ATHENS — With the game on the line, defending Division I state champion Pickerington Central turned to its leader and earned a return trip to Dayton.

Led by 6-foot-6 senior forward and Ohio State signee Devin Royal, the Tigers rallied late to edge Olentangy Orange 57-53 in a regional final Saturday at Ohio University.

Central (23-5) will play Centerville in a state semifinal next Saturday at University of Dayton Arena. The winner plays Akron Hoban or Toledo St. John’s in the state final the following day.

The Tigers trailed 53-50 when Royal took over, scoring inside on two consecutive possessions to give his team a 54-53 lead with 47 seconds to play. He added two free throws with 15.5 seconds left to help secure the regional title.

“We’ve been through this a lot being down during the tournament,” Royal said. “Every time we go in a huddle and it’s close and we’re down, we always say we’ve been through it, just stay calm. We have a lot of experience.”

Central held Orange scoreless over the final 2:19.

“We wanted to get the ball to Devin as much as we could,” Central coach Eric Krueger said. “I’m just proud of how we battled and didn’t let the adversity get to us. We overcame adversity and were able to fight through it and now we’re going back to state, so that’s quite an accomplishment.”

Royal led Central with 29 points and Andrew Hedgepath added 10.

Elias Lewis led Orange (24-4) with 18 points, followed by Mikey McCollum with 15 and Jordan Edwards with 12.

“We were up 53-50 with (about) two minutes (remaining) and we had two offensive possessions that were a total of 10 seconds,” Orange coach Anthony Calo said. “We need to possess the ball better. We talked about it before the game — ball strong and ball movement were critical and, with two minutes left, you have to be strong with the ball.”

Orange was playing in its first regional tournament.

“Our kids played with so much guts,” Calo said. “I love this group of kids so much. We told them we love them and we’re proud of them.”

The Pioneers, who connected on 11 3-pointers, held their largest lead at 24-18 before Central rallied for a 25-24 halftime lead.

Central led 41-36 entering the fourth, but Orange rallied to go ahead by three.

“They have a really good team, so I knew it was going to be a war coming into it,” Krueger said. “I felt like we were the best two teams in the Columbus area this year. It’s fitting that we match up in the regional final. They played their tail off and we played our tail off.”

Ready 48, Fairfield Union 33

Ready made a defensive stand in the fourth quarter and pulled away from Fairfield Union in a Division II regional final, earning its first state appearance since 2014.

The Silver Knights (28-0) outscored Fairfield Union 12-2 in the fourth.

“It was a pretty good defensive effort in the second half,” Ready coach Tony Bisutti said. “We were dialed in.”

Ready will head to state seeking its first title since winning Class AA championships in 1972 and 1973. The Knights were Division III state runners-up in 2002.

Fairfield Union (24-4) competed in its first regional final.

Trailing 24-22 at halftime, Ready turned to its inside game and took the lead for good at 31-29.

“(Going inside) was by design,” Bisutti said. “Maybe we got a little too cute early. We tried to bring their big guys out a little bit. Charlie (Russell) and Kaleb (Schaffer) can do that, but it comes a point that’s where the game is won.”

Russell led all scorers with 23 points.

“(Fairfield Union) came out (in the) first half hitting a lot of shots,” Russell said. “They didn’t miss in the second quarter. We had to come out (in) the second half aggressive on defense and that’s what we talked about in the locker room, coming out and making those adjustments and getting physical.”

Ted Harrah and Brennen Rowles scored eight points apiece for Fairfield Union.

“Ready is just so versatile,” Falcons coach Travis Shaeffer said. “They have so many guys who can score in such a variety of ways. There’s a reason why they’re undefeated. There’s a reason they’re (ranked) No. 1 (in the state). With the (Luke) Ruth kid, the Schaffer kid and the inside, outside ability of that team and how well coached they are, they run their stuff to a tee every time.”

Africentric 55, South Point 38

Leading 20-18 at halftime, Africentric turned to its pressure defense to run past South Point in a Division III regional final at Ohio University.

The Nubians (23-5) will play Ottawa-Glandorf in a state semifinal Saturday at University of Dayton Arena. Africentric, which will be playing in its sixth state tournament, lost to Ottawa-Glandorf 53-48 in a state semifinal last season.

Against South Point (22-5), Africentric went on a 10-2 run to begin the third quarter and led by as many as 21 points in the second half.

“It was a point of emphasis at halftime to push the pace a little bit more,” Africentric coach Michael Bates said. “Defensively, we tried to adjust and go a little more full-court pressure, just being a little bit stronger with the pressure.”

Limited to four points in the first half, Xavier recruit Dailyn Swain led Africentric with a game-high 17. He also had 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, and Laron Fuller and Cortez Freeman added 11 points apiece.

The Nubians understood what was at stake after a lackluster first half.

“Understanding now that we’re in the state tournament, any game can be our last and none of us want to go home, especially with what happened last year,” Swain said. “We’re trying to win a ring so that’s the motivation.”

Bates lauded Freeman’s play in the two regional games. Freeman scored 19 points in a 49-47 win over Sugarcreek Garaway in a semifinal Wednesday.

“When you get to this part of the tournament, you have to hit shots, somebody has to hit shots,” said Bates, whose team hit five 3-pointers against South Point. “We have a guy that can hit shots. Cortez can hit shots. He can get to the rim.”

Carter Smith led South Point with 11 points.

Harvest Prep 59, Camden Preble Shawnee 46

In a regional final played at Kettering Fairmont, Harvest Prep won its 11th consecutive game and 15th of 16, earning a berth in the Division III state tournament.

It is the Warriors’ seventh state berth and first since 2019, when they won a state title.

Brandon Roddy led the Warriors with 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Harvest Prep (21-6) took control early with defensive pressure.

“We pressured the ball,” coach David Dennis Sr. said. “We had an excellent game plan. I thought my boys executed it to perfection and we didn’t let up. Overall, we controlled the game from tip to the end.”

Harvest Prep will play Cleveland Heights Lutheran East in a state semifinal Saturday at University of Dayton Arena. The winner plays Africentric or Ottawa-Glandorf in state final Sunday in Dayton.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pickerington Central, Ready, Africentric boys basketball make state