Boys hoops state championships recap

VW independent sports

DAYTON – The 2023-2024 Ohio High School Athletic Association’s winter sports season officially came to an end on Sunday with four state championship boys basketball games at the University of Dayton Arena. Eight state semifinal games were played on Friday and Saturday, leading into Sunday’s championship action. Below is a brief recap of each state championship game.

Division IV

Richmond Heights 62, Berlin Hiland 35 

Richmond Heights won its third consecutive state title, defeating Berlin Hiland, 62-35, in the Division IV state championship game at University of Dayton Arena. Richmond Heights joins Cincinnati North College Hill (2005-07), Columbus Wherle (1988-90) and Dayton Stivers (1928-30) as the only schools in Ohio history to win three straight state titles. The Spartans also extended to 21 games their postseason winning streak, sixth longest in state history. Berlin Hiland (23-7) finishes state runner-up for the third time to go along with state titles in 1992, 2011 and 2012. The Hawks have played in 14 state tournaments, tied for fifth-most in state history. 

Hiland scored the game’s first five points, but Richmond Heights (19-9) ended the first quarter on a 12-2 run and stretched its lead to 25-14 at halftime. Richmond Heights made 8 of 11 shots in the third quarter, including three three-pointers, and led 44-22 after three periods. Demaris Winters Jr. made five three-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points for Richmond Heights. Dorian Jones scored 13 points and Hosea Steele Jr. added 12. Nick Wigton, whose buzzer-beating three-pointer in the second overtime lifted Berlin Hiland into the state championship game, scored a team-high 16 points in the state final.

Division III

Cleveland Heights Lutheran East 45, Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 36 

Cleveland Heights Lutheran East won its second straight state title, and third in four years, defeating Canal Winchester Harvest Prep, 45-36, in the Division III state championship game at University of Dayton Arena. Playing in its record seventh consecutive state tournament and ninth overall, Lutheran East claimed its fifth state title (2005, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024) and became just the seventh school statewide with at least five boys basketball state championships. Harvest Prep, playing in its eighth state tournament, finished runner-up for the third time (2007, 2015, 2024) to go along with a state championship in 2019.

 Four different players scored in an 11-2 Lutheran East run that turned a one-point deficit into an eight-point lead, 24-16, with three minutes left in the first half. Lutheran East (23-5 overall) still led by eight at halftime, 30-22, and grew the lead to as many as 15 points early in the fourth quarter. An 8-0 burst by Harvest Prep cut that lead in half, but back-to-back layups in transition by Lutheran East put the game out of reach. Lutheran East’s Jesse McCulloch scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds while playing all 32 minutes. Chris Hill joined him in double figures with 10 points. Seven different players scored for Harvest Prep (24-5), led by Khalil Daniel’s nine points.

Division II

Kettering Archbishop Alter 68, Zanesville Maysville 54 

Kettering Archbishop Alter used a 13-0 third-quarter run to break open a tight game and defeated Zanesville Maysville, 68-54, in the Division II state championship game at University of Dayton Arena. Alter (23-7) wins its fourth state title and becomes the 14th school with at least four boys basketball state titles. Maysville (26-4) was playing in its first boys basketball state championship game in just its second state tournament appearance. The teams put on a three-point shooting display for the record books, combining for an all-divisions state championship game record 22 threes. Maysville made 14 three-pointers, most of any team in any division in a state championship game. Alex Bobb made 6 of 20 three-point attempts for Maysville to set a new Division II state title game record for made threes. Jordyn Watson made five three-pointers; both he and Bobb made eight three-pointers during the state tournament, tying the Division II two-game state tournament record. 

The first half was played on even terms, as both teams made nine field goals, collected 14 rebounds and committed four turnovers in the first two periods. Maysville held a 6-5 edge in three-pointers in the first half, but Alter led 27-24 at intermission. The lead was still three, 31-28, when Alter embarked on a 13-0 run over a span of four minutes in the third quarter. R.J. Greer and Joe Brand accounted for all 13 points during the run that gave Alter a 44-28 lead with 90 seconds remaining in the third period. Maysville’s Bobb and Watson combined to make six threes in the fourth quarter alone, but Alter made 8 of 10 free throws down the stretch and never let its lead fall below nine points. Four players scored in double figures and accounted for 66 of Alter’s 68 points. Brand was 7 of 9 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from three, and finished with a team-high 23 points. Greer scored 17, Brady Conner had 13 and Gavin Leen added 12. Bobb led all scorers with 24 points, while Watson finished with 17. 

Division I

Cleveland St. Ignatius 66, Centerville 56 

Cleveland St. Ignatius claimed its second basketball state championship in school history, defeating Centerville, 66-56, in the Division I title game at University of Dayton Arena. St. Ignatius, in the state tournament for the third time in four years and eighth time overall, won its first state title since 2001 to go along with a runner-up finish in 1998. Centerville played in its fourth consecutive state tournament and claimed its third trophy; the Elks won the Division I state title in 2021 and finished runner-up in 2022. 

St. Ignatius scored the final nine points of the first half, then outscored Centerville 15-8 in the third period; the extended 24-8 run turned a 24-21 Centerville lead with 4:31 left in the second quarter into a 45-32 St. Ignatius lead after three periods. Six players scored at least eight points in a balanced offensive effort for St. Ignatius. Jack Zapolnik led the way with 14 points, and joining him in double figures were Matt Ellis (12), Michael Lamirand (11) and Reece Robinson (10). Jonathan Powell had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead Centerville. Three others scored in double figures: Eli Greenberg (15), Ethan Greenberg (11) and Baboucarr Njie (10).