COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Sectional semifinal action tipped off in Division II and III on Monday. Let's take a look at the night's action across Central Ohio.

In a dog fight on Monday, No. 12 Centennial (12-10) relied upon its transition speed to race past No. 16 Licking Valley (10-12) in a 76-65 victory in the Division II sectional semifinals.

Despite trailing 20-14 after a quarter of play, Centennial used a 17-8 second quarter to go into halftime with a 31-28 lead. With a run sparked by senior guards Sean Tyson and Gary Elder, Centennial turned up the pressure in the third quarter. Closing the final six minutes of the period on an 18-8 run, Centennial led 53-42 after three.

Much like the first quarter, Licking Valley fought back hard in the final frame. Going on a 16-8 run to open the period, the Panthers got as close as 61-58 with a three-point play from junior guard Chase Whisner with 3:14 to go. 

Centennial was not fazed, however, as the Stars responded with a 14-2 run in less than two minutes. Two free throws from Tyson put the Stars up 75-60 with 29 seconds to play, virtually putting Monday's game away. Cruising to a 76-65 victory, Centennial moves on to face No. 4 Bishop Hartley on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Tyson led all scorers with 23 points, controlling both ends of the floor and finishing tough shots near the basket. Tyson and Elder, who added 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, did a great job of managing tempo for the Stars. 

Junior forward Myles Martinez was uber productive when he was on the floor, adding 15 points and six rebounds, however foul trouble hampered his minutes on Monday. Junior forward Ira Campbell was terrific off the bench, filling in for Martinez, as he added a career-high 12 points and three rebounds, competing hard underneath and finishing around the basket. 

Freshman forward Jaylen Gilbert got off to a slow start but finished strong with 11 points. 

For Licking Valley, senior forward Cory Ellis played a terrific game, finishing with 17 points and six rebounds. Ellis was relentless around the basket, punishing Centennial on the interior and getting the Stars' post players in foul trouble.

Sophomore guard Carson Conley had a strong evening, finishing with 15 points and five assists. Conley was strong on the drive all night long, putting pressure on Centennial's backcourt. Whisner pitched in 13 points while senior wing Josh Lopez added 11 points.

Centennial moves on to a difficult road matchup in the sectional finals against Bishop Hartley. Losing at home in the same round against Linden last season, Hartley is looking to not let history repeat itself against another underdog City League North program.

In a matchup between teams with near identical records, No. 11 Linden (12-11) and No. 13 DeSales (12-11) was expected to be a good one in the Division II sectional semifinals on Monday.

That’s exactly what we got from this matchup as both teams left it all on the court, with DeSales pulling away for an 86-75 win in a high-scoring affair on the road.

Senior D'Von Lemon got things going for Linden early as he scored seven points in a big opening quarter for Linden. Early on the determining factor in the game  would be Linden’s size as they dominated the offensive glass and challenged every shot at the rim ferociously.

Senior forward Nate Claude set the tone for Linden as he totaled four points, four rebounds and an astonishing four first quarter blocks. Behind these efforts, Linden managed to jump out to a 20-8 lead after a quarter of play.

The second quarter, the script was completely flipped. DeSales managed to control the tempo, slow it down and get into their sets. Utilizing pump fakes often to counter Linden’s early shot blocking, it worked wonders as the Stallions were able to draw fouls and convert from the line consistently.

On the defensive end of the floor, DeSales locked in, crashing the boards and limiting easy second chance opportunities. A spark off the bench provided by lone senior Donya Harris was huge he scored seven points in the quarter and rebounded well.

Leading scorer Kayin Derdin chipped in nine points as well as the Stallions were able to win the second quarter 25-14. Despite that, Linden still clang on to a 34-33 halftime lead.

Derden got the scoring started in the second half for DeSales as his layup up would give the Stallions their first lead of the game early on in the period.

That would be short lived as the Linden offered a swift response on the other end. However, paced by Derden and sophomore Kobe Righter, the Stallions would go on a 14-5 run giving them a 47-39 advantage  with 3:50 left in the third quarter.

The two teams traded baskets back and forth as DeSales freshman Desmond Watson began to heat up. The freshman poured in 11 points in the third quarter scoring at the rim at will. Of his 11 points,  none were more devastating than a deep pull up three at the buzzer to put DeSales up 62-52 going into the final frame.

With Claude fouled out, senior Faizon Tucker, who finished with 19 points, and Linden did all they could do get back in the game. Linden got no closer than five points in the fourth quarter, as Watson delivered the final blow to the Panthers in the form of a tough And-1 finish to open the game back up.

The freshman stole the show finishing the night with totals of 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. Derden added 20 points as the Stallions scored 76 points in the final three quarters of play. 

DeSales will travel to take on No. 6 Johnathan Alder in the sectional finals on Saturday. 

- Darkell Curry (@dc_270)

No. 1 Beechcroft 85, No. 21 Utica 21 - Racing out to a 65-5 halftime lead, Beechcroft had no problems in dispatching Utica, 85-21. Senior guard Jelani Simmons led all scorers with 22 points. Beechcroft gets a rematch with No. 22 Marion-Franklin on Saturday, a team the Cougars beat 105-32 in December. 

No. 2 Eastmoor 81, No. 18 London 40 - Senior guard Taevion Kinsey dominated with 23 points as Eastmoor raced past London, 81-40. The Warriors will host No. 19 Lakewood on Saturday. 

No. 3 South 88, No. 17 Buckeye Valley 51 - Junior guard Tre Watkins led South with 18 points as the Bulldogs raced past Buckeye Valley by 37 points. Dylan Herbert led the Barons with 29 points. South will host No. 20 River Valley on Saturday. 

No. 15 Bloom-Carroll 57, No. 5 Bexley 51 - Sophomores Markeece Brown and Otto Kuhns combined for 25 points as Bloom-Carroll went on the road and shocked Bexley, 57-51. Kuhns returned from injury after missing the majority of the regular season. Bexley was led by sophomore guard Damian Davis, who scored 22 points. Bloom-Carroll will head to No. 8 Granville on Saturday. 

No. 1 Harvest Prep 101, No. 25 International 36 - Senior forward CJ Penha led all scorers with 21 points as Harvest Prep raced past International. The Warriors will host No. 24 Madison Plains on Saturday. 

No. 2 Africentric 68, No. 23 Horizon Science 28 - Senior guard Tre Baumgardner led the Nubians with 12 points as Africentric wasted no time in dispatching Horizon Science by 40 points. The Nubians will host No. 22 East Knox on Saturday.

No. 4 Wellington 61, No. 21 Heath 45 - Junior guard Dallas Patrick and senior guard John Faller combined for 36 points as Wellington held off Heath in a 16 point win. The Jaguars will host No. 19 Fredericktown on Saturday. 

No. 5 Northmor 54, No. 15 Worthington Christian 28 - Outscoring Worthington Christian 33-12 in the second half, Northmor rolled to a 54-28 win at home. The Golden Knights were led by 20 points from sophomore forward Blake Miller. Northmor will host No. 11 West Jefferson on Saturday. 

No. 6 Columbus Academy 59, No. 16 North Union 40 - Junior guard Dorrian Moultrie led Columbus Academy with 16 points as the Vikings rolled over North Union on Monday. Columbus Academy will host No. 12 Northridge on Saturday. 

No. 7 Grandview 49, No. 17 Fairbanks 36 - Going into halftime tied at 23, Grandview outscored Fairbanks 26-13 in the second half of a 13-point win at home. Sophomore guard Brian Collier led the Bobcats with 14 points, as Grandview moves on to host No. 9 Johnstown on Saturday. Grandview lost to the Johnnies 61-40 in late December on its home floor. 

No. 8 Pleasant 63, No. 13 Amanda-Clearcreek 44 - Ethan Warner scored 17 points and Pleasant rolled past Amanda-Clearcreek at home. The Spartans move on to host No. 14 Newark Catholic at home on Saturday.