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The Princeton Vikings, like their namesake from the Nordic Age, may have played with fire one too many times.
After four straight wins of 13 points or less in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I tournament, they ran into a Pickerington Central squad looking to avenge its 2024 and 2023 state semifinal losses.
Princeton led, 40-34, just over two minutes into the fourth quarter but key mistakes and an injury to point guard Mari Gerton allowed the Tigers to close on a 13-4 run for a 47-44 win and their eighth state title. They are now just one championship shy of Mount Notre Dame's record of nine.
"Our kids fought hard all season. We had adversity that we had to face in this game and that's what it's about. It's a game of runs. You're gonna have good moments, not-so-good moments. Our not-so-good moments got the best of us today. All in all, I'm proud of these girls," coach Dee Davis said.
It was a matchup of two teams that had battled adversity all season. The Vikings overcame a 7-6 start, winning 14 games to get to this point. Pickerington Central lost two senior starters, Faith King and Rylee Bess, to knee injuries.
In the regional final and state semifinal, the Vikings hung their hat on defense. They tried to do that in the first half on Saturday but the Tigers made it tough on them, matching their intensity. They drew three charges on Princeton, forced 12 turnovers and held the Vikings to 33 percent from the field. Pick Central pushed the ball whenever it could, scoring 11 points off of turnovers and 6 fast-break points.
"Through our practices, we were trying to bring in tough people to make it tough on us at practice and try to mimic what they do. Credit to coach Davis; she's a great coach. She's been here before. We knew it was gonna be a battle," Pickerington Central coach Jonathan Hedgepeth said.
Meanwhile, both teams struggled from the free-throw line, combining to shoot 5-for-18. At one point, Princeton scored 4 straight points on free throws, but was only 4-for-8 from the line in that stretch.
Blossom Wallace and Gabby Plair led the Tigers with 8 points each in the first half. Plair's corner 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the game to halftime with Pick Central leading, 23-17. Kali Fortson had 8 for the Vikings but was forced to sit with foul trouble.
Coming out of the locker room, Princeton owned its defensive identity. Gerton and Erin Thomas provided momentum-shifting blocks as the Vikings held the Tigers to 20 percent from the field in the third quarter. Gerton and Fortson each had 4 points as they went on a 10-2 run over three minutes to tie the game at 27. To cap the quarter, Fortson banked in just her second 3-pointer of the season to give them a 32-39 lead.
Off a pass from Kamryn Lowe, Thomas drained a corner 3-pointer to give the Vikings a 6-point advantage to open the fourth quarter.
The lead stayed at six until the 5:43 mark when Gerton drove into the lane and found Fortson for a layup, but Gerton went down with an ankle injury and did not return until the 3:37 mark. Even as she left it all on the court in her final game, she visibly struggled. She was having a stellar half up to that point with 5 points, three rebounds and three assists. She committed six turnovers in the first half while under duress from Blossom Wallace but had just one giveaway in the second half.
"She was giving us a lot of offensive power at that time. By her going down, that took away a little bit of our momentum. But our kids are still resilient. Her coming back out showed a lot of fight, showed a lot of heart that she wanted to be there for her teammates," Davis said.
Gerton's absence allowed the Tigers to attack the basket and hound the Vikings on defense. Sophomore Zoe Coleman finished with 6 points and two of the biggest baskets of the game. She made a 3-pointer from the left win to tie the game at 40 with 3:54 left, then drained another from the exact same spot to give the Tigers the lead for good. Hedgepeth said once he saw the first shot go in, he drew up another play for her.
"I just saw the hoop and I scored. I was not really hot in the first three quarters but I just got my confidence up and didn't get down on myself," Coleman said.
The Tigers, who hadn't made a free throw in the first 31 minutes of the game, went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.
The Vikings graduate Gerton, Fortson, Saniya Carr and Lamiya Gooden. Gerton scored 1,300 points in three seasons and Fortson pulled down 685 rebounds as a four-year player. Both helped Princeton to the 2023 state championship. Carr and Gooden appeared in 20 games and 17 games this season.
"I'm so proud of them. I just want them to understand that we've come a long way and we're not done yet. Princeton has a lot of power, even after this year, so we're going to continue to work hard and get back to this stage," Davis said.
Pickerington Central: Plair 4 2 13, Wallace 5 0 10, Johnson 4 0 9, Coleman 2 0 6, Gordon 2 0 5, Smith 1 2 4. Totals: 18 4 47.
Princeton: Fortson 9 0 19, Gerton 2 4 8, Thomas 2 1 6, Lowe 2 0 4, Harris 1 2 4, Sneed 1 0 2, Love-Muhammad 0 1 1. Totals: 17 8 44.
Half: PC 23-17. 3-pointers: PC 7 (Plair 3, Coleman 2, Johnson, Gordon); P 2 (Fortson, Thomas).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Princeton girls basketball loses to Pickerington Central in DI final
Continue reading...
After four straight wins of 13 points or less in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division I tournament, they ran into a Pickerington Central squad looking to avenge its 2024 and 2023 state semifinal losses.
Princeton led, 40-34, just over two minutes into the fourth quarter but key mistakes and an injury to point guard Mari Gerton allowed the Tigers to close on a 13-4 run for a 47-44 win and their eighth state title. They are now just one championship shy of Mount Notre Dame's record of nine.
"Our kids fought hard all season. We had adversity that we had to face in this game and that's what it's about. It's a game of runs. You're gonna have good moments, not-so-good moments. Our not-so-good moments got the best of us today. All in all, I'm proud of these girls," coach Dee Davis said.
It was a matchup of two teams that had battled adversity all season. The Vikings overcame a 7-6 start, winning 14 games to get to this point. Pickerington Central lost two senior starters, Faith King and Rylee Bess, to knee injuries.
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Princeton, Pickerington Central didn't make it easy in the first half
In the regional final and state semifinal, the Vikings hung their hat on defense. They tried to do that in the first half on Saturday but the Tigers made it tough on them, matching their intensity. They drew three charges on Princeton, forced 12 turnovers and held the Vikings to 33 percent from the field. Pick Central pushed the ball whenever it could, scoring 11 points off of turnovers and 6 fast-break points.
"Through our practices, we were trying to bring in tough people to make it tough on us at practice and try to mimic what they do. Credit to coach Davis; she's a great coach. She's been here before. We knew it was gonna be a battle," Pickerington Central coach Jonathan Hedgepeth said.
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Meanwhile, both teams struggled from the free-throw line, combining to shoot 5-for-18. At one point, Princeton scored 4 straight points on free throws, but was only 4-for-8 from the line in that stretch.
Blossom Wallace and Gabby Plair led the Tigers with 8 points each in the first half. Plair's corner 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the game to halftime with Pick Central leading, 23-17. Kali Fortson had 8 for the Vikings but was forced to sit with foul trouble.
The Princeton Vikings' state final comeback falls just short
Coming out of the locker room, Princeton owned its defensive identity. Gerton and Erin Thomas provided momentum-shifting blocks as the Vikings held the Tigers to 20 percent from the field in the third quarter. Gerton and Fortson each had 4 points as they went on a 10-2 run over three minutes to tie the game at 27. To cap the quarter, Fortson banked in just her second 3-pointer of the season to give them a 32-39 lead.
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Off a pass from Kamryn Lowe, Thomas drained a corner 3-pointer to give the Vikings a 6-point advantage to open the fourth quarter.
The lead stayed at six until the 5:43 mark when Gerton drove into the lane and found Fortson for a layup, but Gerton went down with an ankle injury and did not return until the 3:37 mark. Even as she left it all on the court in her final game, she visibly struggled. She was having a stellar half up to that point with 5 points, three rebounds and three assists. She committed six turnovers in the first half while under duress from Blossom Wallace but had just one giveaway in the second half.
"She was giving us a lot of offensive power at that time. By her going down, that took away a little bit of our momentum. But our kids are still resilient. Her coming back out showed a lot of fight, showed a lot of heart that she wanted to be there for her teammates," Davis said.
Gerton's absence allowed the Tigers to attack the basket and hound the Vikings on defense. Sophomore Zoe Coleman finished with 6 points and two of the biggest baskets of the game. She made a 3-pointer from the left win to tie the game at 40 with 3:54 left, then drained another from the exact same spot to give the Tigers the lead for good. Hedgepeth said once he saw the first shot go in, he drew up another play for her.
"I just saw the hoop and I scored. I was not really hot in the first three quarters but I just got my confidence up and didn't get down on myself," Coleman said.
The Tigers, who hadn't made a free throw in the first 31 minutes of the game, went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 30 seconds to secure the win.
Shoutout to Princeton's seniors
The Vikings graduate Gerton, Fortson, Saniya Carr and Lamiya Gooden. Gerton scored 1,300 points in three seasons and Fortson pulled down 685 rebounds as a four-year player. Both helped Princeton to the 2023 state championship. Carr and Gooden appeared in 20 games and 17 games this season.
"I'm so proud of them. I just want them to understand that we've come a long way and we're not done yet. Princeton has a lot of power, even after this year, so we're going to continue to work hard and get back to this stage," Davis said.
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Pickerington Central 47, Princeton 44
Pickerington Central: Plair 4 2 13, Wallace 5 0 10, Johnson 4 0 9, Coleman 2 0 6, Gordon 2 0 5, Smith 1 2 4. Totals: 18 4 47.
Princeton: Fortson 9 0 19, Gerton 2 4 8, Thomas 2 1 6, Lowe 2 0 4, Harris 1 2 4, Sneed 1 0 2, Love-Muhammad 0 1 1. Totals: 17 8 44.
Half: PC 23-17. 3-pointers: PC 7 (Plair 3, Coleman 2, Johnson, Gordon); P 2 (Fortson, Thomas).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Princeton girls basketball loses to Pickerington Central in DI final
Continue reading...
