PICKERINGTON, Ohio -- In the weeks leading up to his sophomore year, Sean Jones was adamant that his class was different than the last few to come through Gahanna Lincoln.

Jones was right.

Gahanna Lincoln's group of talented seniors powered the Lions to their third-straight outright OCC-Ohio title, taking down Pickerington North on the road on Friday, 52-41.

The win for Gahanna Lincoln is their 28th in 30 tries in the OCC-Ohio since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, as the Lions have gone since Feb. 15, 2019 without a road loss in league play. 

Gahanna Lincoln jumped out to an early lead, as the game's opening possession was a sign of things to come. While Pickerington North played amazing defense for an entire minute, their best effort was just not enough, as Josh Whiteside's three-point play got things going for the Lions. 

Gahanna Lincoln jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back, despite Pickerington North's best efforts to close the gap. The Lions relied on the interior play of Whiteside and senior Javan Simmons to jump out to a 24-18 lead at halftime.

In the third, Gahanna Lincoln opened up on a 6-0 run, as Jones powered the start and extended the Lions lead to 30-18 with 6:31 to go in the period. Pickerington North answered valiantly, as its senior guard trio responded with a 13-5 run, cutting the deficit to 35-31 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth, Pickerington North kept its rally going, as Saunders and Conners helped knot things at 35 with five minutes remaining.

Much like the entire game, whenever Pickerington North got close, Gahanna Lincoln responded and created distance. Back to back inside scores from Simmons quelled all Pickerington North momentum and put Gahanna Lincoln ahead 43-37 with 2:21 remaining.

The Lions got into showtime mode from this point forward, erasing any chance of a Pickerington North comeback and riding into the sunset on the back of Simmons' game ending dunk to put the finishing touches on a 52-41 victory. 

Simmons led all scores with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds and three big blocks, which all came in the opening two minutes of the game. The Toledo signee set the tone on the interior for how Friday's game was going to be played, as Pickerington North got nothing easy all night long. Gahanna Lincoln has one of the best guard-big duos that we've ever covered, as Simmons and Jones have takeover ability in any game they play.

For Jones, the senior guard was his usual self, playing within the flow of the offense and causing havoc with his athleticism. The Marquette signee finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding four assists and three steals. We've said it before, but Jones is the best athlete we've ever seen at the point guard position, as his combination of speed, quickness, strength and explosiveness is unlike any other guard we've scouted. 

Outside of Simmons and Jones, no other Gahanna Lincoln player finished with more than seven points, as the Lions rode the momentum of their Division I signees. When the game got tough and Gahanna Lincoln needed a play, the Lions got consistent production on both ends of the floor from their senior duo, which ultimately led to the OCC outright clinching victory.

The Lions now set their sights on a first state title in program history when they open up tournament action against Whetstone on Tuesday. Despite being the No. 2 seed, the Lions got the most respect out of any team in the tournament, with very few top seeds wanting to challenge them in the district final round. Gahanna Lincoln has not won a regional title since 2010 when they upset No. 1 nationally ranked Northland in the best game ever seen at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. 

Regardless of what happens in the tournament, this Gahanna Lincoln senior class has enjoyed an incredible three-year run, going 66-7 and 28-2 in the OCC-Ohio. 

For Pickerington North, Saunders was terrific on both ends of the floor all game long. The senior guard is as tough as they come in his class, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, adding two assists and a steal. Saunders can make difficult shots, has an excellent mid-range game and puts great pressure on the ball defensively, where he is a point of attack threat due to his length and physicality. The senior is the type of performer that could carry this team to a district title if he has to.

Outside of Saunders, however, offense was hard to come by for Pickerington North. 

Conners pitched in 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting, adding three assists and four steals. It's a treat seeing Conners healthy finally, as he has unique ability to affect the game on both ends at 6-foot-2. Senior Corey Hudson added nine points on 3-of-9 shooting, while no other North player finished with more than two points.

The Panthers relied heavily on Saunders, who did all he could to get North back into the game after falling behind double digits. While North had a shot to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Gahanna Lincoln's big offensive rebound and interior score from Simmons ended up giving the Lions the final lead of the night, and ultimately, the regular season league title. 

Pickerington North starts their run for a first district title since 2019 when they host Franklin Heights on Tuesday. The Panthers have ruled the first three rounds of the district tournament, advancing to the finals in four of the last five seasons. A major challenge awaits them, however, as three other top 10 seeds are in their bracket.