PJ Noles and his Stallions stormed out of the gate in a hurry to lead by 19 furloughs (21-2) after one quarter. The Eagles kept pace after that, but the damage was already done. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
After an 18-point loss at Watterson in January, red-hot DeSales turned the tables on its age-old Central Catholic League rival and captured a Division III district championship.
Columbus, OH – PJ Noles had heard all of the hype about how difficult it can be to shoot from the perimeter on the makeshift basketball court at Taft Coliseum at the Ohio Expo Center.
So to prepare for playing in the Division III district tournament games held there, the St. Francis DeSales senior shot baskets with his father, Pat, for 40 minutes before each game on a similar basket at 3N Sports training facility in Westerville.
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And that extra work seemed to pay dividends on Tuesday, as Noles made five three-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points to lead the fifth-seeded Stallions to a 51-36 victory over third-seeded Watterson in the title game.
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“There was a lot of talk about how tough it can be to shoot here, but I wanted to bust that myth,” said Noles, as he stood at center court with a broad smile and a piece of the net draped over his left ear. “Luckily, my dad has a gym that has these same kind of hoops, so I was able to go there to shoot a lot before each tournament game here, and I was very comfortable.
“We came out fast, and we just kept our foot on the gas the rest of the game. This is probably the best game of my high school career and this is definitely the biggest highlight.”
Grant Weakley goes to the glass under duress during a D3 District Final at the Taft Coliseum.
Even though the Eagles played physical defense and constantly face-guarded Noles, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound combo guard was deadly accurate shooting from the perimeter, making three of four treys and with 11 points in the first quarter alone.
“PJ is one of the best players in the area, and this is what he’s done in big games all year,” said DeSales coach Pat Murphy, whose squad improved to 18-7. “His parents have both played and coached basketball, and PJ has lived and breathed basketball since he was born.
“PJ has put countless hours in the gym to reach this point, and he has supreme confidence because he’s prepared to play his best basketball in the biggest moments.”
Pat Noles, a Bexley product, starred at Wooster and Otterbein. His mother, Diana, is women’s basketball coach at Otterbein.
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A three-pointer on the game’s opening possession gave the Stallions a lead they would never relinquish. Another three from well beyond the arc over the outstretched arms of two defenders at the first buzzer gave DeSales a stunning 21-2 lead.
Watterson’s Joe Zeyen fires off a shot from the wing over the outstretched hand of PJ Noles.
“That first quarter was just the perfect storm for us, and you never could have expected something like that at all against a team like Watterson,” said Murphy, whose squad split the regular season series against the Eagles, losing 59-41 on Jan. 17 and winning 56-49 on Feb. 9. “We were able to take away air space from their shooters, and our players took and made good shots.”
The Eagles were able to battle back and outscore the Stallions 14-5, while holding Noles scoreless in the second quarter, to pull within 26-16 by halftime.
But the Stallions’ dominant first quarter ultimately proved to be a knockout blow, as they were able to maintain a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
“That was kind of a crazy shot at the end of the first quarter, and that hyped all of us up,” Noles said. “The important thing is we never took our foot off the gas after that.”
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Carter Ward scored all seven of his seven points in the first quarter to help DeSales build its commanding lead, and Daevyn Amankwaah and Frankie McAllister each scored seven points for the Stallions as well.
“PJ’s been a great player for them, and obviously he was their go-to player tonight,” said Watterson coach Vince Lombardo, whose squad finished 17-8 overall. “I’m going to go to DeSales’ graduation this year and hand him his diploma to make sure we don’t have to deal with him anymore.
Aggressive play is commonplace between these two schools. Just ask Dominic Theado, who experienced it from a Stallion defender on this drive.
“Defensively, they took it to us early, and we didn’t respond until we dug ourselves a deep hole. After the first quarter, things got quite a bit better for us in terms of our overall play, but it was just too big of a hole and we couldn’t dig ourselves out.”
Dominic Theado led Watterson with 14 points, including two thunderous dunks.
“Theado is really good, so we tried to take away his angles, and we defended him well, even though he still scored against us,” said Murphy, who has led DeSales to three district titles in eight seasons as head coach. “Landon Johnson is really good, too, and Daevyn and LeAndre guarded him and gave him fits most of the night.”
DeSales will compete in a regional semifinal Tuesday at Taft Coliseum against the Northeast district champion.
The Stallions’ win over Watterson gave DeSales a 67-66 lead in the rivalry dating back to 1962.
“We’ve been blessed to play in six district finals since I’ve been here, and this is the first one that didn’t come down to the final possession,” Murphy said. “To win a championship on this court against our rival is what it’s all about.”
Hartley 65, Walnut Ridge 53
Jakhi Calloway elevates and lays in 2 of his 20 points as Hartley advances with a win over Big Walnut.
Jakhi Calloway scored a team-best 20 points, as the top-seeded Hawks raced out to a 42-23 halftime advantage en route to an easy win over sixth-seeded Walnut Ridge.
Jaden Calloway added 15 points and Marcus Hemphill 14 for Hartley (19-5), who will advance to a regional semifinal Tuesday at Taft Coliseum against Steubenville or Miami Trace.
“Jakhi got us off to a good start and we played with a lot of energy,” said third-year coach Andreas James, who led Hartley to its second consecutive district title. “Marcus led us with 12 rebounds, and he was tough and hard-nosed. We have multiple guys who can share the scoring load.”
Marquis Lucas scored a game-high 30 points to lead Walnut Ridge, which finished 17-7.
“We have a lot of respect for Walnut Ridge,” James said. “We are a pressure-oriented team, and our defense converted to offense, especially in the first half.”
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