Tale of Two Games

Two teams punched their ticket to the Fairground Coliseum last night with sectional victories at Lakewood High School. Although 2nd seeded Gahanna Lincoln and Reynoldsburg both advanced to the district semi-finals next weekend, their paths to the Fairgrounds were vastly different. Gahanna faced little resistance from Watkins Memorial as they cruised to a lopsided 106-27 victory. Early in the contest, before the starters were pulled, Rob Brandenburg provided several ESPN-worthy highlights in the form thunderous dunks. Stevie Taylor was Brandenburg's set up man, as 4 of Taylor's 6 assists accounted for Brandenburg's 8 points. The leading scorer in the contest was Anthony Jackson who dropped 16 points in limited play. A perusal of Sunday mornings box scores in the Columbus Dispatch will show that every Lion scored, while several reserve players out scored the starters. Other than Brandenburg's high wire act, the game was less than competitive as Watkins was way over-matched.

The second game of the night could not have been more different than the first contest, as Reynoldsburg needed over time to defeat Beechcroft 70-65. This game was contested from the very beginning and featured multiple ties and lead changes. During warm ups, Beechcroft appeared to be the bigger and stronger team, and the players appeared focused for the game. Both teams featured athleticism and prefer transition over half court offense. The difference in this game came down to heart, will to win, and free throw shooting. In the end, two missed free throws by Rashaun Moore with 1.1 seconds left in the game to break a 58-58 tie proved to be pivotal in the game. Moore had to endure the pressure thru 2 time outs designed to "freeze" him. The first time out was called by his coach after the first free throw missed the mark, and the second time out was called as Moore stepped to the line for the second attempt. The Raiders was led by Morehead State signee Kevin Gray who finished with a game-high 21 points. His partner in crime was Brandon Rushton who contributed 19 points. Brandon Mitchell added 9 points. Mike Petrie led Beechcroft with 17 points and DJ Bridges added 11 points. Next up for Reynoldsburg is Gahanna Lincoln, the state's 2nd ranked team. This game will mark the 3rd time these two meet this season as OCC Ohio foes fight for a spot in the district finals. See the pictures of the games at Buckeye Prep"s Facebook Fan Page.

Columbus City League Post Seasen Awards Decision

Although there have not been any formal announcements about the Columbus City League post season awards decision, it's clear by now that a lot of people have heard rumors about what is believed to be the final outcome of the coaches' vote. With so much information floating around out there (see your favorite message board) about the decision, much of it conjecture, rumor and simply misinformation, I thought I would take a shot of clearing up some of the information and introducing a few facts.

As is customary for most high school basketball leagues, on February 25th at the Columbus Student Activities building, the 16 head basketball coaches who make up the the Columbus City League, met to decide the recipients of the league's post season awards, most commonly referred to as First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention. Because the league is divided into to two divisions (North & South), coaches from both divisions were separated by division and seated at separate tables to cast their votes.

From my sources inside the room, the North Division coaches initially cast their 1st team votes as follows: Jarred Sullinger (Northland), JD Weatherspoon (Northland), Jeremy Dixon (East), Bucky Chenault (Centennial) and Craig Sealy (Brookhaven); leaving a 3-way tie between Trey Burke (Northland), Jordan Laster (Centennial) and Percy Dean (Mifflin) for the final spot. After more debate and a second vote, there was still a two-way tie between Burke and Laster. A third vote resulted in Jordan Laster getting the nod for the final 1st team spot.

It's my understanding that after the final vote, Northland coach, Sach Sullinger objected to the fact that his top three players (Sullinger, Weatehrspoon & Burke) were not voted onto the 1st team. At that point, Sullinger is alleged to have demanded that if all three of his players did not make the 1st team, then all three players should be taken off the lists entirely. Although the North Division coaches implored Sullinger to re-consider his stance, he reportedly refused and a new 1st team was selected which included: Sealy, Chenault, Dixon, and the additions of Laster Dean and Peter Kpan.

At this point you can debate the merits of putting a 3rd player on a 1st team or weather any 1st team should include the top 5 players in the league or some other mix (i.e., 2-2-1) of players based on the final finish of the teams in the league. For some historical perspective, according to All-Ohio's Jerry Watson, not since East High School's Bo Lamar, Eddy Ratliff and Nicky Connors did it back in 1969, have three players from the same City League team made the 1st team. Also, if you will recall, about 5 years ago, Brookhaven's Drew Lavender, a 1st team All-Ohio selection and McDonald's All-American was relegated to the 2nd team because his team was loaded with 6 future D-I players. Considering past precedent, context of the recent decision and the process that created the situation should be a little clearer.

As I pointed out earlier in this piece, no formal lists have been published to date, so in theory, we really don't know what has been decided. Well maybe we do. It's my understanding that Columbus School officials, as high up as Dr. Gean Harris, the Columbus Public School Superintendent, may have stepped into to right this situation. I have heard that Northand recently held a team meeting where the players were informed that Sullinger and Weaterspoon were placed back on the ballot, and will in fact be present on the City League North 1st Team list. If this actually transpires, it will not only save the Columbus City League from a public relations "black eye," and certain local, state-wide and national ridicule, but it will give the kids their just due and the recognition their on-court play deserves. Although I have my own personal opinions on the matter, I have kept them to myself and tried to introduce more facts from people who were actually part of the process. I will let the reader decide their position on the matter. I hope this helps bring some clarity to the situation. Please feel free to post your comments below.

Olentanay Freshmen Advance to Championship Game

While most central Ohio basketball fans are hoping to get a good seat at the Fairgrounds Coliseum next weekend to watch their favorite high school team; unknown to most fans, for about a week, 17 freshmen teams have been competing for a championship of their own at the 2010 Raider 9th Grade Basketball Tournament at Reynoldsburg High School. Tonight, with a 61-59 semi-final win over the Gahanna Lincoln Lions (13-3), the Olentangy Liberty Patriots (12-2) punched their ticket to the tournament championship game on Saturday, where they will face off against the Reynoldsburg Raiders (14-2).

In the contest tonight, the Patriots jumped out to an early lead and entered the locker room at half time with a 32-33 lead. However, after the Lions scored on 3 consecutive possessions to start the second half, the lead shrunk to 32-30. Gahanna took lead (40-39) with 2:15 left in the 3rd quarter, and began the 4th period with a 45-43 lead. The Lions appeared to have the game wrapped up with 21 seconds left in the contest when Troy Mundy stepped to the free three line with a 1 point lead (59-58) and a chance to put his team up by 3 points. However, although Mundy converted the front end of a one-and-one, his foot was over the line, and his made shot was waived off. As you would expect, Liberty pushed the ball up courtt and drained a treyr with 4 seconds remaining to go up by two points. Although Gahanna got off a shot with 2 seconds left, a runner off the mark. The leading scorers for Olentangy was Zach VanGundy who scored a team-high 12 points. For Gahanna, Troy Mundy dropped a game-high 17 points and Aaron Jackson, the leading scorer in the tournament with 54 points in 3 games, added 15 points.

The championship game between Olentangy and Reynoldsburg is scheduled for Saturday at 6:00pm, while Gahanna will face Grove City in the 3rd place game at 4:30pm. In the first game of the night, the Reynoldsburg Raiders defeated Grove City 53-45. Leading scorers in the game were Reynoldsburg's Nathanael Wallace (15 points) and Jaylen Givens (14 points). Grove City's Dominic Marion scored a team-high 12 points. At the conclusion of the tournament an all-tournament team will be selected. From what I hear, Gahanna's Aaron Jackson; Reynoldsburg's Grant Coleman and Jaylen Givens are believed to be favorites. Check out the pictures on the Buckeye Prep Fan page. For the final results of the tournament including the All-Tournament Team and other standout performers, see the final report submitted by Gary West in the comment section below!

Northland Claims City League Championship

By now, most of you have already heard that Northland notched a 65-52 win over Marion Franklin to claim their 4th consecutive Columbus City league Championship on Saturday. Also, you no doubt already heard the Jarred Sullinger paced the Vikings with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while JD Weatherspoon contributed 16 points and Trey Burke dropped 12 points and 3 steals. Because you already know the particulars, I want to spend a few minutes to discuss some of my observations of the day.

First of all, big ups to Marion Franklin for making a game of it and providing just enough drama to keep the capacity crown at East High School entertained and committed to the game. Although most in the crowd thought it was only a matter of time before the Vikings machine started hitting on all cylinders; the Red Devils made us think the game was still in doubt well into the second half. Despite be overwhelmed from a talent perspective, Marion Franklin competed until the very end. Of course there was the customary trash talk and extra bumping in the paint, but like the hundreds in attendance, everyone one was on their best behavior on and off the court (except for a few double technical fouls in the closing minutes).

Besides the on-court happenings, the game was a "coming out" of sorts for the brand new basketball facility at East High School. I have to admit, I was very impressed with the new facility, and I think that Columbus Public Schools has reason to be proud of the final product. However, although the game was sold out, and off limits to anybody who had the nerve show up without a ticket (unless you were somebody, new somebody or had a secret entrance mapped out), there was more than enough seating still available after the doors were closed. I also have to admit, I kind of felt sorry for those unfortunate few who were seen with their noses pressed up against the windows and doorways trying to sneak a peak at the over hyped contest.

From my perspective, I got the sense that many of the fans in attendance were there to see history in the making, and to ensure themselves of the ability boast that they were witness to coronation of one of the best teams in Central Ohio history. Yes, the game featured high major individual talent in Jarred Sullinger (Ohio State), JD Weatherspoon (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Penn State) and Elijah Macon (West Virginia), but the feel in the gym was bigger than the individual players; it was about just being there to see everything unfold. All-in-all, it was a great day for central Ohio basketball, the kind of day the Columbus City League can be proud of! Congratulations to Northland, Marion Franklin and Columbus Public Schools for hosting such a great event. Finally, I took a lot of pictures during the event. To see what I saw, visit the Buckeye Prep Facebook page!

Buckeye Prep Schedules Tryouts

From 5:00 to 7:00pm on February 20th & 21st, this year's 8th grade Buckeye Prep team will be holding tryouts at the J. Ashburn Center located at 85 Clarendon Ave, Columbus, Oh. 43223 (west side of Columbus). Some of the tournaments on the schedule include: King James Classic, Pittsburgh Jam Fest. Buckeye Prep Invitational, Nike Grassroots, Spiece Memorial Run & Slam, Pittsburgh AAU Super Regional and AAU State and National Tournaments. For more information about the tryouts contact Coach Gary Scott at 614-354-2318 or email him at gphillipscott@aol.com. All players must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Warriors Win Newark Basketball Classic

Scott Bradley's New Birth Warriors finished 4-0 on their way the championship of the Newark Basketball Classic. In game one, New Birth defeated the West Virginia Wildcats 45-25. The leading scorers in that game were DJ Tyree (21 points), Jelani Rogers (9 points) and Tyrell Carter (7 points). In game # 2, New Birth defeated Newark 56-19. Leading scorers were DJ Tyree (13 points), Jelani Rogers (13 points), Tyrell Carter (10 points) and Jelen Tate (6 points).

In the semi-finals, New Birth defeated the Sting 61-32. Leading scorers were Jelani Rogers (21 points), DJ Tyree (14 points) and Tyrell Carter (14 points). In the championship game, the Warriors defeated North Canton Hoover 49-36. The leading scorers were DJ Tyree (16 points), Tyrell Carter (10 points), Jelani Rogers (9 points) and Jalen Tate (7 points). For the season, the warriors are an amazing 27-5 with two tournaments remaining. Congratulations to the New Birth players, coaches and parents!