DAYTON, Ohio – Friday marked the opening day of the 2022 OHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament, as action kicked off with four semifinal games.
St. Vincent-St. Mary and Gilmour Academy became the first two schools from Northeast Ohio to punch their championship tickets, while Ottawa-Glandorf and Taft picked up wins in Division III.
Stay tuned for more coverage throughout the weekend, including the championships on Sunday!
Game #1: Ottawa-Glandorf 53, Africentric Early College 48
The first Division III game of the day was a morning contest between Ottawa-Glandorf and Africentric Early College out of Columbus.
In the first half, Africentric used their stifling defense and a strong performance from 4-star Ohio State target Dailyn Swain to build a 21-14 lead.
Swain and company would build a 29-21 lead in the third, but that’s when Ottawa-Glandorf came alive.
The Titans rolled to a 32-19 the rest of the way, stunning Africentric by a final score of 53-48.
Despite the low scoring contest, two talented players eclipsed 30 points on the night.
Sophomore Colin White was brilliant for OG, notching a 31 point double-double in the come-from-behind win.
Swain, a Mr. Basketball candidate, finished his day with 32 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 steals. Despite the strong performance, Africentric is heading home after a championship bid falls just short.
Game #2: Taft 56, Lutheran East 43
The second Division III game of the day featured a battle between Cincinnati Taft and Cleveland Heights Lutheran East.
Lutheran East, the only D-3 representative out of Northeast Ohio to make their way to Dayton, was able to hang tough early, leading 12-11 after the first quarter.
Taft would go on to win each of the final three quarters, including the decisive fourth quarter to earn a 56-43 win over the defending champions.
The Senators, who came into the tournament ranked as the ninth best D-3 team in the state according to the final AP poll, had four players in double-figures. Rayvon Griffith led the way with 17 points.
Lutheran East comes short of their goal, but they showed tremendous improvement throughout the season, especially during the playoffs. Cody Head and Jesse McCulloch combined for 31 of the Falcons 43 points in the loss.
Taft will face Ottawa-Glandorf in the Division III State Championship on Sunday, March 20th at 10:45 am.
Game #3: St. Vincent-St. Mary 72, Archbishop Alter 47
The first Division II game of the day featured Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and Kettering Archbishop Alter.
STVM, the 2021 champions and heavy favorite to win their tenth state title in school history, struggled early on.
Alter took advantage of the cold shooting start, leading 13-8 after one.
However, this cold streak wouldn’t last long.
Behind 23 points from Ramar Pryor and 18 points from Sencire Harris, STVM would outscore Alter 64-34 the rest of the way for a convincing 72-47 victory.
Despite the 25-point margin, this was the closest playoff game of the season for the Irish. They have outscored their opponents by an average of 37.5 points per game in a dominant run to the championship.
Alter was led by 13 points from both AJ Leen and Anthony Ruffolo in the losing effort.
Game #4: Gilmour Academy 58, Waverly 43
The final game of the day featured two D-2 schools in search of their first state titles in school history.
Gilmour Academy, representing Northeast Ohio in this matchup, dictated the pace for most of the night, steadily growing a 30-20 lead at the break.
After a tightly contested third quarter, Gilmour iced the game with a strong fourth, defeating Waverly 58-43.
Brandon Rose had a phenomenal game for the Lancers, finishing his night with an efficient 23 points on just 10 shot attempts. Adisa Molton added 14 points and a pair of assists.
As for Waverly, Trey Robertson was the only player in double-figures, finishing with 19 points. The Tigers took 15 more shots in this game, but were held to just 34% shooting in the loss.
Gilmour advances to face St. Vincent-St. Mary in an all-NEO D-2 championship game at 2:00 pm on Sunday.
Final Stats: http://archive.statbroadcast.
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