Girls Basketball: Pickerington Central pulls away from Liberty to reach regional final
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
By Jarrod Ulrey
julrey@cbussports.com
Pickerington Central’s head coach Chris Wallace watches a shot during the Tigers’ win over Olentangy Liberty at Otterbein Mar. 5. Photo: Joshua Morrison
As it has done so many times during its current run of nine consecutive seasons competing in the Division I regional tournament, the Pickerington Central girls basketball team seemed to turn on a switch Tuesday night.
The Tigers put together a 19-0 run to turn an early six-point deficit into a double-digit lead and pulled away from Olentangy Liberty 66-46.
With the victory in the second game of the doubleheader in the Otterbein Rike Center, Central improved to 24-3 and advanced to play Watterson for the regional championship Friday at the same site.
“We just tried to pick up our momentum,” junior guard Rylee Bess said. “Once we get on a run, we just turn into a whole different team. We just need that one thing to boost our confidence and go on a big run, just being aggressive and being confident in my team and myself, and also trusting in my teammates.”
Liberty, which finished 21-6, got a pair of 3-pointers from senior guard Sarah Mitchell and six points from junior guard Claire Mikola during the opening quarter while opening up an 18-13 lead.
The Patriots made it 26-21 on a 3-pointer by senior guard Emma Karagheuzoff with 4 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first half, but Central responded by taking its first lead at 27-26 on a basket by Bess and was ahead 36-26 by halftime.
Adjustments during the second quarter, according to Tigers coach Chris Wallace, helped shift the tide.
Pickerington Central’s Berry Wallace jumps to control the opening tip-off in the Tigers’ regional semifinal win over Olentangy Liberty Mar. 5 at Otterbein. Photo: Joshua Morrison
“We changed our defense up a little bit,” Wallace said. “We went in with one game plan, but we always go in with multiple (plans) if certain things don’t work. They did a really good job of penetrating early in the game, beating us off the dribble one-on-one, and we took away a lot of things as far as handoffs, but then we started playing the gaps a little more aggressively in the halfcourt.
“We only had 13 (points) in the first quarter, but 18 (points for Liberty) was way too much (to give up). They only ended up with 40-some.”
Central led 52-34 heading into the final period and took its first 20-point lead at 56-36 on a basket by freshman wing player Zoe Coleman early in the fourth quarter.
“As you know, good teams go on runs, and they happened to go on a nice run at the beginning of the game,” Wallace said. “It’s what I expect. We get hit in the mouth in the first quarter and the first half a lot of times. Our group is a mature group. We’re able to change defenses and change what we’re doing in the middle of the game, because the things we were going to do didn’t work.”
Liberty senior guard Gigi Bower, a first-team all-district honoree who averages 16 points, was held to one point by a combination of two of Wallace’s daughters, sophomore Blossom Wallace and senior Berry Wallace.
Olentangy’s Gigi Bower (22) drives by Pickerington Central’s Blossom Wallace (left) and Zoe Coleman during their game at Otterbein Mar. 5. Photo: Joshua Morrison
Mikola finished with 14 points and both Karagheuzoff and Mitchell finished with 12 points all on 3-pointers for the Patriots, who were making their first appearance in the regional since 2015.
“The one thing we knew coming in was that we weren’t going to stop them inside,” Liberty coach Tommy Waterwash said. “They have such a size advantage, and Berry is an All-American for a reason. We were hoping to be able to kind of contest the 3 and then be able to control it, and in the first quarter, we certainly did that. We hit our shots, and Clair Mikola, for the first quarter, was the best player on that floor. They’re relentless, and it goes in waves. The next thing you know, you look up and it’s a tie game, then they’re up four, and then they’re up 10. It’s tough to extend runs on them. Their length is huge.
“We learned a lot from that district final loss a year ago. We’re in a good place to keep this going. The opportunity to play here against that opponent, they weren’t OK with (losing). They were here to compete, and hopefully we can be one of those mainstays at this event.”
Berry Wallace finished with 23 points, Bess had 15 and Coleman added 12 for the Tigers.
Central, which lost in a state semifinal a year ago, is in the regional for the 20th time and is looking to win its 15th regional title. The Tigers won their seventh and most recent state title in 2018.
“Just being here last year and being here this year, we had to focus on not worrying about the crowd,” Bess said. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to hear each other or hear our coaches. We knew it was going to be louder than usual, so it was just a matter of keeping our heads, keeping calm and not playing faster than we want to play, not letting anyone control our pace.”
Pickerington Central’s Rylee Bess and Zoe Coleman celebrate the Tigers’ win over Olentangy Liberty at Otterbein Mar. 5. Photo: Joshua Morrison