The return of Pickerington Central point guard Madison Greene from foul trouble for the second half of Friday night’s Division I girls basketball regional final provided an undeniable spark for the Tigers, who led Marysville by only three points at the break.

But the senior and Ms. Basketball finalist is quick to downplay her own work in favor of her teammates, and more often than not Friday, Central forward Olivia Cooper was at the receiving end of some of Greene’s biggest plays.

Capitalizing on her size advantage, the 6-foot-1 Cooper scored 10 of her game-high 16 points after halftime to lead the Tigers to a 54-39 win at Otterbein’s sold-out Rike Center and their first regional championship since 2019.

“We had to play tougher because they were really aggressive with us, so we decided we had to come back with some fire under us,” said Cooper, a Columbia commit. “They are a smaller team and our plan was to look inside and take advantage of the size difference.”

Cooper consistently found herself open in the second half as the Tigers (24-4) spread the floor and she made a handful of key baskets, including a 3-point play moments into the fourth quarter that gave Central a 38-29 lead. That was part of a 12-0 run that began late in the third quarter after Marysville (25-3), which was playing in its first regional final, drew within 32-29.

The Monarchs do not have any starters taller than 5-10.

“We had a size advantage and they clogged the middle a little bit, then we adjusted and spread it out,” Central coach Chris Wallace said. “We have bigs who can put the ball on the floor. We don’t have to play inside. (Cooper) had an amazing advantage and did a nice job in the paint.”

Greene, who missed the last six minutes of the first half with two fouls, started the crucial run on a 3-point play with less than a second left in the third. The Vanderbilt recruit scored all 12 of her points in the second half, plus two steals and an assist in the first two minutes after halftime.

“I just knew I had to help my teammates,” Greene said. “Even if my shots weren’t going, I had to drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line. …

“We had to watch out for their open shooters. We watched for the open cuts. That was a big key.”

Central held Marysville standout JoJo Eberhart to three first-half points, all from the foul line, and a team-leading 11 for the game. The Monarchs shot 12-for-48.

“We missed some easy shots early that could have settled us down, settled us in a little bit,” Marysville coach Klarke Ransome said. “That’s basketball. It’s a make or miss kind of game. (Central is) long and they’re athletic, and that definitely played a part.”

Berry Wallace added 11 points for the Tigers, who won their 14th regional title. They will play Holland Springfield or Olmsted Falls in a state semifinal at 8 p.m. Friday at University of Dayton Arena.

The regional final was moved to Otterbein after Tuesday’s two semifinals at Westerville North drew overflow crowds into the school’s 1,600-seat gymnasium. The Rike Center seats 3,100.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pickerington Central girls advance to Division I state tourney