Olentangy’s Chayla Rankin (22) denies the shot of Reynoldsburg’s Daniya McDonald (15). (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
The potent one-two punch of Sydney Mobley and Whitney Stafford delivered again with 21 and 20 points, and Kate Mosher chipped in 16 as top-ranked, second-seeded Olentangy played its way into the district title game Saturday.
Sunbury, OH – It’s safe to say that when Olentangy eked out a three-point win over Hilliard Darby in its Division I district tournament opener on Saturday, it raised a few eyebrows around the Central Ohio girls basketball community.
The once-beaten Braves were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll and earned the No. 2 seed just behind defending regional champion Pickerington Central in the MaxPreps RPI rating system. Olentangy had beaten 10-13 Darby twice in Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division play. So, what gives?
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Coach Jamie Edwards didn’t make a big fuss with his players about the close call, urging them to stay focused with an eye on the prize. He pointed to a dreadful night from three-point range being the main culprit.
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“It didn’t make us second guess ourselves or anything,” said sophomore guard Whitney Stafford, who missed the team’s lone defeat to Olentangy Liberty with a dislocated shoulder.
Olentangy’s Whitney Stafford (12) trades paint with Reynoldsburg defender Simone Holifield (14) during tournament play at Big Walnut High School on February 28, 2024.
“I think it was just a combination of us trying to get back in the flow again after getting a first-round bye and playing a team in your league a third time. We didn’t get down on ourselves or anything. We just kind of got together and said, ‘That’s not us. That’s not how we play.’ Just take a few lessons from it and move on.”
Added 6-foot-1 freshman phenom Sydney Mobley, “Mostly we just wiped it off, but I think it was a bit of an eye-opener in another sense, reminding us that we need to share the ball to succeed.”
Despite a few hiccups down the stretch, Olentangy bounced back in fine fashion by beating perennial power and No. 7 seed Reynoldsburg 79-68 in a testy district semifinal at Big Walnut Wednesday.
Olentangy (23-1) will face sixth-seeded Upper Arlington (22-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday in the first of four district title games at Ohio Dominican University. Canal Winchester (19-6) will meet Olentangy Liberty (20-5) at 1:30, Watterson (18-6) tangles with Marysville (22-3) at 4, followed by Teays Valley (17-8) against Pickerington Central (22-3) at 6:30.
There were five technicals assessed (four on Reynoldsburg) with Raiders interim coach Marshae Dotson being ejected in the second quarter for arguing what she felt was a disparity in fouls called.
Aubree Price (2) advances the ball upcourt during a game against the Olentangy Braves on February 28, 2024.
“It was a very physical game and they called it tight from the beginning … but they let both sides know how it was going to be, so we had to stay focused and composed,” Edwards said.
The Braves played a 1-3-1 zone throughout in hopes of keeping the Raiders’ shooters at bay and keeping the tempo in their favor.
A blistering 16-0 run by Olentangy in the first quarter broke up a close game and put Reynoldsburg behind the 8-ball.
A breathtaking coast-to-coast highlight-reel drive and scoop by Mobley keyed the surge. Rated as one of the top freshmen in the nation, the sublimely skilled Mobley can overpower defenders in the low post, but is equally adept at handling the ball, shooting the mid-range jumper and running the floor. She’s a player that fans will be hearing a lot about over the next three-plus seasons.
“Emotions got kind of high tonight, but we just had to keep our head in the game,” said Mobley, who said nearly the entire second quarter after picking up a third foul on a technical following a short skirmish with a Raider that drew calls on both players. She sat nearly four minutes spanning the third and fourth quarters riding a fourth foul.
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Even so, Mobley finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Stafford had eight of her 20 points during the decisive run. Kate Mosher also came up big with seven of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.
Leading by as many as 20, Olentangy still had an 18-point cushion in the fourth quarter before Reynoldsburg (18-7) waged a spirited comeback, pulling as close as eight in the final minute before succumbing.
Lady Raider Danyia McDonald (15) denies the shot of Olentangy’s Chayla Rankin (22).
Six-one senior Daniya McDonald carried the Raiders on her back, capping her career with a game-high 29 points. Aubree Price added 23.
Olentangy went 29 of 40 at the free throw line, compared to 5 of 14 for Reynoldsburg.
“We had to adjust to how they were calling the game, and that took a while,” said Dotson, an assistant who was named interim coach a week before the season-opener when 21-year coach Jack Purtell stepped down to help take care of his ailing father. Purtell guided Reynoldsburg to four state tournament appearances (2010, 2012, 2016 and 2022), including a championship in the latter. Dotson starred at Mifflin and the University of Florida.
“I’ll say this, the seniors – all the girls, really – left it all out on the court tonight,” she said. “We got them in some foul trouble, but needed to capitalize on it better than we did. Give Olentangy credit. They really made us work hard defensively.”
Olentangy will be shooting to make some history Saturday. The Braves haven’t won a district title in over a quarter of a century, and that came in Division II. They were district runners-up five times under current boys coach John Feasel.
“It’s every kid’s dream to play in a championship game and I’m blessed to do it as a freshman,” Mobley said. “We came into the season with lofty goals and this is just another step along the way.”
Reynoldsburg’s Taelynn Clayborn (33) reacts after Olentangy’s Sydney Mobley (14) intercepts a pass and directs a fast-break late in the 4th quarter.
