Pickerington Central's repeat bid falls short in OHSAA Division I state championship game
DAYTON — Whether his players were emotionally and physically spent after a grueling semifinal victory or Akron Hoban’s defense was sufficiently frustrating — or both — Pickerington Central boys basketball coach Eric Krueger noticed his team had trouble hitting another gear in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s Division I state final.
“We’ve been able to find a way to make the big run all season, especially in the tournament, but it just seemed like we were exhausted,” Krueger said. “We were trying everything we could. We just weren’t able to find a way to make it happen … and eventually, we were just left scrambling.”
Whatever it was, an even, entertaining game through three quarters turned on a dime and prevented the Tigers from repeating as state champions.
Sharp-shooting Hoban guard Logan Vowles and 6-foot-8, 290-pound freshman center Sam Greer ultimately made the difference in a 53-47 win that gave the Knights their second state championship and first in 34 years.
The lead changed hands 11 times and there were three ties, but Central was not ahead at any point in the final 13:59.
Neither team led by more than five until the first moments of the fourth quarter, when Hoban (26-3) reeled off a decisive 18-6 run to take a 49-37 lead.
Vowles led the way with a game-high 17 points and was 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Greer, who also is a starting offensive tackle on Hoban’s Division II state runner-up football team, had 12 points and five rebounds while causing constant disruption for the Tigers (24-6). Central star and Ohio State signee Devin Royal, who was named Mr. Basketball on Wednesday, finished with 15 points and eight rebounds but was under constant pressure all night, shooting 5-of-14 from the floor.
“We just had to lock Royal up and play our game,” Greer said. “We had to step off him a little bit and let him shoot. If he was missing, well, that was our plan, (to) let him miss.”
William Scott Jr. added 13 points and eight rebounds for Hoban, which was at state for the first time since 1998.
“We just didn’t play our game tonight,” said Central forward Gavin Headings, a senior who finished with 12 points. “We couldn’t stop all their shooters. We couldn’t simply contain (Greer) because of all their shooters. He’d just kick it outside.”
Markell Johnson added 11 points for the Tigers, one night after hitting the game-winning shot with 1.3 seconds left in a 57-53 semifinal win over Centerville.
Central was trying to become the fifth Division I team and 25th in state history, regardless of division, to repeat as champions. The others in Division I were Cincinnati Moeller (2018 and 2019), Canton McKinley (2005-06) and Cincinnati Elder (1973-74).
Richmond Heights became the 24th overall earlier Sunday when it won a second consecutive Division IV title.
Central got within six three times in the final minute on two layups by Johnson and another for Headings, but Hoban went 3-of-6 at the line to seal the victory.
“We had some opportunities but it wasn’t meant to be tonight,” Krueger said. “The guys believed in each other all year. We had an unbelievable season to get all the way back to this point.”
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pickerington Central falls in Division I boys basketball final
