Going undefeated is very difficult to do in Ohio high school boys’ basketball. Based on available records, only 42 schools have ever done that in OHSAA history.
Winning back-to-back state championships is very difficult to do in Ohio high school boys’ basketball. That has only happened 28 times since 1924 (the tournament debuted in 1923).
Centerville will try to accomplish both of those feats, aiming for a perfect, 30-0 record, and a second straight OHSAA Division I state title this weekend. The Elks would add their names to a short list of back-to-back, undefeated state champions:
2019 – Moeller
1969 – Columbus East
1959 – Cleveland East Tech
1957 – Middletown
You want even more exclusive company? There have only been two OHSAA teams to win state championships and post 30 win seasons:
2015 – Tri-Village (30-0)
1961 – Defiance Ayersville (30-0)
Of course, all of that is getting ahead of things a little bit. Two more wins are required, and St. Ignatius and either St. Edward or Pickerington Central would like to have a say in things. Centerville is certainly focused only on the Eagles at this point.
Before diving into the Division I semifinals (live Saturday on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App), the Division IV games will happen. Those semis are available on Spectrum channel 314 and through ohsaa.tv with direct links for each game below.
You would be hard-pressed to find a bigger basketball hotbed than Berlin Hiland in Holmes County. The girls and boys’ programs have combined for 30 state tournament appearances (18 for the girls, 12 for the boys) and nine state titles (six for the girls, 3 for the boys).
Remarkably, in the last 26 state tournaments, dating back to 1997, a Berlin Hiland team has made it there 21 times.
The connections don’t stop there. Dave Schlabach retired after winning the state title last year, and now his brother Mark is going for his third with the Hawks, in his 17th season on the bench. 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the last Hiland team to cut down the nets.
Saturday’s semifinal presents a contrast in styles, as the Hawks take a more deliberate approach with the ball, while Richmond Heights likes to push the tempo.
The Spartans have made it to three consecutive Final Fours when you remove 2020, which did not have a state tournament played due to the pandemic. However, Richmond Heights is still chasing its first state title.
This talented team is young, with only one senior starting. That player is 6-foot-7 Josiah Harris, a West Virginia signee averaging 19.7 points a game, and over 10 rebounds per contest. London Maiden (15) and Jaiden Cox-Holloway (12) also contribute with double-digit scoring averages.
Earlier in the year, the Spartans sat at 5-4, but have since won 18 straight games, including all five tournament wins by more than 20 points.
Division IV State Semifinal: Antwerp (26-1) vs. Tri-Village (25-3); Saturday at 2 p.m.
The only school among the 16 at the state tournament to never have been here before is Antwerp. The Archers have already had a season to remember, with a school-record 26 victories, and earned the top spot in the final Ohio High School Associated Press poll in Division IV.
This is a defensive-minded team, allowing under 28 points a game (27.6) in its five tournament games. Antwerp has only had 40-plus points scored on it four times all year, holding teams to 32.7 PPG on the season.
Jagger Landers is the school’s all-time scoring leader with a shooter’s touch. The Findlay signee shoots 58% from the field, 48% behind the 3-point line, and 77% at the free throw stripe. Emerging sophomore Landon Brewer (13.4 PPG) is another player to watch.
Tri-Village looked like the team to beat in the Division IV tournament last year, beginning with a 26-0 record before getting knocked off by Cedarville in the regional semifinals. Returning the entire team from a year ago, the Patriots are in position to hang a second banner in the gym, accompanying the 2015 champs that went 30-0.
Layne Sarver, who posts a 21.4 scoring average headlines the team. An incredible athlete, he’s also an all-Ohio quarterback in football, and was the state high jump champion last spring.
While tough on the defensive end of the floor (39.3 PPG), like Antwerp, Tri-Village scores it at nearly 71 points per game (70.9).
Division I State Semifinal: St. Edward (21-5) vs. Pickerington Central (24-2); Friday at 5:15 p.m.
In 2018, St. Edward captured the Division I football championship, and then later that same school year, also reached the basketball Division I Final Four. Well, history as repeated itself in 2021-22.
This time, the Eagles are hoping to become just the fourth school in OHSAA history to win both of those state titles:
1996-97 – Benedictine
1990-91 – St. Henry
1972-73 – Marion Pleasant
It’s now the fourth decade that the school has reached the state tournament under head coach Eric Flannery, getting to the final four in the 90s, 00s, 10s and now 20s. Flannery passed the 500-win mark earlier this season, and would love to pick up a third state championship (1998, 2014).
Bellarmine-bound Michael Bova is the leading scorer for St. Edward, averaging just under 19 points a contest. The Eagles swept rival St. Ignatius twice in the regular season, and are in the same Final Four as the Wildcats for just the second time (1998).
Pickerington Central also has championship pedigree, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the 2012 Division I championship team. That squad featured current NBA players Caris LeVert (Cavs) and Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets), as well as NFL player Taco Charlton.
Junior Devin Royal and his 19.1 PPG led the current Tigers, attracting the attention of Division I college recruiters such as Ohio State, Dayton, Illinois, Butler and Virginia Tech.
Alex “Sonny” Stiles has his scholarship in hand already, signed to play football at Ohio State, following in his father’s footsteps (Lorenzo Styles). His defensive play, along with 9.2 points a game, and 7.3 rebounds come in handy.
Pick Central’s only two losses were to Newark and Reynoldsburg, by a total of eight points.
Division I State Semifinal: St. Ignatius (17-11) vs. Centerville (28-0); Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
St. Ignatius is back in Dayton for a second straight season, hoping for a better outcome than 2021, when the Wildcats lost to Westerville Central.
It’s been quite a turnaround for St. Ignatius, which dropped six of eight games at one point in the season. The Wildcats hope to become just the second team with 11 or more losses to win a basketball state championship, after Cornerstone Christian won the Division IV title in 2016 with a 17-12 mark.
Cameron Joyce, son of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Dru Joyce, is in his third season piloting St. Ignatius, with a 49-27 record. Senior guard Jon Effertz leads with a 13.6 scoring average.
Centerville brings a 44-game winning streak with it to University of Dayton Arena. The Elks last loss was in January 2021 to Akron SVSM.
As it was a year ago, Centerville is led by seniors Tom House (15 PPG; headed to Florida State) and Rich Rolf (17.5 PPG), and junior Gabe Cupps (committed to Indiana), who averages nearly 15 points and seven assists per contest.
The Elks played a rigorous schedule this year to prepare for this very weekend, and are the favorite to repeat.
All four state championship games on Sunday will also be live on Spectrum News 1 and the Spectrum News App:
10:45 a.m. – Division III State Championship
2 p.m. – Division II State Championship
5:15 p.m. – Division IV State Championship
8:30 p.m. – Division I State Championship
Watch OHSAA Championship Gameday with MaryLee Melendez and former Ohio State player George Reese 15 minutes prior to each game, and then they’ll return immediately following for postgame interviews and analysis.
