Four more state champions are crowned

By OHSAA Sports

Four of the seven Ohio High School Athletic Association boys basketball state championship games were played on Saturday at UD Arena at the University of Dayton.

Cleveland Heights Lutheran East 53 Columbus Academy 49 (Division V)

TJ Crumble had 14 points and 10 rebounds to lead four players in double figures as Cleveland Heights Lutheran East defeated Gahanna Columbus Academy, 53-49, in the Division V state championship game at University of Dayton Arena.

Lutheran East (25-4) won its third straight title—just the fifth school in state history to win three in a row—and sixth overall. Only three schools (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 10; Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph, 7; Middletown, 7) have won more than Lutheran East’s six boys basketball titles. The Falcons have played in 10 state tournaments, all since 2005. 

Columbus Academy (28-1) has finished runner-up in both of its state tournament appearances (1981, 2025).

Dylan Zeigler (13 points), Chris Hill (12) and Ty Harrison (10) joined Crumble in double figures for Lutheran East. Columbus Academy was led by Jason Singleton, who finished with 27 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Neither team led by more than seven points in a game that featured eight lead changes.

Lutheran East led 14-10 after the opening quarter, but Columbus Academy won the second quarter, 17-11, and out-scored Lutheran East 12-5 over the final four minutes of the half to take a 27-25 lead into halftime. Singleton scored 11 of Columbus Academy’s first 13 points and had 14 of his team’s 27 at halftime.

The teams traded runs in the third quarter. Columbus Academy committed four consecutive turnovers while Lutheran East scored 10 straight points to take a 35-29 lead midway through the quarter. Singleton converted a three-point play and scored all eight points in an 8-2 Columbus Academy run to close the quarter and tie the game at 37 after three periods.

The fourth quarter was scoreless until Lutheran East scored twice off Columbus Academy turnovers and led 42-37 with 4:50 left. The Lutheran East lead grew to six, 47-41, on a Crumble put-back with 1:53 remaining, and Columbus Academy got no closer than three points as Lutheran East made 4 of 6 free throws in the final minute.

Attendance for the game was listed at 4,325.

Woodsfield Monroe Central 43 Marion Local 35 (Division VI)

Woodsfield Monroe Central scored the game’s first seven points and never trailed in a 43-35 win over Maria Stein Marion Local in the Division VI state championship game at University of Dayton Arena.

Monroe Central (26-3) wins its first boys basketball state title in its first trip to the state tournament. Marion Local (26-3) finished runner-up for the second time (2004) to go along with state titles in 1975, 2003 and 2018.

Sophomore Corbin Farnsworth, who averaged six points per game for the season, made 5 of his first 6 shots and scored 12 first-half points as Monroe Central built a first-half lead that grew to as many as 13 points, 23-10, late in the second quarter.

Marion Local missed five of its first seven shots in the second quarter but made its last three—a layup and three-pointer by Austin Niekamp and a driving layup by Brayden Mescher—to cut the Monroe Central lead in half in the final 90 seconds before halftime. Monroe Central led 23-17 at the break.

Niekamp scored in the paint to draw Marion Local within two points, 24-22, midway through a third quarter that saw both teams score just seven points apiece, but Monroe Central scored the next five points and still led by six, 30-24, entering the fourth quarter.

Jacob Fogle found a slashing Chance Allen for a layup off a sideline inbounds play that bumped the Monroe Central lead to seven, 35-28, with 2:12 remaining. Monroe Central was 3 of 4 from the field and 6 of 10 from the foul line in the fourth quarter, while Marion Local made just two of its final seven shots and missed a pair of free throws as Monroe Central extended its lead to 11 points in the game’s closing moments.

Cooper Howell (10 points, six rebounds, three steals) and Allen (10 points, three assists) joined Farnsworth in double figures for Monroe Central. Tucker Howell tallied five points, nine rebounds and three steals.

Niekamp led Marion Local with 13 points and nine rebounds. Grant Kremer added 11 points.

Attendance was listed at 7,285.

Russia 74 Willoughby Cornerstone Christian 57 (Division VII)

Russia is a boys basketball state champion for the first time, defeating Willoughby Cornerstone Christian 74-57 in the Division VII state title game at University of Dayton Arena to complete a perfect 29-0 season.

Russia jumped to an 11-2 lead to open the game and led for all but 38 seconds of the game’s 32 minutes.

Braylon Cordonnier had 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals to lead Russia. Dominic Francis had 21 points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots and three steals, and Vince Borchers added 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. 

Quinn Kwasniak made six threes and finished with 38 points and six assists for Cornerstone Christian (21-9). Kwasniak’s 38 points tied for the sixth most in state championship game history, regardless of division, and Kwasniak ends his career as Ohio’s all-time leading scorer with 3,341 career points.

Darrien Davis finished with 10 points and seven rebounds for Cornerstone Christian.

Russia, playing in its third straight state tournament, took home its first title in its fourth trip overall to the final four. The Raiders finished runner-up in 2002. 

Cornerstone Christian adds a second runner-up finish (2018) to go along with a state title in 2016.

Russia made 11 of its first 15 shots and led 28-19 at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter, but over the next three minutes Kwasniak scored on a driving layup and made three long three-pointers, and Davis scored to cap a 13-2 run that gave Cornerstone its only lead, 32-31, with 2:21 left in the half. Russia finished the half with a 7-2 burst and took a 38-34 lead into halftime.

Russia opened the second half with a 9-3 run to extend its lead back to double digits, 47-37, and the Raiders led by 12, 54-42, after Francis banked in a three-pointer at the third quarter buzzer.

The lead grew to as many as 19 points in the fourth quarter; Russia made 14 of 21 shots from the floor in the second half (66.7 percent) and finished the game 29 of 50 (58.0 percent) from the floor.

Attendance was listed at 6,466.

Lewis Center Olentangy Orange 56 Reynoldsburg 41 (Division I)

Ellis Appiah scored 20 points to pace a dynamic offense that came to life after halftime, and Lewis Center Olentangy Orange defeated Reynoldsburg, 56-41, in the Division I state championship game at University of Dayton Arena.

Both teams were playing in the state tournament for the first time.

Olentangy Orange (26-2) won its 15th consecutive game to earn its first state title. Reynoldsburg also finished its season 26-2 overall.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half—they combined to shoot just 14 for 50, and Olentangy Orange led 17-14 at halftime—but Olentangy Orange was nearly flawless over the final two quarters. The Pioneers made their first 10 shots coming out of the locker room, including four three-pointers, and made 11 of 13 shots overall in a 30-point third quarter that broke the game open.

Appiah made all four of his shot attempts, including three three-pointers, and scored 11 of Orange’s 30 third-quarter points. 

Olentangy Orange made 14 of its first 17 shots in the second half, expanding its lead to as many as 25 points early in the fourth quarter, and finished the second half 15 of 20 from the floor after shooting just 7 for 27 in the first half.

Appiah finished the night 8 of 10 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from three, for his 20 points. Treyton Schroeder made four three-pointers and finished with 12 points and five rebounds for Olentangy Orange. Levi Davis chipped in 10 points.

Jordan Davis (20 points) and Xavier McKinney (11) were in double figures for Reynoldsburg.

Attendance was listed at 7,545.