Liberty’s Claire Mikola would not go down without a fight, as she and the Patriots chipped away and overcame an opening 11-0 run by the Wildcats to claim the District title. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
Olentangy Liberty, Olentangy, Dublin Jerome, Pickerington Central and Upper Arlington captured Division I district titles on Championship Saturday at the newly reopened Ohio Expo Center’s Taft Coliseum.
Columbus, OH – Cognizant that team photos were about to be taken after Olentangy Liberty’s 50-43 win over Newark in a Division I girls district championship game Saturday, Patriots dynamo senior guard Claire Mikola removed the gauze from her busted, bloody nose.
That scrappiness – Mikola also turned an ankle diving for a loose ball on the concrete just off the Taft Coliseum floor – typified Liberty’s repeat title.
“We’re not the biggest team in the world and our margin of error is not that big, so we put a big emphasis on doing the little things,” Patriots coach Tommy Waterwash said. “Claire is a big part of that. She’s absolutely relentless. Her energy is hard to harness and it really drives our team.”
Kurtz has 4 Central Ohio locations: Dublin, Westerville, Sunbury, I-71/Frank Road.
The sixth-seeded Patriots (18-5) recovered from an 11-0 deficit four minutes into the game and fought tooth and nail to the finish with seventh-seeded Newark (18-6) down to the wire.
Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros.
On the heels of six lead changes and six ties, Addy Pyles and Mikola nailed back-to-back three-point shots for a 46-39 lead with 2:58 remaining.
Newark managed to pull to three with 44.9 seconds left, but Liberty hit its foul shots to survive and advance.
“Addy has missed four or five in a row and to make that shot in that moment was special,” Waterwash said. “And we’re used to Claire coming through like that. That swing was massive.”
Mikola, a 5-foot-7 ball of energy who has signed to play soccer at the University of Dayton, scored 25 points to pace Liberty, which opened the season 3-3 only to win a second straight district title. She came in averaging 13.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals. Maria Stack (10 points) and Pyles (eight) supported Mikola.
Maria Stack pulls up from 8 feet and sinks 2 of her 10 points over Wildcat defender Addi Hall
“We’ve been really big about togetherness and coming back from being down 11-0 was not a big deal because we’ve been there before,” she said. “Even though Newark was a lot bigger than us, we scouted them more as a three-point shooting team. I think a big difference in the second half was the way we boxed out and crashed the boards, especially on the defensive end.”
Mikola told teammates that she might have broken her nose on a collision with two defenders in the lane, but recanted that later. The ankle also was not a big deal, joking that she was accustomed to bangs and bruises on the soccer pitch.
Newark first-year coach Jack Purtell bemoaned that his team missed “like 10 or 11” layups, but lauded Liberty for making the necessary shots and plays to break the stalemate.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well by our standards, but Liberty had something to do with that with their defense,” Purtell said. “Our kids played their hearts out, but we just couldn’t stop No. 4 (Mikola). We tried to keep her in a box, but she just brings so much energy to her game, it’s hard to match.”
Calli Geller scored 15 points and Emma Quackenbush added nine to lead the Wildcats, who started a freshman and two sophomores.
Want a greener, healthier lawn? We can help. contact Weedman USA at 614-733-3747 or go online to Weedman.com.
Upper Arlington 54, Grove City 46, 2 OT
Elizabeth Hunt scored 10 of her game-high 23 points in the second overtime as top-seeded Upper Arlington (22-2) managed to come away with yet another close win.
Newark’s Emma Quackenbush puts up a floater in the lane during the District final against Olentangy Liberty.
“It’s a testament to our kids’ resolve and resiliency to find a way to come on top in these types of games,” UA coach John Wanke said. “Say what you will, but we know what it takes to pull out close games.
“The kids just made plays on both ends of the floor. Defensively, we talk about the consecutive stop mindset and that came to fruition in the overtimes. As for Elizabeth, she has played well all year. How does the old saying go? Big players make big plays at big moments.”
Hunt, a 6-foot junior, missed a runner in the lane with four seconds left in the first overtime, but she atoned in the second. She started it with a deep three-point shot and finished it by sinking seven of nine free throws to seal the hard-earned win before a charged-up crowd.
“Our defense was the difference,” Hunt said. “Our goal was to try to hold them to one shot. We got a few stops and put ourselves in a position where they had to foul.”
Third-seeded Grove City (19-4) put forth a tremendous effort but couldn’t convert a field goal from the 49-second mark of regulation through both overtimes.
“We don’t pass the eye test, but our kids have played with tons of heart all season long,” Greyhounds coach Joel Taylor said. “We just couldn’t scratch out another point here or there that might have made the difference. They’re a great defensive team, and we had a hard time getting a basket with the game on the line.”
Kylie Willis led a balanced Grove City attack with 12 points. Ella Hanky contributed 11 off the bench for UA.
There were 11 ties and 10 lead changes in the rematch of a regular-season game won by UA 48-33.
Logan Services, in Dayton, Cincinnati, an Columbus, is a proud sponsor of area sports on Press Pros.
Dublin Jerome 48, Hilliard Darby 40
Thriving on its gritty defense, fourth-seeded Dublin Jerome stymied ninth-seeded Hilliard Darby for the program’s first district title. The Celtics, who beat the Panthers by margins of seven and 11 during Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division play, pulled away in the final three minutes to secure the win.
“We really emphasize our defense and we have to stay true to ourselves and who we are,” Jerome coach Karli Burkett said.
Bradley Head Coach Brock Oakes watches as Heyley Hile gets trapped in front of her bench. Olentangy’s swarming defense was the key to a 40-point winning margin at the Taft Coliseum.
Even with standout power forward Angel Ezirim sidelined for large chunks of the game in foul trouble, Jerome (19-5) managed to keep its head above water as Ashley Meadors (team-high 14 points) took over. Ezirim got eight of her 13 in the fourth quarter.
“This is unbelievable, awesome,” Meadors said. “Our goal since the beginning of preseason was to make history and I’m so proud of my teammates. Defense is our specialty and that carried us again today.”
Gianna Lane capped her brilliant career with a game-high 15 points for Darby (15-9), which was making only its second district final appearance. But Lane, a 1,500-point career scorer (counting one season at Tree of Life) and University Dayton track signee, and her teammates had a difficult time getting clean looks.
“That was a tough matchup given how well Jerome plays defense,” Darby coach Chris Savage said. “In hindsight, we needed to make some leeway with Ezirim on the bench and didn’t get it done. With a freshman and two sophomores starting and two sophomores coming off the bench, we were happy to get here and we’re hoping to use this as a stepping stone.”
The Dave Arbogast family of dealerships is the official transportation source for Press Pros Magazine.com.
Pickerington Central 66, Marysville 38
London Johnson led four players in double figures with 18 points as fifth-seeded Central (21-3) routed 13th-seeded Marysville (11-13). It marked the 10th straight district title and 30th overall for the Tigers, who jumped to a 13-3 lead and never looked back.
“This is a super-talented group with a lot of depth and we’re able to get scoring from a multitude of players,” said Central coach Johnathan Hedgepeth, who returned to the program for a second stint this season after a previous eight-year run.
Some observers scoffed at the fact that Central was seeded this lowly by the MaxPreps ratings system now used by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
“You can’t think about it and it doesn’t bother us in the least,” Hedgepeth said. “You have to play against these teams eventually, anyway.”
Olentangy 58, Hilliard Bradley 18
Ava Alexander lays in two of her 10 points on the afternoon.
Fourth-seeded Olentangy (21-3) rocketed to a 28-3 lead and walloped 12th-seeded Bradley (11-12) for its second straight district title. Most of the second half was played with a running clock, per national mercy rules.
The Braves were operating in such high gear that they led 40-6 by the time All-Ohio guard Whitney Stafford scored her first point.
“When we’re moving it and sharing it, we’re hard to guard,” Olentangy coach Klarke Ransome said. “We’ve got multiple people who can put it in the basket. We’re also buying in on the defensive end as a group … but it’s got to continue.”
Ava Alexander scored 10 points, Meryl Kolath nine and Ryleigh Thrapp nine for Olentangy.
Looking ahead to regional play on Feb. 26, Central will face Jerome at 6 p.m., followed by the Olentangy vs. Liberty matchup at 8 in the Ohio Expo Center. Upper Arlington advanced to play in the Fairborn region at 7 p.m. against Springboro.
Aptus Wealth Management proudly sponsors the Buckeyes and Central Ohio sports on Press Pros.