District Final Day at the Coliseum
Green’s 30 Leads Rocks over Marion Franklin
Last season, Dublin Coffman had their season end in the district final at the hands of Grove City 81-52. This season, they wrote their names into the history books by dominating Marion Franklin 78-59 this morning. Michael Green of Coffman took the spotlight, knocking down four threes in the first half, and finishing with a game high 30 points.
The first three minutes of the game favored the Red Devils (17-6), as they jumped out to a 6-2 lead behind the help of future West Virginia Mountaineer Elijah Macon. But when he picked up his second foul with 5:03 in the first quarter, the game turned in favor of the smaller Rocks. The first quarter ended with the Red Devils leading by 1.
That lead would be the last lead they had. After they tied the game at 15, Coffman(21-3) went on an 8-0 run that prompted Marion Franklin to call a timeout with 5:11 left. The lead would open up to 31-20 after a Green three with 1:52 left in the second.
After halftime, the gap would be cut to 34-30 before junior Kyle Molock had an amazing scoop shot to open the lead to 6. A three by Carkhuff expanded the Rocks lead to 9, but he would be given a technical foul for taunting with 5 minutes left in the third.
Not much fazed the Rocks from here on out, as they’d lead 52-40 at the end of the third. Elijah Macon proved to he ineffective in this game, as he would only score 5 for the game. The first five minutes of the fourth helped pace Coffman, as they would go on a 22-9 run to open the quarter. Michael Green of Coffman finished the game with 30 points, 10 field goals, four of which were threes, and six free throws.
Jackson leads Gahanna in OT win
The first title is always the hardest, and Gahanna had to go to overtime to win their first district title today against a scappy Westerville North (18-4) team that trailed by as many as 7 with two minutes to go in regulation. The Lions (24-0) were led by senior Anthony Jackson, who had 25 in the victory.
The game opened up with a three pointer by Jackson, but a response by the Warriors Ralph Hill tied the game up on the following possesion. The lead would trade hands before North would take a 28-27 into the locker room. Gahanna would take over in the third, leading 41-34 late, and holding North without a field goal for over four minutes.
The lead would extend up to 9 at a point with 5:37 left in the game. Not much happened until a Ralph Hill steal and thunderous dunk cut the lead to 5 with 3 minutes left. Gahanna would have the ball for a minute, before they would extend their lead to the biggest margin it would get to the rest of the game with 1:57 left. North would convert on the following possesion, and were spared when Rob Brandenburg missed two free throws with a minute to go. Hill was fouled on the next play, and knocked down two FTs to cut the lead to three. Missed free throws for Gahanna was contagious, as Stevie Taylor missed the front end of his 1-and-1, and turnovers on possesions by both teams would give North a chance to knock down a key three with 30 seconds left to tie the game. A Brandenburg missed three sent the game to overtime.
Gahanna controlled the extra frame and extended the lead to 4 with a Jackson layup with 2:05 left. Even when North held possesion only down 2, they turned it over, blowing the last chance to win. This time, the Lions knocked down 2 key free throws to clinch the game by Stevie Taylor.
19-0 run helps Northland pound Westerville Central
Who knew a team could make winning a district title look so easy? Northland flexed their muscles once again today in a 62-43 romping of Westerville Central. While playing with a fractured right index finger, future Ohio State Buckeye Jared Sullinger still had a game high 17 points, outscoring Westerville Central’s Max VanMeter by 1.
The game opened up sloppy, with the first points coming on free throws by Trey Burke after he was fouled on a three point shot. The Warhawks (19-5) first six possessions included four turnovers, and 2 missed shots, over a three minute span. Not much else would happen in the first quarter until Jakyl Cornley picked up a technical with 54 seconds left in the quarter. Westerville Central would try and keep it close, trailing 13-9 with 7:09 left in the second. The amazing play of the half was a back screen alley-oop for Sullinger that he slammed home, giving the Vikings (23-0) an 18-13 lead. Quickly following that was a lazy inbounds by Central that gave Northland another steal and layup to extend the lead to 7.
The lead at halftime would be 26-17, but the Vikings came out in the second half with a mission. They did not allow a point for the first 4:49 of the half, and Central’s only points in the quarter would come at the 2:19 mark with a VanMeter three to end the 19-0 run by the Vikings. The lead would never shrink below 17 again, and Northland cruised on to the victory, and will play the winner of Clayton Northmont and Cincinnati Colerain on Wednesday at 7 in the Fairgrounds again.
