Despite Dublin Jerome’s Angel Ezirim pouring in a career-high 22 points on the night, the Lady Braves’ defense and perimeter shooting were simply too much for the Celts as Olentangy claimed the OCC Cardinal Title. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Despite some significant offseason changes, Olentangy (19-3) is back in the catbird seat again and could be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming Division I district tournament.
Lewis Center, OH – In the course of a few months after capturing just its second Central District championship last February, Olentangy’s girls basketball program underwent some minor plastic surgery.
With most of its key players returning, coach Jamie Edwards unexpectedly stepped down as coach, and Klarke Ransome – who had built a powerhouse at Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division rival Marysville – came over to succeed him. That was a natural as Ransome already taught in the district.
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Shortly thereafter, first-team All-Ohio 6-foot-2 forward Sydney Mobley – one of the top-rated sophomore prospects in the nation – decided to transfer up the road to Big Walnut.
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The big changes turned out to be not such a big deal. A nip here and a tuck there, and the Braves are right back among the elite teams in Ohio.
With a 58-46 win over visiting Dublin Jerome Friday, Olentangy posted its second straight unblemished Cardinal title and enters the postseason with as good a chance of anybody to reach the Division I state tournament.
“It’s a whole new season now,” Ransome said. “I can’t really speak too much about the differences from last year to this year. The first thing I noticed when I came in was that this group was really connected. Style-wise, I guess we have a little more space to operate with Sydney gone. I feel like when we’re driving the lane and sharing the ball, we’ve got girls who can hit shots. If we’re on top of our game, we can be hard to guard.”
It was a physical battle all night long including this instance of Whitney Stafford trading paint with a Jerome defender.
A well-coached, scrappy, defensive-minded Jerome team found that out in this Senior Night showdown for the title.
Leading just 30-25 midway through the third quarter, the Braves (19-3, 10-0) found their groove, knocking down five of their 11 three-point goals to dispose of the Celtics (17-5, 8-2). The mode was simple. Olentangy’s ball-handlers used their athleticism to jackknife into the lane, then dished to the wing for open shots. Five different Braves hit threes in the onslaught and, surprisingly, not one of them was named Whitney Stafford, who is the team’s first-team All-Ohio junior guard.
“We knew coming in that they liked to clog up the paint, and we knew our best way to succeed was to knock down shots,” said Stafford, who scored a team-high 15 points off the bench (Ransome started his five seniors) and handed out five assists.
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“I think we’re a little more of fast-paced team this year. Obviously, we have a lot of attackers who can utilize the driving lanes and get into the paint. And tonight our shooters really came through and got the game going our way. It was a great way to end the regular season and head into the tournament.”
Ava Alexander gets a clean look beyond the arc.
Stafford, a 5-foot-7 combo guard with a solid, compact frame, has the complete tool box. She can score (15.4 points per game), distribute, shoot from the perimeter, drive defenders to the basket and defend. The 1,000-point career scorer will have many Division I college options next season.
Kareena Agrawal, who hit the game-winning three-pointer in Olentangy’s 58-55 double-overtime win at Jerome a month ago, added 10 points. Four other teammates chipped in between four and seven points. That kind of equal distribution has been typical most of the season for Olentangy.
“We operate at a little faster pace than we did last year, but one thing we have in common is we really mesh well as a team,” said Braves senior Chayla Rankin, who has signed to compete in track at Indiana.
Dublin Jerome coach Karli Burkett noticed some subtle differences between the 2023-24 and current Braves.
“They’re definitely different without the big girl,” she said. “Last year, people did all they could to try to contain Mobley. Now, they’re a little more run and gun. Of course, there are going to be some changes with a new coach and a different system. They’ve still got a lot of good players.”
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Angel Ezirim was a one-person wrecking ball for the Celtics with 22 points before fouling out with 4:31 remaining. Her teammates, however, couldn’t offer enough support. Jerome scores just 42.3 points per game and shoots 35 percent from the field and needs to rely on its efficiency with the ball and stingy defense.
Kate Mosher mixes it up with Jerome’s Ashley Meadors.
“Angel did it all for us tonight, and you can’t just rely on one person against a team of this caliber,” Burkett said. “We don’t see this as a bad loss, though. Olentangy is really, really good. Hopefully, we can learn and grow from this heading into the tournament.”
Speaking of the district tournament, most observers believe it is wide open. Olentangy earned the No. 2 seed behind Upper Arlington. Jerome is No. 4 – just ahead of perennial power Pickerington Central, who many perceive as the team to beat despite its placement by the MaxPreps RPI system. Five teams advance to the regionals, four at the Taft Coliseum and one at Wittenberg University.
Ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll last season, Olentangy was upset by Watterson 47-44 in a regional semifinal.
With an eye on again advancing deep into the postseason, Olentangy scheduled ambitiously. The Braves’ only losses came to teams (Upper Arlington, Anthony Wayne, Cincinnati Winton Woods) with a combined 60-4 record.
“I really think we have the kind of group that can go far,” Stafford said.
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