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DAYTON – At one point in the second quarter of Saturday night’s Division I state final, Olentangy Orange boys basketball coach Anthony Calo looked at one of the University of Dayton Arena scoreboards that displays in-game stats.
Even in the heat of the moment, Calo’s jaw almost dropped at what he saw.
“I just kept looking at the field-goal percentage and ours was like 1% but (Reynoldsburg’s) was 0,” Calo said, unable to contain a chuckle. “Obviously not that low, I’m exaggerating, but both teams shot very poorly.
“But we’re a good shooting team. We have had the stats to prove it all year. So at some point if we kept the belief, we were bound to break through. And in the third quarter, we broke through. It was pretty cool.”
The first half of the first all-Columbus-area state championship game saw Orange and Reynoldsburg combine to miss 36 of 50 shots, but Orange scored 30 points in the third quarter – 13 more than in the first half – to expand a three-point halftime lead to 21 and cruise to a 56-41 win in front of 7,545 fans.
Senior guard Ellis Appiah’s career-high 20 points as well as four rebounds and four assists, 12 points from junior guard Treyton Schroeder on four 3-pointers and 10 points from junior guard Levi Davis keyed the win for Orange (26-2), which celebrated its first state championship and denied Reynoldsburg (26-2) its first.
Both programs were in their first state tournament.
On a night when Reynoldsburg held Orange senior guard and Mr. Basketball finalist Devin Brown to six points on 3 of 13 shooting, Appiah – a Denison commit – scored the Pioneers’ first six points and kick-started what ultimately was the game-clinching run with a 3-pointer early in the second half.
Schroeder followed with a 3, Brown made a running layup and two more Appiah baskets made it 31-20 three minutes into the third.
“I was hot out there, they kept getting me the ball and I appreciated it,” Appiah said.
Orange outscored Reynoldsburg 25-4 on fast-break points.
Brown, who missed nine of his 10 shots in the first half, finished with six assists and six rebounds.
“I was shooting a few too many 3s and (Calo) told me to get downhill and make them respect my drive,” Brown said. “Play my game and let it flow to me naturally. Passing has always come to me. That was something I tried to focus on.”
Reynoldsburg came in averaging 75.6 points but had 12 in the game’s first 10:30 and 14 at half. The Raiders came from behind in several tournament games, including a 64-63 state semifinal win over West Chester Lakota West, but could never muster a substantial run Saturday night.
“They are solid; they keep everything in front of them,” Reynoldsburg coach Andrew Moore said of Orange. “They force you to take and make jump shots, and tonight they were not falling for us. They are a connected group at the defensive end. All five are on the same page and know where they are supposed to be at a certain time.
“We had some opportunities where we were able to get to the basket and score, but not very many.”
Senior forward and Ohio University signee Jordan Fisher had 20 points to lead Reynoldsburg. Junior guard Xavier McKinney, an OU commit, added 11 points and five rebounds.
Calo pointed to his team’s 76-8 record since the start of the 2022-23 season, a stretch that included two regional runner-up finishes, as proof of Orange’s burgeoning success.
“We’ve absolutely been trending this way,” Calo said. “It’s great to get the payout.”
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@dp_dispatch
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Orange boys basketball wins first OHSAA state championship
Continue reading...
Even in the heat of the moment, Calo’s jaw almost dropped at what he saw.
“I just kept looking at the field-goal percentage and ours was like 1% but (Reynoldsburg’s) was 0,” Calo said, unable to contain a chuckle. “Obviously not that low, I’m exaggerating, but both teams shot very poorly.
“But we’re a good shooting team. We have had the stats to prove it all year. So at some point if we kept the belief, we were bound to break through. And in the third quarter, we broke through. It was pretty cool.”
The first half of the first all-Columbus-area state championship game saw Orange and Reynoldsburg combine to miss 36 of 50 shots, but Orange scored 30 points in the third quarter – 13 more than in the first half – to expand a three-point halftime lead to 21 and cruise to a 56-41 win in front of 7,545 fans.
Senior guard Ellis Appiah’s career-high 20 points as well as four rebounds and four assists, 12 points from junior guard Treyton Schroeder on four 3-pointers and 10 points from junior guard Levi Davis keyed the win for Orange (26-2), which celebrated its first state championship and denied Reynoldsburg (26-2) its first.
Both programs were in their first state tournament.
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On a night when Reynoldsburg held Orange senior guard and Mr. Basketball finalist Devin Brown to six points on 3 of 13 shooting, Appiah – a Denison commit – scored the Pioneers’ first six points and kick-started what ultimately was the game-clinching run with a 3-pointer early in the second half.
Schroeder followed with a 3, Brown made a running layup and two more Appiah baskets made it 31-20 three minutes into the third.
“I was hot out there, they kept getting me the ball and I appreciated it,” Appiah said.
Orange outscored Reynoldsburg 25-4 on fast-break points.
Brown, who missed nine of his 10 shots in the first half, finished with six assists and six rebounds.
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“I was shooting a few too many 3s and (Calo) told me to get downhill and make them respect my drive,” Brown said. “Play my game and let it flow to me naturally. Passing has always come to me. That was something I tried to focus on.”
Reynoldsburg came in averaging 75.6 points but had 12 in the game’s first 10:30 and 14 at half. The Raiders came from behind in several tournament games, including a 64-63 state semifinal win over West Chester Lakota West, but could never muster a substantial run Saturday night.
“They are solid; they keep everything in front of them,” Reynoldsburg coach Andrew Moore said of Orange. “They force you to take and make jump shots, and tonight they were not falling for us. They are a connected group at the defensive end. All five are on the same page and know where they are supposed to be at a certain time.
“We had some opportunities where we were able to get to the basket and score, but not very many.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Senior forward and Ohio University signee Jordan Fisher had 20 points to lead Reynoldsburg. Junior guard Xavier McKinney, an OU commit, added 11 points and five rebounds.
Calo pointed to his team’s 76-8 record since the start of the 2022-23 season, a stretch that included two regional runner-up finishes, as proof of Orange’s burgeoning success.
“We’ve absolutely been trending this way,” Calo said. “It’s great to get the payout.”
[email protected]
@dp_dispatch
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Orange boys basketball wins first OHSAA state championship
Continue reading...
