COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It's district final Saturday! Let's cut right to the chase and take a look at all four Division I district final battles.

#2 Gahanna Lincoln (23-2) vs. #15 St. Charles (14-8)

The first game of a jam packed Saturday features some of the area’s best frontcourt players. Josh Whiteside and Javan Simmons lead Gahanna’s strong front line but they will have to deal with a very gifted post player in Chase Walker. The 6 foot 8 big man averages just under 20 points per game and most of St. Charles’ offense runs through him. The Lions have two big bodies to throw at Walker as shutting him down will likely shut down the St. Charles offense. Foul trouble got play a huge factor for both teams in this game. For the Cardinals, stopping Marquette signee and District POTY Sean Jones has to be the main priority. This task is easier said than done as very few teams have been able to slow down the electric point guard. Both teams have two common opponents this season in New Albany and Grove City. Gahanna cruised in both their games verus the Eagles and Wolverines. St. Charles lost to New Albany by three early in the season but beat Grove City by five in their last game to get to this district final. 

Gahanna is playing in their third straight district final and is coming off a district title last season. They have a group of seven seniors who have never made the state tournament which starts with winning on Saturday. St. Charles’ last district final appearance was in 2017 where they got to cut down a net.   

Last meeting: Jan. 4, 2021 - Gahanna 56, St. Charles 55

Gahanna
Last appearance: 2021
Last title: 2021
Overall titles: 2021, 2016, 2013, 2011, 2010 (5)

St. Charles
Last appearance: 2017
Last title: 2017
Overall titles: 2017, 1995, 1992, 1982, 1976 (5)

#7 Upper Arlington (20-4) vs. #13 Reynoldsburg (15-9)

After the previous matchup will feature great post players, this game will showcase some of the best scoring guards in the area. Upper Arlington is lead by sharpshooting guards Quinn Corna and Nick Heath while Reynoldsburg is lead by an inside-out duo of Julian Heckman and stud freshman Jordan Fisher. Corna and Heath average a combined 36 ppg while Heckman and Fisher score at a combined 20 ppg clip. Reynoldsburg is a bit deeper and has more balanced scroing than Upper Arlington. The Bears don’t have a true inside threat so dealing with the Raiders’ size could be an issue. Reynoldsburg really had to fight in their two wins leading up to this game. They got a tough overtime win over Groveport and then an upset win over #4 seeded Pickerington North. The Raiders are playing with a ton of confidence but Upper Arlington won’t be an easy task. The Bears have rolled in all three of their tournament games so far and beat the #5 seed Newark in convincing fashion in a game most people thought would come down to the wire. There are four common opponents between these two teams: Groveport, Pick North, Dublin Coffman, and Newark. Reynoldsburg went 1-2 verus Groveport this season while Upper Arlington won by 20. The Raiders spilt their two games against Pick North as UA also lost of the Panthers. Reynoldsburg beat Coffman by seven while Upper Arlington spilt their two meetings with the Rocks. Reynoldsburg spilt their two games with Newark while Upper Arlington blew out Newark in the district semifinal. 

Upper Arlington’s last time playing this late in the season was 2018 where they also won. The Bears have an outstanding nine district titles in their history. Reynoldsburg was at this spot last season but came up short as their last district title came in 2018. 

Last meeting: Mar. 6, 2019 - Reynoldsburg 35, Upper Arlington 33

Upper Arlington
Last appearance: 2018
Last title: 2018
Overall titles: 2017, 2016, 2014, 2007, 1947, 1945, 1939, 1938, 1937 (9)

Reynoldsburg
Last appearance: 2021
Last title: 2018
Overall titles: 2018, 2012, 2006 (3)

#1 Pickerington Central (21-2) vs. #10 Olentangy Liberty (14-10)

This game features two of the best bucket getters in central Ohio: Devin Royal, a top 100 prospect nationally and Cooper Davis, a Toledo signee. Both players are their team’s first option and for good reason. Central has one of the biggest front courts in the state with Royal, Sonny Styles, an Ohio State football commit and 6 foot 10 stretch big Gavin Headings. Liberty doesn’t have a the same size as Central but they play their hearts out every game. Davis and his running mate Trey Majidzadeh combine for around 30 points per game. Styles will likely start the game guarding Cooper Davis as his length and athleticism can try and slow down the talented wing. The Tigers have lost a key piece in Rasheem Biles for the rest of the reason. Biles provides great defense and energy off the bench and was a key part of Central’s win over Gahanna earlier in the year. It will also be interesting to see if Liberty starts in the game in a zone to limit the interior scoring of Pick Central. Liberty also has some great roles players in James Hummell, Nick Metzger and Alex Okuley. It is definitely a tall task to take down the number one overall seed but Liberty has been battled tested. The Pariots grinded out two single digit wins over Dublin Coffman and Olentangy Orange to get here. The Tigers, on the other hand, rolled to three wins over Westland, Columbus West and Deleware Hayes. Pick Central and Liberty have one common opponent in Newark. The Wildcats handed Central one of their only two losses this season but lost by three to Liberty. 

Pick Central has the most district title of any of the remaining teams with ten. They were at this point last season but failed to make it eleven as their last district title came in 2019. Liberty won a district title last season and are hoping to make it back to back. 

Last meeting: Mar. 14, 2019 - Olentangy Liberty 66, Pickerington Central 58

Pickerington Central
Last appearance: 2021
Last title: 2019
Overall titles: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2002, 1991, 1959 (10)

Olentangy Liberty
Last appearance: 2021
Last title: 2021
Overall titles: 2021, 2019, 2012 (3)

#3 Westerville South (24-0) vs. #6 Dublin Jerome (21-4)

This game has the lowest seed differential of any district title matchup so it is setting up to be a great nightcap. The iceing on the cake of an undefeated season for South will be a new banner in their gym. However, Jerome will look to continue their strong season and hand South their first loss of the year. Jerome took care of Briggs and Licking Heights fairly easily but hand to battle against Hilliard Davidson. Similarly, South rolled in their first two games against Watkins Memorial and Thomas Worthington but were tested by Westerville North. Wright State signee, Drey Carter is the go to man for the Wildcats as he averages just above 18 points per game. Reign Winston and Isaiah Johnson both average double digits to help out Carter. Jerome is one of the deepest teams that I have seen this season as they play nine guys who can all score. Ryan Nutter leads them with close to 12 ppg but eight other guys average above four points per game. Jerome has guys like Daviyon McDonald and CC Ezirim who defend well and can matchup well to Drey Carter. It’ll be interesting to see if Jerome starts one of those guys to try and slow Carter down early. In their sole matchup of the year, South came out on top, 54-49. Carter was held to just four points but Reign Winston and Isaiah Johnson combined for 34 points to get the win. The Cats will need those two to step up if Carter is being locked down. 

Westerville South’s last district title appearance was 2018 and their last title win was 2016. Jerome has just a single district title to their name which came in 2015 but they appeared here in 2016. 

Last meeting: Jan. 17, 2022 - Westerville South 54, Dublin Jerome 49

Westerville South
Last appearance: 2018
Last title: 2016
Overall titles: 2016, 2015, 2011, 2008, 1990 (5)

Dublin Jerome
Last appearance: 2016
Last title: 2015
Overall titles: 2015 (1)