NEW ALBANY, Ohio -- In a surprisingly close game on Tuesday night, Pickerington Central turned things up in the fourth quarter to take down New Albany on the road, winning 59-46.
After a pair of dunks from Ohio State signee Devin Royal put Pickerington Central ahead 6-0 in the first, the Tigers extended that lead to 15-8 by the end of the frame and it felt like they'd only continue to build on it moving forward.
However, New Albany responded in a great way in the second quarter as they did not waver and took control of the lead midway through the frame.
Powered by a trio of three-pointers from Will Powell, the Eagles gained all of the momentum midway through the quarter, leading 26-25 with 2:17 to go in the half before trailing just 28-26 heading into the locker room.
Hitting a ton of big shots in the first half and holding Royal to just five points through the first 16 minutes of play, the Eagles had the game plan to pull off the major upset on Tuesday.
Even following two quick dunks from Royal to open up the third quarter, New Albany continued to respond, using a combined 11 points from Braylen Nash and Sam Dunn to remain close, trailing just 45-40 heading into the final quarter.
However, Pickerington Central showed why they are the defending state champions throughout the final eight minutes.
While the Tigers didn't do anything flashy in the final quarter, they made some clutch shots, took care of the ball, converted on their free throw attempts and got enough stops to put the game out of reach late.
Putting together yet another impressive performance off the bench, sophomore Amare Spiva led Pickerington Central with 18 points and some great hustle plays, while Royal contributed 16 of his own, 11 of which came in the second half.
The Tigers have a tough schedule ahead the rest of the week as they travel to Reynoldsburg Friday night before taking on Michigan State commit Xavier Booker and Indianapolis Cathedral on Monday at Trent Arena as part of Flyin’ to the Hoop.
For New Albany, Nash led the way with 16 points while Powell scored 10 of his own, all coming in the first half.
Following the loss, they now set their sights on an OCC-Ohio matchup on Friday night where they will take on Westerville Central.
Now, let's take a look at 5 Keys to the Game:
5 Keys: