Marysville’s Jo Jo Eberhart tries to get past Watterson defender Claire Feehan. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Sophie Ziel scored 32 points, including 6 of 6 free throws in overtime, as Watterson upset fourth-ranked Marysville in one of four district title games at Ohio Dominican. Other winners were Olentangy, Olentangy Liberty and Pickerington Central.
Columbus, OH – In hopes of simulating what it would be like to face Marysville’s relentless defense – and most notably its vast array of full-court presses and traps – Bishop Watterson girls basketball coach Sam Davis recruited some graduated boys to help out at practice.
An epic Division I district championship matchup against Marysville indeed came down to how many times the Eagles could break that pressure and make the Monarchs pay for it.
“We had been working on that week in practice and we kind of knew what to expect,” Watterson junior standout Sophie Ziel said. “Actually getting it over half-court was another story.”
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Ziel sank 6 of 6 foul shots in overtime and scored a game-high 32 points as the eighth-seeded Eagles upset the third-seeded Monarchs 56-49 before a raucous sellout crowd at Ohio Dominican’s Alumni Hall Saturday. Marysville, which came in allowing just 32.9 points per game, had been ranked in the top five of the Associated Press state poll all season.
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In capturing its first district title since 2004, Watterson (19-6) handed the venerable Davis his 600th career win.
“It’s really an honor to beat such a great team and such a well-coached team,” Davis said. “We knew the big key coming in would be how well we handled their pressure. They got us their share of times, but we got a few layups on the back end to help us pull away in overtime.”
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Ziel, who came in averaging 17 points, made big shot after big shot in Watterson’s patient motion offense.
“We came in with the idea that we had nothing to lose,” Ziel said. “We felt like the underdogs coming in and we kind of fed off that.”
Marysville (22-4) had beaten Watterson 51-37 last December 19.
Alexander Mosholder lines up a three point attempt during a D1 District Final victory over 4th ranked Marysville.
“We had the mindset that we were playing with house money, so to speak,” Davis said. “We kind of thrived on that underdog role. We felt like we had no pressure on us and the kids responded.”
The matchup featured nine lead changes and five ties.
Marysville jumped to an 8-0 lead before Watterson had even crossed midcourt. Davis called a timeout in the opening minute to stem the tide.
Both teams unsuccessfully played for a last shot in regulation.
In the overtime, after successfully breaking the Monarchs’ press, Ziel found Cameron Sparks alone under the basket for a 48-46 lead with 1:15 left.
Shortly thereafter, Marysville All-Ohio senior JoJo Eberhart fouled out, teammate Abbie Price followed and the wheels ultimately fell off.
Addy Tweed scored 16 points to pace the Monarchs, who were regional runner-ups last March.
“They made some shots late, all the credit to them,” Monarchs coach Klarke Ransome said. “They seemed to get more stops and rebounds than us in key moments down the stretch. They sure made some tough shots. We knew it would be a battle and it sure was.”
Watterson will face Olentangy in regional play at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Otterbein’s Rike Center.
Olentangy Liberty 60, Canal Winchester 53
After watching a 22-point lead whittled to three by spirited, scrappy Canal Winchester in the final minute, fourth-seeded Liberty (21-5) had to dig down deep to hold on for its first district title since 2015.
“I look down our bench and see a junior-senior group and it’s fun to have a veteran group to help pull you through situations like that,” Patriots coach Tommy Waterwash said. “These kids learned from the mistakes we made last year (in a district final loss to Westerville South) and that made a big difference down the stretch.”
Claire Mikola sank 7 of 8 free throws in the final two minutes and Gigi Bower hit 3 of 4 as Liberty held off a furious charge by the 11th-seeded Indians (19-7), who were shooting for their first title in over 40 years.
Claire Feehan arrives just a bit too late to prevent a score by Marysville’s Addy Tweed.
“We got pressured and kind of fell off,” said Mikola, who led Liberty with 15 points. “We got a little frustrated and forced things. But in the end, I felt like we were much more experienced than last year, when we made a whole bunch of mistakes, and we came through.”
Emma Karagheuzoff added 14 points and Bower 13 for the Patriots, who led 40-18 in the opening minute of the third quarter,
Sophomore London Johnson scored a game-high 24 points and Michaela Dunn added 13 for Canal, which used a 15-0 run to stage its comeback.
“We had some really silly turnovers and lost our composure,” Waterwash said. “It seemed like we were playing not to lose instead of playing to win, and they (the Indians) fed on that. Emma hit a huge three for us to kind of stem the tide and Claire hit some big-time pressure free throws down the stretch.”
Canal Winchester dressed only nine girls and that lack of depth prohibited coach Johnathan Hedgepeth from turning up the pressure even more than he did during the surge.
“Our girls were here for the first time and the stage was a little panicky to them at first,” he said. “The bottom line was we let them score too much and get too big a lead to overcome. Our teams don’t quit, though.”
Pickerington Central’s Kennady Gordon (10) and teammate Berry Wallace (23) get loose and advance the ball upcourt on a fast break.
Olentangy 57, Upper Arlington 40
Before bussing to Saturday’s district title game, Olentangy coach Jamie Edwards took his players on a quick stroll through the gymnasium to look at the wall.
“We went and saw the banner that showed our only district championship in 1998,” sophomore point guard Whitney Stafford said. “It sort of helped put things in perspective.”
That banner – when Olentangy competed in Division II – will now have a bookend, as the second-seeded Braves (24-1) rolled to a surprisingly easy win over sixth-seeded UA (22-4).
Stafford scored 19 points and freshman Sydney Mobley added 18 for the Braves, who were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll.
But it was a stifling 1-3-1 defense that set the tone as Olentangy shot out to a 10-0 lead and led by as many as 20.
“We tried to spread them out with that zone, to try and prevent them from being able to drive and kick, which they’re so effective at,” Edwards said. “They pass the ball so well, we wanted to stay back. We don’t play zone often, but we’ll sure use it if it can get us a win.”
Teays Valley was harassed all night long by a bigger, faster Pick Central squad including during this shot attempt by Alyssa Horsley.
Olentangy had been district runner-five times under current boys coach John Feasel. Edwards was an assistant on four of those teams before becoming head coach at Cardington.
Upper Arlington didn’t make its first field goal until the final minute of the opening quarter and by the time it found its footing, the outcome was well in hand. Olentangy used the same zone in a district semifinal win over Reynoldsburg.
“We couldn’t get anything going rhythm-wise,” Golden Bears coach John Wanke said. “We shot the ball real well all year long, but they got us going sideline to sideline and when we got good looks we didn’t make them. It just wasn’t our night. Give Olentangy credit. They’ve got a really fine team.”
Ella Hanky scored 14 points off the bench and Elizabeth Hunt added to lead UA.
Pickerington Central 61, Teays Valley 27
Illinois signee Berry Wallace scored 21 points and freshman Zoe Coleman contributed 16 as top-seeded Central steamrolled to its ninth consecutive district title and 20th overall, dating to 1985. Much of the fourth quarter was played with a rolling clock.
“Nine in a row is not that easy. Just look at all the other teams,” Tigers coach Chris Wallace said.
Judging by the postgame celebration, this is not a feat taken for granted.
“We’ve only got two seniors, so some of these kids haven’t been part of the legacy and tradition yet,” the coach said.
After a tepid start, Central’s size and depth wore down the Vikings (17-9).
“Everybody will come out of the gate with their best shot,” Wallace said. “The thing is we don’t just have five kids. Our bench allowed us to keep pressure on them without skipping a beat.”
Central (23-3), second-ranked in the final AP state poll, will face Olentangy Liberty in the 8 p.m. regional semifinal Tuesday at Otterbein.
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