5 things we learned Jan. 7-8
It was a pair of beautiful scenes: The stands filled with fans at Gahanna Lincoln and a steady stream of folks watching a five-game slate just a few miles away at Africentric.
There still were capacity limits during the 2020-21 season for boys basketball games, but those who have been ready to return in person this winter got a dose over the weekend of what the postseason is going to be like a few weeks from now.
More coverage:Catching up on the last month’s high school sports happenings
On Jan. 8, Africentric was host to The Challenge, which featured OCC teams taking on City League competition, and Gahanna played host to Pickerington Central in a much-anticipated non-league contest that more than lived up to expectations.
There was drama at other places during the weekend as well, signifying what should be a busy and exhilarating stretch run.
Here are five things we learned in central Ohio boys basketball on Jan. 7 and 8:
1. Pickerington Central and Gahanna should reap long-term benefits from their slugfest.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see these teams meet again deep in the postseason after the Tigers got out to a fast start and had the final answer in a 58-53 victory as they improved to 9-1 while Gahanna dropped to 9-2.
The Lions trailed 13-4 by the end of the first period, but a half-court 3-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer by Marquette signee Sean Jones, who would finish with 18 points, cut the deficit to 24-23.
Gahanna took a 40-38 lead with 46 seconds left in the third quarter but the Tigers responded during the final four minutes, as one of the state’s top juniors, forward Devin Royal, scored six of his 19 points.
The Tigers are one of the few teams in the area that can match the height of Gahanna’s duo of Toledo signee Javan Simmons and Josh Whiteside, with Royal and Gavin Headings both being 6-foot-7 and Ohio State football recruit Sonny Styles at 6-5.
2. The finale of The Challenge at Africentric was a display of star power.
Africentric ended the City League’s night on a positive note when it improved to 6-2 by beating Dublin Coffman 76-71, a game in which the two biggest college recruits in the matchup shined.
Junior forward Dailyn Swain, who along with Royal was offered by Virginia Tech after their respective games Jan. 8, has the entire package of finishing ability and speed to go with his 6-8 frame and finished with 28 points.
Shamrocks senior guard Ajay Sheldon continues to show he can take over games. Following a 38-point performance as Coffman beat previously unbeaten Upper Arlington 57-52 on Jan. 7, the Ohio University signee came back with 20 points in the first half on his way to a 31-point performance as his team dropped to 6-3.
3. Westerville South continues to show that it’s one of central Ohio’s top teams.
Although Westerville Central is just 4-8 after a Division I state runner-up finish last season, the Warhawks took Westerville South to overtime before the Wildcats pulled out a 58-54 win.
South is central Ohio’s only undefeated Division I team at 10-0 and likely won’t let up any time soon because of the abilities of senior Drey Carter, a 6-8 wing player who poured in 32 points against Central and averages 19.
The Wildcats have won four games by five points or fewer.
4. The four OCC squads that won in The Challenge all look like teams to watch over the coming weeks.
Olentangy Orange opened the event with a 70-58 victory over Northland that improved its record to just 5-4, but all of those losses have come against teams with winning records and three were by five points or fewer.
New Albany got a game-winning basket from Justin Perry and 19 points from Josh Evans as it beat Walnut Ridge 58-56 to improve to 7-3, and Dior Connors helped Pickerington North pull away with 14 of his 20 points in the second half of an 83-69 win over Eastmoor Academy as his team moved to 8-1.
Then in the fourth game of the day, Hilliard Bradley continued its hot recent play by beating Beechcroft 63-46. The Jaguars lost three of their first five but are now 8-3 after beating the Cougars as sophomore guard Jeb Bischoff had his best game of the season, scoring 22 points.
5. Don’t feel bad for the City League following its overall showing in The Challenge.
The City went just 1-4 against its OCC opponents at the Africentric event, but the Nubians’ win over Coffman was far from the lone bright spot.
Walnut Ridge had three players score in double figures, led by sophomore guard Dominique Aekins’ 18, and battled back after trailing by 12 at halftime.
While every OCC team at the event will compete in Division I during the postseason, Eastmoor and Beechcroft are Division II programs and Africentric competes in Division III.
Beechcroft has one of the area’s best duos in seniors J.J. Simmons and Amani Lyles, and Eastmoor has height that will be tough to match in its division with 6-8 senior Dennis Asoro leading the way.
Africentric, meanwhile, looks like a strong candidate to earn either the No. 1 or 2 seed for the district tournament alongside Harvest Prep.
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