Pickerington Central, Watterson win OHSAA Division I girls basketball regional semifinals
Watterson girls basketball coach Sam Davis was as quick to mention his team’s 3.99 cumulative GPA as he was to break down specific plays in the Eagles’ latest postseason upset.
With its season on the ropes in a Division I regional semifinal Tuesday night at Otterbein, Watterson relied on that intelligence and found a sense of calm in the final minutes to answer top-ranked Olentangy’s 9-0 fourth-quarter run with a game-ending 6-1 spurt of its own to win 47-44.
“I’ve been able to coach a couple good teams over the years but man, these girls have such heart,” Davis said. “They just have this poise. When we were down, we called timeout and just said we had each other’s back. We didn’t feel like we were done yet.”
Watterson (20-6) was not, using a driving layup from Alexandria Mosholder to tie the game at 41 and holding Olentangy without a field goal in the final three minutes after star sophomore guard Whitney Stafford’s right-handed hook gave the Braves (24-2) a 43-41 lead.
Lilly Mulligan tied for the game with two free throws, and off a steal Mosholder fed Sophie Ziel for a layup to take the lead for good at 45-43 with 1:18 left.
Ziel made two free throws with 19 seconds left for the final margin, sending Watterson into the regional final at 7 p.m. Friday against Pickerington Central with its first state tournament berth in 37 years on the line.
Ziel finished with a game-high 21 points and Lilly Mulligan added eight for Watterson, which upset No. 4 Marysville 56-49 in overtime Saturday in a district final for its first regional berth in 20 years.
Tuesday was the program’s first regional win since March 14, 1987.
“A lot of it was the same thing as (Saturday),” Ziel said. “There was no pressure on us; we had nothing to lose. We were focused on shutting down Sydney Mobley. She still scored a lot, but we got some rebounds and calmed down when the moment got big.
“We’ve been good at adapting in the right moment, calming down and not doing anything rash.”
Stafford missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds and Mobley, a freshman forward, couldn’t follow with a putback, ending a season that saw the Braves finish the regular season as Associated Press state poll champion and win their first district title since 1998.
Mobley had a third of her team-leading 18 points in Olentangy’s 9-0 run to start the fourth. The Braves had trailed by as many as 11 (37-26) in the third.
Olentangy coach Jamie Edwards rued some missed defensive assignments and poor shot selection.
“We gave up a lot of possessions with travel calls and bad shots,” Edwards said. “Watterson did a really good job isolating their post. We were focusing too much on Ziel and let them sneak in there behind us.
“Ultimately, they were very patient and we weren’t.”
Pickerington Central 66, Olentangy Liberty 46
Rylee Bess scored 12 of her 15 points in a pivotal second quarter, keying a 19-0 run that helped the Tigers (24-3) pull away in Tuesday’s second semifinal.
Liberty (21-6) led 18-13 after the first before Central took over with an aggressive half-court defense and several big baskets from Bess, including a layup that gave Central the lead for good and consecutive 3-pointers to end the first half and push the lead to 36-26.
“Once we get on a run, we turn into a whole different team,” Bess said. “Just being aggressive and being confident in my team and in my shot was key. Momentum was a big key. We got ours.”
Berry Wallace led Central with 23 points.
Liberty, making its first regional appearance since 2015, was held to eight points in both the second and third quarters and trailed by as much as 20 twice in the fourth.
“We played the gaps a little more, changed our style up and we were more aggressive in the half court defensively,” Central coach Chris Wallace said. “We’ve been hit in the mouth in the first quarter and first half before, but our group is a mature group.”
Claire Mikola’s 14 points led Liberty. Emma Karagheuzoff and Sarah Mitchell each added 12 points, and Ohio University signee Gigi Bower was held to one.
“The one thing we knew was we wouldn’t stop them inside, and (Berry Wallace) is an All-American for a reason,” Patriots coach Tom Waterwash said. “We hit our shots (in the first quarter) … but Central was relentless and went in waves. They’re tough to go on extended runs against.”
Cincinnati Purcell Marian 77, Bloom-Carroll 43
Bloom-Carroll knew it was facing a tall task in a Division II regional semifinal against Purcell Marian, which has won two consecutive state championships and features reigning Ohio Ms. Basketball Dee Alexander.
The Cavaliers' full-court press left the Bulldogs (20-6) overmatched and overwhelmed.
Despite 11 points in the first quarter from senior guard Emily Bratton, the Cavaliers (25-1) forced 10 turnovers in the period to take control, and the Bulldogs had no answer in the blowout loss at Springfield.
The Bulldogs committed 18 turnovers in the first half and 25 for the game.
“That is an amazing team,” Bloom-Carroll coach A.J. Ireland said. “They have everything.”
Bratton finished with 26 points.
“That is the toughest team I have ever played against, and that includes going against great competition in AAU,” Bratton said.
–Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pickerington Central, Watterson win girls basketball regional semis
