Gahanna Lions-4th Grade State Champions
Norwalk-4th Grade Runner-ups
Unlike like Saturday, Sunday action at the League Ohio Championships only featured a couple of competitive games, as all but 2 games ended in blow out victories. In the 4th grade division, Riverside jumped out to a commanding 21-2 lead over Olentangy Berlin Royal in a quarter-final game before Olentangy came roaring back to within 2 points. However, Riverside would eventually regain the lead and go on to advance to the semis against Gahanna by a score of 43-36.
The undisputed game of the day pitted the 4-0 Gahanna Lions against the 4-0 Norwalk Truckers in the 4th grade championship game. Although Gahanna would race out to a 26-21 lead early in the opening period, Norwalk countered with a 13-2 run of their own to take a late game lead. With about 3 minutes left in the contest and down by about 7 points, Gahanna’s Jordan Taylor got hot, hit several clutch jumpers and free throws, including 2 steals, to get Gahanna to within 1 point with 15 seconds to go. Taylor’s last steal led to a Derrick Peryman trey with under 5 seconds to give Gahanna a thrilling 57-55 comeback win. Gahanna was led in scoring by Taylor who scored a game-high 17 points, followed by Derrick Perryman (16), Landon Geist (11) and Mason Vines (10). We don’t know exactly how many points he had, but big Maddox Gamble had a monster game, and he had to have finished with 20 + points in the final game. Gamble’s post up game was spectacular, and his soft touch around the rim was impressive. We also really liked Wes Pittenger, who had a big game as well.
In the 3rd grade division, 4-0 Avon Gold cruised to the 3rd grade championship with a gaudy 39-11 win over the Lancaster Gales. In the 5th grade Platinum Boys Championship game, Elyria got a lopsided 60-35 win over Avon Gold. Not only was the 6th grade Gahanna Lions never really tested in pool play, they cruised through bracket play as well, notching a final 80-59 win over Fairview in the championship game.
In the final analysis, this event has a ton of potential! If organizers can find a way to include Cincinnati and Dayton area teams in the event, they could truly have something special on their hands. Finally, below is a short list of day II standouts. Congratulations to all of the champions!
Standout Performers
| Name | Hit/Pos | Class | City/State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Perryman | 5’3″/SG | 2031 | Gahanna, OH |
| Jordan Taylor | 4’7″/PG | 2032 | Gahanna, OH |
| Mason Vines | 4’8″/PG | 2031 | Gahanna, OH |
| Maddox Gamble | 5’6″/C | 2031 | Norwalk, OH |
| Wes Pittenger | 5’3″/PF | 2031 | Norwalk, OH |
| Jason Maly | 4’8″/PG | 2031 | Avon, OH |
| Andrew Gibbs | 5’6″/C | 2030 | Elyria, OH |
| Raheel Washington | 5’11″/C | 2029 | Gahanna, OH |
| Evan McNeal | 5’11″/WF | 2029 | Gahanna, OH |
| Steve Blackmon | 5’2″/PG | 2029 | Gahanna, OH |
| John Moore Jr. | 5’1″/CG | 2031 | Riverside, OH |
| Cam Rauch | 5’0″/SG | 2031 | Riverside, OH |
| Anderson Swartz | 4’7″/SG | 2032 | Lancaster, OH |
| Landon Geist | 5’1″/PF | 2031 | Gahanna, OH |
4th Grade All-Tournament Teams
| 1st Team | Derrick Perryman | Jordan Taylor | Mason Vines | Maddox Gamble | Wes Pittenger |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd Team | John Moore Jr. | Cam Rauch | Jullian Winner | Anderson Swartz | Kyle Darfus |
| 3rd Team | Jason Maly | Landon Geist | Michael Gallager | Kamden Betts | Jerimiah Buchner |
Standout Performer Pictures
Derrick Perryman
Jordan Taylor
Mason Vines
Maddox Gamble
Wes Pittenger
John Moore Jr.
Evan McNeal
Raheel Washington
Steve Blackman
Cooper Sheffield
Jason Maly
Andrew Gibbs
