Early on, the Vikings seemed to have control of the game, jumping up 16-5 early on Liberty, forcing 7 turnovers on the first 14 possessions of the game, and forcing another 3 missed shots as well in the frame. The Patriots led at 5-4, but a 12-0 run by Northland was sparked by domination on the glass, with second chance points fueling the  run. Jalen Robinson and Devon Scott owned the glass in the first quarter, snatching down 7 rebounds in the first quarter alone, 4 of those being on the offensive end.

The second quarter favored Liberty, coming firing back against the once-invincible Northland team, turning a 12-point deficit into a 3-point game at the half, only trailing 28-25. The Patriots did not hesitate to fire up the long ball in the 2nd either, taking 7 threes and making four of them, including three of four straight possessions, cutting into the Vikings lead. Jake Bischoff for Liberty was a key part of the run, knocking down 4 threes in the game, and he led scoring for Olentangy Liberty with 17 points.

The lead however would balloon back up to 7 for Satch Sullinger’s Vikings, with offensive rebounding being the culprit, getting second and third chances per possession for Northland, with Robinson pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds, along with 13 points. The push by Northland was also aided by defense, only allowing one field goal in the first 4:15 of the second half. However, Liberty would scrap it all together again to end the quarter only trailing 39-35. The fourth quarter would see Northland expand the lead to the point it became too much to overcome.

Waking up every morning before dawn, many at the Mansfield YMCA see a legend in the making. In the wee hours of the morning, before most people start their day, one man, and one dream are in the making. After graduating with the class of 2010 at Central Crossing High School, Mansfield YMCA PF/C Jason Morrow has surpassed unlikely odds to get to the position he is in now.

Being around the basketball program at CCHS until it’s eventual downfall after the 2008-09 season, Morrow took his attention elsewhere, this time Hilliard Bradley. Sitting court side for each Jaguar game, Morrow quickly became fascinated with his new team. Although he never played in any games during his high school career, his time on the bleachers is going to serve him well with his new gig. Ohio State basketball star. As the Buckeyes roll to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the new weapon in their arsenal has yet to be released. Even with the lights out scoring of Jared Sullinger, William Buford and Jon Diebler, among others, coach Thad Matta is anticipating the 2011-12 season more than ever. When Morrow announced on March 1st that he would be heading to Main Campus for his sophomore season at Ohio State, many didn’t understand exactly what he was saying. Many followers on Facebook and Twitter believed it was a simple suggestion that “Jay Bird” as many call him, would just be going to the Oval to solely take classes and increase his wealth of knowledge. Well social networking world, you were wrong.

Let’s go back into Morrow’s basketball past and see where this beast began his tour of destruction. Playing basketball in the Grove City Parks and Rec league, Morrow was a sharpshooter from deep. Standing in the corner for the majority of the game, Morrow averaged nearly 27 points per game, solely off three point attempts. Many around the city of 30,000 began comparing Morrow to Reggie Miller, but of a different breed. With unforgettable goggles, and an electrifying stroke from deep, natives around Grove City saw a poor man’s Troy Murphy in the making. But after Murphy was cut by the Indiana Pacers prior to this season, many began calling him a poor man’s Jason Morrow. Funny how things change.

When Morrow reached high school, his dreams of taking his career to the next level were put on hold. Choosing to focus on a journalism career, Morrow put basketball to the side. But when he enrolled at Ohio State’s Mansfield campus, he picked up a basketball, and the fire was rekindled. Enlisting in an 18+ league at the local YMCA, where Mansfield legends such as Johnny Appleseed once roamed the courts, Morrow was beginning to bring a Shawshank type effect on the community.

In his first game against the Ontario YMCA, alma mater of the great Paul Morrow, the young Morrow dropped 36 pts, including a Kevin Love-esque 27 rebounds. The seven fans in attendance were amazed at what they saw from the freshman. Over the next seven games, Morrow averaged nearly 41 points per game, and in a December 6th game against the Glenville YMCA, where Ray Small and Rob Rose are the leading scorers, Morrow scored a league record 53 points. Mansfield was trailing with 7.8 seconds left, down two, with the ball, Morrow felt a great sense of urgency coming from within him. Looking to scorn the haters, and women that have burned him in the past, this fire brought out an aggression never seen before. With Donte Whitner guarding him from the top of the key, the defense figured he would attempt a three point field goal, since he had hit eight that day already. But as he moved a little to the right, Morrow executed a slick crossover that broke Whitner’s ankles, something that he has been used to every time he’s played Tom Brady. Driving down the lane, Morrow slammed home a thunderous dunk over Rob Rose, resulting in a foul. With a few tenths of a second remaining, Morrow sinked the free throw which put Mansfield in the lead. Glenville would miss on a heave at the end, and the Fighting Cows won their first game over the Tarblooders since 1922.

The Cows would roll to 18 consecutive wins behind Morrow’s play, which set them up for the YMCA National Championship on March 1st against YMCA of Queens. Led by Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, the Queens crew was something that the YMCA circuit had never seen. Behind Marbury and Telfair, the Militia set the YMCA record for 62 straight victories, dating back to 2009. But when Morrow walked into the gym, many felt as if Telfair was back in a Timberwolves jersey. The guard was unable to penetrate the lane, which wasn’t the last time he had trouble penetrating that night. When Telfair tried to kick to Marbury, the former Phoenix Suns great couldn’t hit a single shot. With the weak Eddy Curry in the post, who had been claimed off waivers on February 27th following the blockbuster deal for Carmelo Anthony, Morrow had his way on the opposing defense. Sprinting out to an early 15 point lead, the Fighting Cows never looked back. Morrow would total 47 points on the evening, setting another record, this time for points in a Championship game, and Mansfield won the title 80-63. As a crowd of 15,000 filled the DC area YMCA, what many didn’t see was the numerous NBA scouts and NCAA coaches in attendance.

At the postgame press conference, journalists from all over the country were eager to get into the mind of the Mansfield myth. As a writer from the Chicago Tribune asked, “Jason, where are you headed next fall?” Morrow responded, “Well, what should I do? Should I go where you want me to go? Should I trust my friends? They’re my friends. Well, I thought they were at first.” The puzzled reporter looked back and asked, “huh?” Morrow said, “look, I have no idea where I’m going to play next season, right now, any place is pie in the sky.” As the press conference concluded, the majority of reporters in the room were delirious over what just happened.

The next morning Morrow was featured on ESPN First Take’s “First and 10″ with Skip Bayless. Host Jay Crawford brought up the question, “Where will the country’s best player land for the 2011-12 season?” As Bayless began to voice his incredibly biased and unreliable opinion, Morrow interrupted saying, “Well this is very tough. (pause) Next fall, wow, this is tough, next fall, I’ll be taking my talents to Main Campus to join the Ohio State Buckeyes.” Crawford and Bayless were stunned. Crawford questioned Morrow, “Is that the decision you came up with this morning?” Morrow snapped back, “No sir, that has been in my mind since I was born, you reporters are on me harder than the SEC.” Bayless was adamantly upset with the turn of events, ripping Morrow live on television. “Oh here we go again, another drama queen from Northeast Ohio. You should be ashamed of yourself. You will never be anything like Michael Jordan. Gosh, I hate this show more than I dislike Woody Paige.” Morrow smirked back to Bayless and responded, “Skip, nobody has ever told you this, but how about you shut the (expletive) up.”

As the world watched Morrow commit to the Buckeyes, Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger was ecstatic when he heard the news. Many on Twitter were witnesses to Sullinger’s tweet following the breaking news, “Welcome to Ohio State Mr Morrow. Let’s do it again next year #leggo.” As Morrow and Sullinger rejoiced, the headline at the Columbus Dispatch the following morning was, “Thad Matta does it again: Mansfield wunderkid Jason Morrow signs with the Buckeyes.” It’s crazy how sports can change someone’s life.

Craig Sealey (Bowling Green)-Sealey, the 6’6″ forward, who starred at Brookhaven from 2006-10, has done some good things for the Golden Falcons thus far in his freshman campaign. Playing an average of 8 minutes per game, Sealey has put up an average of nearly three points per game. In a fierce conference game against Ohio, Sealey totaled a season high 14 points on February 23rd, but BGSU would go on to lose, 70-60. Craig Sealey Highlights

JD Weatherspoon (Ohio State)-Weatherspoon, aka “Air Spoon” left Northland High School cementing his legacy as one of the City’s best dunkers of all time. Wrecking havoc on the conference for four years alongside Jared Sullinger, Weatherspoon set the record for most dunks in one season during his 2008-09 campaign, where he slammed down 60 jams. Initially commiting to Xavier, JD decommited when coach Sean Miller announced he was leaving for Arizona. That gave him the chance to continue his career with Sullinger. In a limited role for the #1 Buckeyes, Weatherspoon participated in ten games, before being ruled academically ineligible, averaging 1.8 points per contest. JD Weatherspoon Highlights

Peter Kpan (Coastal Georgia)-Kpan, another Brookhaven grad, who spent the majority of his career at Franklin Heights, has had a major impact this season in the junior college landscape. Averaging 11.3 ppg through 29 contests, the 6’9″ forward has also shot an impressive 60% from the field. Coming off the bench for the majority of the year, Kpan has also been an impressive rebounder, racking up nearly nine boards a game. Kpan Highlights

Anthony Jackson (Stony Brook)-Jackson, the 6′ guard out of Gahanna, has logged nearly 14 minutes a game for D1 Stony Brook. In his first collegiate contest, against Kemba Walker, another Player of the Year candidate, the former Westland Cougar tallied 8 points and did a great job defending Walker, who is averaging over 20 ppg for UConn in the fiersome Big East. Arguably his best game this season came against another Big East power, this time Notre Dame. In only 15 minutes of action, Jackson scored 12 points for the Seawolves in a losing effort. Anthony Jackson and Gahanna upset Northland

Rob Brandenberg (VCU)-Brandenberg, yet another Gahanna D1 commit, exploded onto the Central Ohio basketball scene during the latter years of his career as a Lion. Using his 6’7″ wingspan, the athletic guard was consistently rated as one of the top guards coming from the state of Ohio. Signing as the first commit for VCU’s Class of 2010, Brandenberg has done a steady job in his first year as a collegiate athlete. Playing in 30 games thus far as a true freshman, Brandenberg has averaged 5.8 ppg. In his first game against Virginia Union, Brandenberg scored 10 pts, he would later go on to score nine in a November game at Madison Square Garden against UCLA, in which the Rams won 89-85. Rob Brandenberg Highlights

DeJuan McGaughy (Mercyhurst North East)-Coming from City League South powerhouse Marion Franklin, McGaughy, the versatile point guard took his talents to the junior college level for his freshman year. After a glorious four year career with the Red Devils, in which McGaughy was arguably the most valuable player on a team that upset previously undefeated Westerville South in the district semifinals, the 6’1″ guard has been a monster thus far in his collegiate career. Averaging nearly 19 points per game, McGaughy accompanies that with an average of 4.5 dimes per contest. Dejuan McGaughy Highlights

Max Van Meter (Otterbein)-Van Meter, a Westerville Central grad,  has burst onto the scene for Otterbein in his first year on the basketball team. Averaging 10.5 ppg for the Cardinals, the 6’5″ forward has led the 13-13 squad in scoring on multiple equations, each against Capital, the first occurrence coming during a home game where the freshman scored 17 for Otterbein in an 82-58 victory. The Cardinals’ fortune would change the next time they played Capital, this time on the road in a 76-47 loss where Van Meter led the team with 18 points.

Jeremy Qualls (Edison CC)-Qualls, the electrifying point guard from Columbus’ Walnut Ridge carried on his basketball career in Piqua, this time at Edison Community College. After a productive career for the Scots, in which Qualls was the team’s leading scorer in his final two seasons, Jeremy is now playing point guard for Edison, and for the 2010-11 season, he has averaged 7.2 ppg. Jeremy Qualls Highlights

Jordan Laster (Shawnee State)-Laster, a four year starter at East High School, has made great progress in his transition to college ball. As a four year starter for the Tigers, Laster was All-District and All-Ohio after averaging 28 points and 7 rebounds during his senior season. Following an 09-10 campaign where Laster teamed with flashy guard Jerry Dixon to form one of the city’s best backcourts, the 6’3″ guard has put up a respectable 7.9 points per game thus far for his freshman season. Shooting nearly 48% from the field, Laster’s season high total of 22 points came against Cincinnati Christian on November 27th. Jordan Laster backboard dunk

Ralph Hill (Dayton)-Hill, the 6’6″ forward from Westerville North was one of several D1 commits from the OCC. One of the top small forwards coming out of Ohio, Hill’s sharpshooting ability, deadly range and athleticism caught the eyes of many schools across the Midwest. After a great career for the Warriors, Hill continued his basketball career for the defending NIT Champion Flyers. In six games played, Hill has averaged 1.2 points per game in limited action. Ralph Hill Highlights

Photo provided by Central Ohio Photography

Before Trey Burke takes his talents to Ann Arbor to become a Michigan Wolverine next fall, the senior guard of state powerhouse Northland looks make a run for a championship. Following a stellar regular season campaign in which Burke was second in all scorers in the region, at 23.9 ppg, the sharp shooting guard has his team in position for another deep postseason run.

After blowout victories over Groveport and Franklin Heights, in which the Vikings outscored their opponents 162-63, Northland is matched up against a surprising Olentangy Liberty team hot off two victories over Hilliard Darby and Delaware Hayes. The Patriots of Liberty have showcased great defensive skills thus far in the tournament, something reflective of many top OCC teams around this time of year.

With Burke in the backcourt, Satch Sullinger needs to make sure his team can handle the pressure and hit tough shots, something they had trouble doing last year in a blowout loss to Gahanna. But this Northland team is different than the ones in years past. Led by the dynamic Burke, Northland showcases a great deal of athleticism, most notably in the frontcourt behind 6’8″ juniors Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson, who each lead Central Ohio in field goal percentage at 74% and 72% respectively. For Liberty to have a good chance at winning Saturday, the Patriots need to slow. it. down. Decreasing the tempo against Northland has proven to be effective in recent memory. In a 43-41 victory over Brookhaven earlier in the season, Satch Sullinger’s team was exposed in a game where they should have dominated. Brookhaven coach Hali Robinson nearly lulled the Vikings to sleep with a slowed tempo, that had the Bearcats within one point with less than 30 seconds remaining. Northland would go on to win that game, but it showed many around the city that the Vikings can indeed, be beaten. Nearly a month later in a trip up north to Lakewood St-Edward, Sullinger’s team would lose their first regular season game in nearly two years, 84-81, but this is the last loss that the five time reigning City League champs would suffer on the season. If Liberty can increase pressure right from the jump, and slow down the tempo of Burke and his offense, an upset could be foreseeable. But with Trey Burke in the backcourt, and a monstrous frontline, Liberty is going to need their A game on Saturday to topple the second ranked team in the state.

PREDICTION: Northland wins 65-50

For the best multimedia tournament coverage, head to Cap City Preps.

With a game that featured two of the better big men in Central Ohio, it was no surprise that the two teams only combined for 76 points and a wealth of rebounds. Led by Dane McLoughlin, St. Charles held on to defeat Hilliard Bradley 39-37 tonight at Bradley. McLoughlin led the Cardinals (3-3) in scoring with 15, and they finally won a game decided in the closing seconds, after losing the last three by a total of 6 points.

The entire game was played within a 10-point window, with Bradley (2-4, 2-2) actually holding an early 10-4 lead, and seemed like they may be able to run away the game early on. But a quick 5-0 spurt to end the quarter narrowed the gap to 10-9 after one. The Jags would advance the lead to 5 again, but then the offensive struggles set in for both teams, going 3 and a half minutes before either team would score again. The teams combined to go 0-9 from the field with 2 turnovers. St. Charles would tie the game at 16 in the closing seconds of the quarter.

St. Charles took only their second lead of the game midway through the third quarter at 18-17. However, the lead would change hands 6 times in the third alone, with St. Charles making a three as time was expiring in the quarter. The fourth quarter was played close to the vest for both teams, with the Cardinals never trailing or leading by more than 4 in the frame. The four-point lead was only held for one possession by St. Charles, as A.J. Dixon would knock down his only trey of the game to pull within one with 2:39 left.

Bradley would get the ball back after a missed shot and have one of their few mistakes of the night, as Trent Weaver would be called for a three-second violation. Weaver still had one of his better nights of the year with 19 points on 9 of 13 shooting with 6 rebounds, a steal and a block. Bradley was forced to foul as time was ticking off, and eventually had a similar situation as the other night at Mt. Vernon, trailing by 2 with 8 seconds left. The Jaguars had a great look once again, this time with Derek Tieman taking the final shot, but the ball could not fall, and was tipped around with no other looks as time expired.

It just goes to show how sports, and breaking sports news can get blown way out of proportion on Twitter. I’m not so sure that people understand that until Gene Smith or Tressel himself talk about it, there is no truth. Two recruits as “sources” don’t exactly add up to enough to pack his bags himself. Why can’t he name the recruits? Not sure why not if he claims he will stand by his sources.

All has pretty much ended well and died down, which started with Gene Smith himself on Twitter saying the rumors are “not true”. Until ESPN or Ohio State releases a real statement about this, which probably won’t happen, things in Buckeye Nation will be all calm and we can live as much peace and harmony as possible after this crazy week.

OCC Capital:

• Mount Vernon, the only team in the entire OCC on Tuesday or Wednesday to not hit a single three-point shot, survived an upset scare from Hilliard Bradley, 48-45.
• Olentangy Orange broke the century mark, the first team to do so this season in conference play with a 102-39 win over Watkins Memorial.
• New Albany and Delaware both built strong first half leads to defeat Franklin Heights and Big Walnut respectively.

OCC Cardinal:

• Behind 21 from Andy Yazrombek, Olentangy Liberty defeated Westerville North in an overtime thriller 66-60.
• A 33-point 3rd quarter helped Westerville South easily put down Marysville 69-41. Traevon Jackson for South led all scorers with 19 points.
• Nick Neale of Dublin Jerome hit 5 threes, helping the Celtics to a 57-50 win over Olentangy.

OCC Central:

• Dublin Coffman suffered no hangover from last friday’s win, defeating Hilliard Darby 54-42.
• Upper Arlington jumped out quickly 19-2 on Central Crossing and never looked back, beating the Comets 64-32. Brian Sullivan led scorers with 15, and 2 threes.
• Hilliard Davidson outlasted Worthington Kilbourne 41-35 in a low-scoring affair that featured only one quarter of double-digit scoring.

OCC Ohio:

• Gahanna continued their dominance of the OCC Ohio, winning their 25th straight league game over Pickerington North 61-41. Stevie Taylor led all scorers with 25.
• Grove City struggled for 3 quarters, but a 29-10 final frame helped the Hounds over Newark 58-41.
• Pickerington Central used a 28-10 second quarter to pull away from Groveport 84-59. Central had three players get to double figures in the win.

1 vs. 5: Jay Bruce walk-off HR to clinch NL Central Division vs. Jared Sullinger’s 40-point outburst in 75-64 win over IUPUI

2 vs. 3: Ohio State shutting down Oregon offense in 2010 Rose Bowl vs. Evan Turner’s buzzer beating shot against Michigan

Behind John Draper and OSU bound Ron Tanner, Eastmoor Academy upset a talented Marion Franklin team on the road Friday Night, 72-63. Holding highly touted prep Elijah Macon to only nine points, the Warriors outscored their counterparts 32-21 in the middle quarters to bring a 48-40 lead into the final frame. Draper, who led all scorers with 20, persistently got into the lane to cause trouble for Marion Franklin. For the Red Devils, Jeremy McCoy and Nate Spears were the engine on offense, combining for 33 points. McCoy led all players in 3-pt field goals and was deadly from the field early on. Leading 17-16 after one quarter of play, Marion Franklin wouldn’t be able to sustain another lead for the rest of the games as Eastmoor held the usually explosive Red Devils to six point in the second quarter. For Marion Franklin, this is their second loss in as many games in league play, as they were upset by Independence earlier in the week. With a talented squad like they have, it will be interesting to see how they respond. Eastmoor on the otherhand is rolling as of late, jumping out a 3-1 record, 2-0 in the City.

• Deangelo Gray of Briggs led the City in scoring Friday night, going off for 28 points in a 90-67 victory over downtrodden West.
• Elias Osbourne(17 pts) and Wesley Russell(24 pts) helped lift surprising Centennial over Beechcroft, 66-62. Osbourne had a steal which led to a three point play late in the game to secure the win for the Stars, who have jumped out to a 3-2 record. The Cougars, who were 17-9 last season, have fallen to 1-3 thus far this season.
• Trey Burke and Northland took care of Whetstone in convincing fashion last night. Leading 44-10 at halftime, the Vikings would go on to win 67-38. Northland is now 3-0 for the 2010 campaign.
• Brookhaven rolled over Mifflin at home last night in an 83-67 victory. Randall Clarkson’s 27 points lifted the Bearcats to 4-0, and 2-0 in the City.
• Walnut Ridge continued to impress in the South region, blowing out Independence, 81-59. Dwayne Bazemore’s 21 points were too much for the 76ers who were hot coming off a victory over the aforementioned Marion Franklin. Anthony Traylor added 17 points for the Scots who are now 3-1 on the season.
• Marquice Taylor and Africentric obliterated South last night in part of a 71-43 win. Taylor, who has scored 20 or more points in every outing this season led all players in that department last night. South, who hasn’t been good in any sport since the 90′s, dropped to 0-4 on the year.

A majority of 15+ point victories, combined with a couple close games and near upsets made this another great night to be a fan of the Ohio Capital Conference.

Capital Division:

Mount Vernon survived a test last night, avoiding the near upset from Franklin Heights, 60-54 in double OT. The game featured a scoreless first overtime after Heights had erased a 10-point fourth quarter deficit. Mount Vernon’s Ben Hoar lead all scorers in the game with 24, including a three-point play that sparked the rally for the Jackets. In other games, Hilliard Bradley’s 21 and 19 performance from center Trent Weaver sparked the Jags in a 60-41 romping of Big Walnut. New Albany avenged last year’s early season loss to Olentangy Orange, as they held off Orange 50-45 last night. Matt Kurelic for New Albany lead all scorers in the game with 18. Delaware Hayes’ Matt Bingaya has been a great return after early season off-court troubles, adding 19 points in an 81-41 win over struggling Watkins Memorial.

Cardinal Division:

Westerville South opened with a 39-19 first half on the road at Dublin Jerome, and never looked back as they easily defeated the Celtics 86-50. In a cross-town rivalry, Olentangy Liberty got the better of Olentangy, beating them 52-31. Liberty’s Andy Yazrombek posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Westerville North had no trouble with Dublin Scioto, defeating them 61-40. Jack Gibbs for North was the high scorer with 15. In the game featuring the last of the Westerville’s, Westerville Central used a 15-1 second quarter to easily put away Marysville 58-39.

Central Division:

In the matchup of the night, Dublin Coffman used a 19-12 4th quarter to outlast Thomas Worthington 66-61. The two teams combined for 22 threes, Thomas gaining a 12-10 advantage on those, with D.J. Lightfoot nailing 5 treys en route to tying a game-high in points with 23. Hilliard Davidson easily put away Central Crossing after a rough first quarter, outscoring the Comets in the middle quarters 36-21. Crossing came back down to reality after their extremely surprising upset win over Darby last week. Hilliard Darby on the other hand, struggled to bounce back against Upper Arlington, falling to UA 56-45. The Bears’ Brian Sullivan led Arlington with 18 points and three triples. Worthington Kilbourne used a strong second half to fight off Westland 53-41.

Ohio Division:

BtBS’s player of last year’s Central District Tournament Stevie Taylor of Gahanna had 23 points in a 78-53 win over Pickerington Central. Gahanna spent most of the night at the charity stripe, knocking down 31 of 44 free-throws. Groveport got out of their scoring slump they had been in, but still wasn’t enough to handle Newark, as the Wildcats cruised to a 79-58 win. Jalen Dartis for Newark knocked down 8 threes by himself, and tied the high for all players in OCC games with 24 points. Unbeaten Pickerington North, a solid pick to win the division at the beginning of the year, survived a scrappy Reynoldsburg team 46-40. To round out the conference, Grove City avoided the upset bug by finishing off winless Lancaster 53-46.