GAHANNA, Ohio -- On Tuesday night, we checked out one of the elite rivalries in girls basketball between Pickerington Central and Gahanna. In a regional semifinal rematch from last year, Pickerington Central and Gahanna opened up OCC-Ohio play on Tuesday in front of a packed house.

Relying on its defense and star-studded duo of Penn State commit Madison Greene and Auburn commit Maliya Perry, Pickerington Central started fast and finished strong in a 61-43 victory.

For Pickerington Central, it was the Lady Tigers' first real test in a hostile environment. Going up against a Gahanna team in which they narrowly escaped in the regionals before moving on to win a Division I state championship, Pickerington Central knew a fast start would be needed in order to win on the road.

Outscoring Gahanna 19-11 in the first quarter, Pickerington Central established an early lead, however, the Lady Lions fought hard in the first half, going into the break only down by nine.

An early third quarter run saw Pickerington Central seize control of the game, extending its lead to as much as 22 points. The key to Pickerington Central’s dominance over Gahanna turned out to be turnovers and defense, as the Lady Tigers' pressure turned into easy transition points on the other end. Pickerington Central also attacked the glass, getting multiple possessions on a number of occasions, as the Lady Tigers were just the tougher team on Tuesday.

The rivalry game did get chippy toward the end of the game as there were double technical fouls issued to both Gahanna star Morgan Darnell and Pickerington Central's Perry.

The Lady Tigers held on strong late, cruising to an 18-point win on the road.

Pickerington Central was led in scoring by Greene, who finished with 19 points. The Auburn commit Perry followed suit with 13 points, while Nicole Stephens also added double figures with 10 points.

Gahanna was led by the 13 points of Darnell, who was the only Lady Lion in double figures on Tuesday.

With the win, Pickerington Central improved to 3-0 on the season, while Gahanna dropped to 2-2. 

 It doesn’t get easier for either team as Pickerington Central takes on rival Pickerington North in a girls/ boys doubleheader on Friday. For Gahanna, the Lady Lions will look to get back above .500 with a home test against a talented Reynoldsburg team.

Stay tuned to 270hoops.com for more girls basketball reports from myself throughout the year!