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District Champs: Pickerington Central Claims Seventh Straight Title

By Emma Ervin, 02/27/22, 10:30AM EST

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Tigers dominate from start to finish with balanced scoring attack

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Pickerington Central Tigers won their seventh straight district championship Saturday night after a dominant win over Marysville.  Four players reached double digits for Central en route to a 58-39 win. 

Sophomore Berry Wallace got on the board early for the Tigers but junior Leah Brown responded for the Monarchs, tying the game at two. Junior Ava Wilkerson drained a three to take the lead but junior Trinity Jackson finished a drive at the rim and junior Madison Greene drained a three from the right wing to regain the lead. 

Sophomore JoJo Eberhart's left handed drive and lay in tied the game at seven midway through the period. The Tigers finished the quarter on a 10-2 thanks to four points from junior Olivia Cooper and two threes from Be. Wallace. After one period, Pickerington Central led Marysville 17-9 and they never looked back. 

Senior Alyssa Strahm drained her first three of the game to cut the Tiger lead but senior Brooklyn Wallace responded for Central with a left handed lay in. Cooper sank two free throws on behalf of junior Taylor Kelley who went down with an injury. Cooper added another two points off of an offensive rebound and put back before junior Ava Krutowskis finished in transition. 

Greene drained another three for Central and Krutowskis countered with a three of her own. Be. Wallace finished at the rim off of a lob pass from Greene and Jackson sank a three from the corner at the buzzer to extend the Tigers' lead to 31-17 with two quarters to play. 

Greene continued Central's domination to start the third quarter when she sank a free throw and completed an old-fashioned three point play. Brown responded with two free throws of her own for Marysville.

Another layup by Jackson pushed the lead to 18 but Strahm cut the lead with her second three of the game. The Tigers used a 10-2 run in the second half of the quarter to expand their lead to 23 by a score of 47-24 with one frame remaining.  

Just like the second quarter, Strahm opened things up with a three, her third of the game. Wilkerson added on a layup in transition to pull within 18. Senior Jada Easler's basket put the lead back at 20 but a bucket by Brown shrank the lead yet again. Jackson was fouled and converted both free throw attempts but was answered by back to back three pointers by Strahm and Wilkerson. 

Jackson and Be. Wallace combined to go five for six from the free throw line over the next several possessions. Senior Abbey Williams scored one additional basket on a baseline drive for the Monarchs but was answered by a bucked by Easler. 

The Tigers featured a balanced scoring attack: Be. Wallace led with 15, Jackson scored 13, Greene added 12 and Cooper rounded things out with 10. Strahm paced the Monarchs with 12 and Brown added 10. 

Pickerington Central moves on to the regional semifinal where they will face Dublin Coffman at Westerville South on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

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