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DAYTON – Not every work of art is considered a thing of beauty at the time it is unveiled. Sometimes, like a Jackson Pollock splatter painting, it takes a few years – or in the case of Olentangy Orange, a few quarters – to appreciate what you’re seeing.
Decades from now, few will remember how the first half of Saturday’s Division I state high school boys basketball championship game resembled a finger painting more than a Rembrandt. Instead, the 7,545 fans that spread throughout University of Dayton Arena will recall that the third quarter was among the most mesmerizing eight minutes of high school hoops they ever witnessed. A true masterpiece.
We’ll get to that in a moment, but first a history lesson is in order. Orange and Reynoldsburg became the first Columbus-area teams in tournament history, since 1923, to play each other for a state title. Context is in order. Increasing from four to seven divisions this season made the Cbus vs. Cbus matchup possible. Previously, each of the four state regions sent a team to the finals, which precluded teams from the same region squaring off in the championship game.
Still, history was made. And Orange made most of it by defeating Reynoldsburg 56-41 for the school’s first basketball title, and first boys team championship, since the Pioneers were born in 2008. It was the 21st “big school” title by a Columbus-area team, and first since Pickerington Central defeated Centerville in 2022.
Nothing against Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo or Dayton, all cities where high school basketball is outstanding, but it was pretty cool having all the focus on Columbus. Cool and appropriate.
Capital city hoops may not have the most team titles, but a strong argument can be made that Columbus has produced some of the best prep champions, including what many deem the greatest in Columbus East, which went 70-1 over three seasons (1966-67, 1967-68 and 1068-69) with state titles in 1968 and 1969. The Tigers’ lone loss over that stretch was to Linden McKinley in the 1967 regional final. Linden, led by Jim Cleamons and Skip Young, went on to win it all.
Not to be outdone, Walnut Ridge went 25-0 in 1971, winning the big-school title behind an offense that averaged 93.8 points. The Scots, like the dominating East teams, had five starters receive Division I college scholarships.
Where does Orange rank in the pecking order of all-time Columbus teams? It’s a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the game has changed so much. But while not on the level of the 1960s East teams, or the 1970s Walnut Ridge and Linden squads, the Pioneers are impressive in their own right.
Orange was 76-8 over the past three seasons, with one state title. Not too shabby.
“There’s a lot of good central Ohio teams, or around the state, that lost more than eight games this season, and we’re 76-8 the last three years,” Orange coach Anthony Calo said. “It’s pretty impressive, if we do say so. Yes, this is our first state title, but we’ve absolutely been trending this way, so it’s wonderful to get the payout with a state championship.”
Calo understands Ohio high school basketball history probably better than most. His father, Ed Calo, coached Westerville South to the Division I title in 2016, and some of Anthony’s most cherished moments include attending state tournaments with his father.
“I’m not a history buff, but I did live it,” Anthony said. “My dad (at Westerville South) when I was 2 years old. I’m now 40, so do the math. I grew up going to St. John Arena, grew up going to the Schott with him. I saw LeBron his freshman year. My dad came home and said, ‘Hey, we have to see this kid from Akron.’ Just going to these games with my father as a kid was super cool.”
Maybe the only thing cooler was Ed being able to watch his son drape a cut basketball net around his neck as cheering orange and blue took over UD Arena during the victory celebration.
“Both are special,” Ed said of winning a state title as a coach and watching his son do the same. “But seeing this? I can’t put it into words. I’m so proud of him.”
It is hard to put into words just how ugly both Orange (26-2) and Reynoldsburg (26-2) played for two quarters, but Anthony Calo tried.
“I kept looking at the field goal percentages,” he said. “Ours was like 1%. Theirs was 0%. Obviously, neither was that low. I exaggerate, but both teams shot poorly.”
That is putting it kindly. The Pioneers shot 4 of 14 (28.6%), including 1 of 7 from 3-point range the first quarter. The Raiders shot 4 of 12 and 0-2 from outside the arc. The second quarter was worse. Orange: 3 of 13 overall and Reynoldsburg 3 of 11. Orange led 17-14 at the break. Ouch.
Both Calo and Raiders coach Andrew Moore attributed some of the many misses to strong opposing defenses. And it is true that both teams got after it defensively the first 16 minutes. But it is just as true that both schools were too quick to settle for outside shots even as they missed a handful of layups.
Then came halftime, and Calo’s message to his team.
“He told us when we leave this game, five years later will we have any regrets or will we be happy with our performance?” Pioneers senior guard Ellis Appiah said. “That motivated me to push harder in the second half.”
Did it ever. Appiah turned in the game of his high school life, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range and one made free throw.
Calo’s message must have resonated through the locker room, because after intermission Orange disproved the theory that it takes 32 minutes of strong play to win a state championship. Wrong. It takes only eight. Actually only five.
The Pioneers turned a three-point halftime lead into a 15-point cushion with five minutes left in the third quarter and finished the period outscoring Reynoldsburg 30-12. They were 11 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
It was over.
“We’re a good shooting team,” Calo said. “We have five guys who shot 40% on 3s this season. If we kept the belief, we were bound to break through in the third quarter, and these guys broke through. It was pretty cool.”
It wasn’t always pretty, but having two Columbus teams playing for all the marbles? Beautiful.
[email protected]
@rollerCD
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy defeats Reynoldsburg for Ohio high school basketball title
Continue reading...
Decades from now, few will remember how the first half of Saturday’s Division I state high school boys basketball championship game resembled a finger painting more than a Rembrandt. Instead, the 7,545 fans that spread throughout University of Dayton Arena will recall that the third quarter was among the most mesmerizing eight minutes of high school hoops they ever witnessed. A true masterpiece.
We’ll get to that in a moment, but first a history lesson is in order. Orange and Reynoldsburg became the first Columbus-area teams in tournament history, since 1923, to play each other for a state title. Context is in order. Increasing from four to seven divisions this season made the Cbus vs. Cbus matchup possible. Previously, each of the four state regions sent a team to the finals, which precluded teams from the same region squaring off in the championship game.
Still, history was made. And Orange made most of it by defeating Reynoldsburg 56-41 for the school’s first basketball title, and first boys team championship, since the Pioneers were born in 2008. It was the 21st “big school” title by a Columbus-area team, and first since Pickerington Central defeated Centerville in 2022.
Nothing against Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo or Dayton, all cities where high school basketball is outstanding, but it was pretty cool having all the focus on Columbus. Cool and appropriate.
Capital city hoops may not have the most team titles, but a strong argument can be made that Columbus has produced some of the best prep champions, including what many deem the greatest in Columbus East, which went 70-1 over three seasons (1966-67, 1967-68 and 1068-69) with state titles in 1968 and 1969. The Tigers’ lone loss over that stretch was to Linden McKinley in the 1967 regional final. Linden, led by Jim Cleamons and Skip Young, went on to win it all.
Not to be outdone, Walnut Ridge went 25-0 in 1971, winning the big-school title behind an offense that averaged 93.8 points. The Scots, like the dominating East teams, had five starters receive Division I college scholarships.
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How does Olentangy Orange stack up against other Columbus champions?
Where does Orange rank in the pecking order of all-time Columbus teams? It’s a bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison, because the game has changed so much. But while not on the level of the 1960s East teams, or the 1970s Walnut Ridge and Linden squads, the Pioneers are impressive in their own right.
Orange was 76-8 over the past three seasons, with one state title. Not too shabby.
“There’s a lot of good central Ohio teams, or around the state, that lost more than eight games this season, and we’re 76-8 the last three years,” Orange coach Anthony Calo said. “It’s pretty impressive, if we do say so. Yes, this is our first state title, but we’ve absolutely been trending this way, so it’s wonderful to get the payout with a state championship.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Calo understands Ohio high school basketball history probably better than most. His father, Ed Calo, coached Westerville South to the Division I title in 2016, and some of Anthony’s most cherished moments include attending state tournaments with his father.
“I’m not a history buff, but I did live it,” Anthony said. “My dad (at Westerville South) when I was 2 years old. I’m now 40, so do the math. I grew up going to St. John Arena, grew up going to the Schott with him. I saw LeBron his freshman year. My dad came home and said, ‘Hey, we have to see this kid from Akron.’ Just going to these games with my father as a kid was super cool.”
Ed Calo enjoys watching his son, Anthony, win state title
Maybe the only thing cooler was Ed being able to watch his son drape a cut basketball net around his neck as cheering orange and blue took over UD Arena during the victory celebration.
“Both are special,” Ed said of winning a state title as a coach and watching his son do the same. “But seeing this? I can’t put it into words. I’m so proud of him.”
It is hard to put into words just how ugly both Orange (26-2) and Reynoldsburg (26-2) played for two quarters, but Anthony Calo tried.
“I kept looking at the field goal percentages,” he said. “Ours was like 1%. Theirs was 0%. Obviously, neither was that low. I exaggerate, but both teams shot poorly.”
That is putting it kindly. The Pioneers shot 4 of 14 (28.6%), including 1 of 7 from 3-point range the first quarter. The Raiders shot 4 of 12 and 0-2 from outside the arc. The second quarter was worse. Orange: 3 of 13 overall and Reynoldsburg 3 of 11. Orange led 17-14 at the break. Ouch.
Both Calo and Raiders coach Andrew Moore attributed some of the many misses to strong opposing defenses. And it is true that both teams got after it defensively the first 16 minutes. But it is just as true that both schools were too quick to settle for outside shots even as they missed a handful of layups.
Then came halftime, and Calo’s message to his team.
“He told us when we leave this game, five years later will we have any regrets or will we be happy with our performance?” Pioneers senior guard Ellis Appiah said. “That motivated me to push harder in the second half.”
Did it ever. Appiah turned in the game of his high school life, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range and one made free throw.
Calo’s message must have resonated through the locker room, because after intermission Orange disproved the theory that it takes 32 minutes of strong play to win a state championship. Wrong. It takes only eight. Actually only five.
The Pioneers turned a three-point halftime lead into a 15-point cushion with five minutes left in the third quarter and finished the period outscoring Reynoldsburg 30-12. They were 11 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point range.
It was over.
You must be registered for see images attach
“We’re a good shooting team,” Calo said. “We have five guys who shot 40% on 3s this season. If we kept the belief, we were bound to break through in the third quarter, and these guys broke through. It was pretty cool.”
It wasn’t always pretty, but having two Columbus teams playing for all the marbles? Beautiful.
[email protected]
@rollerCD
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy defeats Reynoldsburg for Ohio high school basketball title
Continue reading...
