Mary Kidwell gets a shot off over a Panther defender. On this night it wasn’t her usual offensive prowess but rather a timely defensive play that turned the tide and helped take down third-seeded Hilliard Darby to advance. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Marysville, Dublin Coffman, New Albany, Pickerington Central, Newark and Olentangy walked off with Division I district girls basketball championship trophies Saturday at the Ohio Expo Center and Ohio Dominican University.
Columbus, OH – Third-seeded Hilliard Darby and seventh-seeded New Albany entered a tantalizing Division I girls district title game matchup Saturday allowing exactly 37.4 points each, so it stood to reason that defense would rule the day and a pivotal play or two down the stretch would loom especially large.
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On this day, a fourth quarter steal by Mary Kidwell proved to be a huge difference-maker as New Albany came away with a 43-40 win for its first crown since 2003. Just last week, the Eagles celebrated their first league title since 2009.
With Darby trailing by one and trying to regain the lead in a back-and-forth battle, Kidwell came up with a steal on the top of the key with 1:40 left.
Since the Panthers had four fouls left to give, New Albany first-year coach Eric Van Cleave immediately opted to pull the ball out and chew clock, at the same time force the Panthers to foul.
“Yes, that was the biggest play of the game in my mind,” Van Cleave said. “We’re very good at managing games when we get in close-game situations like that so Mary’s steal allowed us to take control.”
Kidwell, who came in averaging 18.1 points per game, was a little off her game offensively but the OCC Ohio Division and District 10 player of the year willed her team to victory.
“The game was close and I felt like I needed to make a play … just do something to turn things our way,” she said.
Given the strategic edge, New Albany forced Darby into scramble mode as the Panthers fouled at 1:05, 42 seconds, 37.4 seconds and 29.6 seconds. The third sent standout Calli Ludban to the bench with her fifth personal foul.
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After making the first free throw, Mica Jefferies missed the second but Kidwell stormed in for the rebound and was fouled. She also made 1 of 2 foul shots to make it 41-38.
Sam McGough hit a driving layup to pull Darby within one with 18 seconds left.
Let the party begin. New Albany knocks off Hilliard Darby to advance.
Hartley Rhoads sank two clutch free throws to make it 43-40 at the 11.1 second mark.
Darby raced downcourt and coach Chris Savage promptly called timeout at 7.3 seconds to plan a 3-point shot. The downside of that ploy was that New Albany had fouls to give and the Eagles used them. Darby threw the ball away and never got off a final shot.
Harley Rhoads gets a shot over Darby defender Carmela Biedenbach.
Five players scored between five and nine points for balanced New Albany (16-8).
Ludban (11 points) and Taylor Cahill (10) led the way for Darby (19-5), which fell in last year’s district final to Dublin Jerome (48-40) and is still in quest of its first title.
“It is very frustrating,” Savage said. “A lot of things just didn’t go our way. The free throw disparity was huge, like 21-9. Still, we had our chances to take care of things and didn’t. I’ve got a lot of respect for New Albany. They’re a very good defensive team and are well coached.”
Darby had defeated New Albany 51-46 in the season opener.
“We knew it was going to be a close game because both of our teams play great defense, but I thought we might have a little edge because all the pressure was on them,” Kidwell said. “Getting to regional is just amazing. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Then, we ended up winning our league and we’re full of confidence now. Our coach has been the biggest blessing.”
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Marysville 56, Gahanna 35
Ainsley Rogan apparently was unaware that the 108-year-old Taft Center at the Ohio Expo Coliseum has a storied reputation as an outside shooter’s dungeon.
One of the rare moments in nature when a basketball in the historic Taft Coliseum is idle.
Rogan knocked down eight three-pointers and scored 26 points – both career-highs – as the seventh-seeded Monarchs (17-7) steamrolled fifth-seeded Gahanna (16-7) for just their second district title. The first came in 2023.
“From the shoot-around right into the first quarter, I was in rhythm and feeling comfortable,” said Rogan, who came in averaging 8.6 points per game. “I basically told myself there was no pressure and just let it fly if I’m open.”
Marysville’s floor-spacing and crisp ball movement more than neutralized Gahanna’s notable height advantage and helped Rogan get open shots.
“We wanted to spread them out and work the basketball for good shots,” first-year Marysville coach Chris Freeman said. “Sharing, hard work and teamwork was the best way to try to deal with their big tough players.”
Kadi Strahm added 14 points and Jenna Hackworth 11 for the Monarchs, who have won eight of their past 10 games. All but two of their defeats have come to top-seeded Olentangy, third-seeded Hilliard Darby and fourth-seeded Dublin Coffman.
Haedyn Hull had 13 points to top Gahanna, which faded after starting the season 9-1 and 13-2.
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Dublin Coffman 50, Pickerington North 45
Riley Blankenship poured in 22 points to lead the Rocks over feisty Pickerington North.
Riley Blankenship scored 22 points and Kylie Mast added 14 as fourth-seeded Coffman (18-6) survived scrappy North (14-10) in a rather ragged game.
“A win is a win,” first-year coach Carly Santoro-Antle said. “We knew it would be chippy and a hard-fought battle. We kept saying we had to stay composed and play our style.”
Santoro-Antle returned to action in the district semifinal after missing four games on maternity leave. She gave birth to her first child, daughter Carson, on Feb. 11.
“We played this team already this year, so we were ready for the intensity they brought,” Blankenship said.
Elina Stefanitis scored 17 points and Zuri Huguley 16 for the Panthers, who refused to give up after trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter.
Pickerington Central 68, Olentangy Berlin 18
Defending state champion Central captured its 31st district title, and none of them came easier than this one. The Tigers romped to a 47-5 halftime lead and rode a running clock in the second half to an easy rout.
Zoe Coleman scored 16 points, Gabby Plair 13 and Blossom Wallace 12 to pace second-seeded Central.
“I’m very pleased with the way we’re playing,” Tigers coach Johnathan Hedgepeth said. “We’ve got a target on our back, but that only motivates our girls.”
Newark 40, Lancaster 34
Eighth-seeded Newark (17-7) closed the game with a 14-1 run to overtake 16th-seeded Lancaster (13-11) at Ohio Dominican.
Alaina Hann hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with two minutes left to make it 35-34 and Calli Geller – who scored a game-high 22 points – converted a steal into a three-point play to cement the win.
Olentangy 57, Olentangy Orange 29
Kareena Agrawal scored 18 points and Whitney Stafford added 14 as top-seeded Olentangy (21-3) beat Orange (5-18) for its third straight district title and fourth overall at Ohio Dominican.
“It never gets old,” Braves coach Klarke Ransome said. Any time you can take home another trophy and cut down another net, it’s great for the program.
“Early on, we could have been a little more efficient offensively, but we were eventually able to find our footing, and our defense made them work all night.”
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