COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gahanna handed Westerville South their first loss of their year behind 25 points from Sean Jones and beat the Wildcats, 64-48 in Wednesday's Division I regional semifinal at Ohio Dominican. 

Sean Jones got the party started for Gahanna with a back door cut for two. His backcourt mate, Eljae Deas, then got one of his three first-half steals which lead to another Jones layup on the other end. Gahanna feasted on South’s turnovers in the first half as the Lions scored almost half their points in transition. Javan Simmons got a packed house rocking with a transition throwdown off a lop from Deas. Isaiah Johnson nailed a three to get South on the board but Brenden Raymond answered with a three on the other end. South was forced to call a timeout as the Lions were out to a quick 9-3 lead. South’s leading scorer, Drey Carter, got into the score sheet with a three and then forced a Gahanna turnover. Carter then scored an old-fashioned three-point play on a nifty crossover. Carter was able to get to the bucket whenever Deas was not guarding him. Simmons then picked up his second foul of the first quarter which forced him onto the bench for most of the first half. A Carter dunk capped off the first half as Gahanna led 20-13 after eight minutes. 

The Lions started the second quarter in a 2-3 zone which forced a South turnover on their first possession. Freshman, Kruz McClure then forced a five-second call on Jones. McClure played lockdown defense on multiple possessions in the first half and was a big reason South was able to hang around. Johnson and McClure each had a layup as South drew to within nine points midway through the second quarter. Abdulai Jalloh made two free throws to close the half as Gahanna maintained a 30-23 lead. 

Simmons started the second half with a nice duck in for two but Jadi Cunningham Jr. answered with a three. Jones then hit his defender with a nasty crossover for a three to get the crowd rocking once again. The crowd didn’t even have a chance to sit down before Simmons flushed a putback dunk. Luke Murry hit a three to close the quarter and Gahanna led by 11 entering the final eight minutes. 

Westerville South survived every punch from the Lions so far but the start of the fourth quarter proved to be the knockout blow. Jones hit a mid-range jumper followed by a Cam Johnson corner three which pushed Gahanna’s lead to 16. South was unable to generate enough offense as Gahanna controlled the pace of the game in the last quarter. Josh Whiteside gave the Lions a 20 point advantage as they closed out Westerville South. 

The Lions put their best defender in Deas on South’s best scorer, Carter, and limited his production to just 13 points. Carter was frustrated all game as he drew double teams and traps. Gahanna feasted in transition as they came up with numerous steals and really pushed the pace. The Lions will face Pickerington Central on Saturday with a trip to the Final Four on the line. 

Sean Jones led all scorers with 25 points in another brilliant offensive display. These types of performances from Jones have become normal. The dim lights of ODU seem to give the Marquette signee an extra gear. Javan Simmons had 9 along with 8 from Cam Johnson. Josh Whiteside and Eljae Deas both had 6 for the Lions. 

Drey Carter led South with 13 points followed by 11 points from Jalen Wheeler. Jadi Cunningham added 10 while Reign Winston had 5. South finishes the season 25-1, OCC champs and district champs.

Gahanna Lincoln moves on to the regional finals to take on the team that is responsible for their only loss in the area this season in Pickerington Central. A matchup of the top two seeds in the area will create for a big-time environment on Saturday night. We recommend getting your tickets now because this will sell out.