McKinley (13-7; 9-4) and raced past the Panthers who were missing senior leader LB Towns Jr. by a score of 89-67. The victory clinched another City League North title for the Cougars and punched their ticket to the City League Championship game.

Senior Amani Lyles was once again amazing, leading the way with 29 points and 22 rebounds while scoring his 1,000th career point. Senior point guard JJ Simmons added 22 while big man Antwoin Reed poured in 15 as well for the Cougars. 

After an impressive four game winning streak, the young Whetstone Braves (6-9; 5-8) were bested by the Northland Vikings (13-6; 11-2) 67-36. Despite the score, the Braves boast one of the best young rosters in the entire City League with a bunch of freshman and sophomore who continue to gain experience against some of the best teams and players in Central Ohio. Expect this team to be a major player in the North Division in the coming years. East High School (5-9; 4-9) also defeated International (8-11; 2-11) 56-51 on the road. 

The game of the day, on either side of the City League, took place at Centennial (2-16; 1-11) as the Stars took Mifflin (8-9; 6-6) to the limit before being beaten 55-53. Juniors Ahmed Ayed led the way for Centennial with 16 points while Henri Young Jr. was right behind him with 10. The Stars have five City League North losses of five points or less, constantly showing the fight and determination that first year head coach Shawn Williams has instilled in them. 

Wednesday (2/2) Centennial visited Olentangy Berlin and left with a tough 75-47 loss to the Bears. In defeat, freshman Isaiah Skinn once again showed that he will be a star, scoring 23 points on the road. 

On Sunday night, the seedings for the Central District tournament were released and as expected, the Beechcroft Cougars are the 1-seed in the district for Division II. Linden-McKinley drew the 4-seed and East will be a 17-seed when it is time to tip-off in pursuit of the Columbus 2 district. In Division I, Northland is a 16-seed in the district while Whetstone stands at a 46-seed.

The Columbus 4 district has Mifflin as the 40-seed to round the seeding for the City League North in their respective districts and divisions. 

South Division

Eastmoor Academy (12-6; 9-4) held their senior night Tuesday (2/1) and it paved the way for another double-double from Dennis Asoro, he put up 19 points and pulled down 13 boards while sophomore James Nowell scored 21 to lead the Warriors in a 65-46 win over Marion Franklin (4-15; 2-11). Sophomore Tito Glass scored 17 points for the Red Devils and showed some real ability to be a go-to scorer for years to come for Marion Franklin. 

South (13-7; 10-3) won its seventh in their last nine and third in a row as they beat Independence (8-12; 5-8), 64-43. Walnut Ridge also celebrated their seniors and sent them out with a bang with an 80-41 win over West. The future of Scot basketball is in good hands as the sophomore duo of Dominique Aekins (23 points) and Na’Varion Adams (16 points) flashed the potential of being the next great 1-2 punch in the City League South. 

Performance of the night happened on the Westside of Columbus as Briggs (6-14; 3-10) also thanked their seniors and their stud senior Devonte Curry scored 44 points against the best team in City League South as a way to say “you're welcome.” Despite the historic performance, the Bruins fell to Africentric (15-5; 12-1) and a 31-point outing from Nubian junior Dailyn Swain, 92-72. 
Africentric was back on the court Wednesday (2/2) as they hosted West in a makeup game. The Nubians applied pressure early and did not let up, the recent Toledo football commit Dan Wagner scored 26 points in the 93-26 win over the Cowboys. 

In Division III, the Nubians are the top overall seed in the district with their eyes on a strong tournament run. Meanwhile, Division I includes Walnut Ridge as 19-seed in the district, Independence being a 39-seed, Briggs is 43-seed and West rounds out the district seeding in Division I as a 49-seed. South is the 8-seed in the district for Division II as Eastmoor Academy is a 9-seed and Marion Franklin ends the seeding as an 18-seed. 

Upcoming This Week

Makeup games will rule this week, with the girls City Championship game taking place on Wednesday as Africentric will take on Northland at East High School after being moved from Saturday due to inclement weather. 

Beechcroft will visit Northland and look to finish off their league schedule unbeaten before they rest up for the weekend. Northland will be back on the court Tuesday, as well as Thursday, when they travel to Reynoldsburg then Eastmoor Academy.

Centennial will host Central Crossing on Tuesday as well. West will travel to Whetstone in a game that will highlight young
talent like West freshman Kahdon Johnson and the Braves freshman Noah Knostman along with the sophomore duo of Shiaman Diawara and Liam Coyne. 

Saturday will be the game that the city has been waiting for as the two most talented teams will face-off with the City League Championship on the line as Africentric will play Beechcroft at East High School at noon. Last season, Covid stopped the Nubians from competing in this game, however, Africentric made it a point to get back to this stage and win what they felt was theirs a year ago. For Beechcroft, the Cougars are looking for back-to-back league titles, something that has not happened in the City League since Northland ran the table in 2015 and 2016.

Recent News


Get the 270 Hoops Preview Magazine today!


Get your tickets to the Battle in the 614 High School Basketball Showcase