Five things we learned from MLK weekend
Even with weather wreaking havoc on some events held Jan. 17, the weekend featured a packed slate of high school basketball games beginning Jan. 14 and concluding on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The final day of the three-day Battle in the 614 at Ohio Dominican was among the casualties of the snow. Still, there were moments of note throughout the weekend as girls teams competed in the Classic in the City at Pickerington Central, boys teams played in Flyin’ to the Hoop at Kettering Fairmont and teams battled in other league and non-league matchups.
Here are five things we learned from central Ohio high school basketball games held Jan. 14-17:
1. The Westerville South boys team continues to open eyes.
The Wildcats have one of central Ohio’s top talents in senior Drey Carter, a 6-foot-8 forward and Wright State signee who averages 17.5 points.
It goes without saying that South will always be well-coached with Ed Calo leading the way.
What’s becoming even more clear as the season progresses is that South is a well-disciplined team. On its way to a 13-0 start and a tie for No. 2 in the Division I state poll, the Wildcats have won six games by five points or fewer, including 54-49 over Dublin Jerome on Jan. 17 at Westerville North.
With seniors Isaiah Johnson and Reign Winston both averaging more than 11 points and standing 6-4 and 6-5, respectively, South can beat teams in myriad ways.
2. The Classic in the City girls event at Pickerington Central was a showcase of talent from throughout the nation.
There were 14 games held Jan. 15-17 at Pickerington Central in the Classic in the City that involved central Ohio programs, but the inclusion of national powers such as Montverde (Florida) Academy and Bradenton (Florida) IMG Academy added flair to the event.
Dublin Coffman has been without one of its top players, junior guard Jenna Kopyar, since late December but continues to impress, beating Louisville (Kentucky) Central 60-44 on Jan. 16 to improve to 13-1.
Newark lost to IMG Academy 54-37 on Jan. 15 but beat Gahanna Lincoln 24-23 on Jan. 17 to move to 10-4.
The host Tigers had the toughest task of the week but should be well-prepared for the rest of the season, as they followed a 56-53 loss to Reynoldsburg on Jan. 13 by losing to both Montverde Academy (54-50 on Jan. 15) and IMG Academy (64-45 on Jan. 17) to fall to 9-6.
3. The area’s Division I boys teams got it done at Flyin’ to the Hoop.
After Gahanna beat Pickerington North 53-42 on Jan. 14, both teams traveled to Kettering Fairmont for Flyin’ to the Hoop.
The Panthers bounced back the next day with a 52-49 win over Huber Heights Wayne as Corey Hudson led the way with 16 points and the Lions edged Lyndhurst Brush 48-44 on Jan. 16 as Sean Jones scored 15. North is 10-2 and Gahanna is 11-2.
Also at the event was Pickerington Central, which defeated Garfield Heights 62-36 behind Devin Royal’s 27 points as it improved to 11-1.
4. Girls teams outside of Division I also got in work at the Classic in the City.
The cancellation of the final day of the Battle in the 614 robbed us of a matchup between the Watterson and Granville girls teams, but the Blue Aces were among those from the area in Divisions II and III to compete in the Classic in the City.
Granville, which was first in last week’s Division II state poll, blitzed Sidney 58-34 on Jan. 15 behind Cate Schieber’s 17 points as it improved to 14-0.
Hartley was second in last week’s Division II state poll but has run into trouble, following a 48-37 loss to Watterson on Jan. 13 by losing to Stow-Munroe Falls 52-42 on Jan. 16 and Cincinnati Purcell Marian 70-36 on Jan. 17 to slip to 9-3.
Among the area’s top Division III teams, Africentric edged Teays Valley 32-25 on Jan. Jan. 15 to improve to 9-1 and Worthington Christian lost to Kettering Alter, the No. 3 team in the Division II state poll last week, 46-35 on the same day to drop to 12-2.
5. City League boys competition continues to heat up.
Africentric was the other area team at Flyin’ to the Hoop, beating Dayton Oakwood 52-49 on Jan. 15.
That came one day after the Nubians lost to Walnut Ridge 77-60 to further tighten what could be a four-way battle for the title with Columbus South and Eastmoor Academy.
In the City-North, Beechcroft is 9-2 overall and 7-0 in the league after beating Centennial 71-53 on Jan. 14 as Anthony Watkins led with 19 points, while Linden-McKinley is 9-4 overall and 6-1 in the league.
Northland is 5-2 in the league under first-year coach Tihon Johnson and improved to 7-6 overall with a 36-33 victory Jan. 15 over Jerome in the Battle in the 614.
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