Harvest Prep, Africentric win boys basketball district titles
Harvest Prep boys basketball players relished what they saw on film in preparing for Thursday night’s Division III district final against Worthington Christian.
They saw several examples of Worthington Christian struggling against full-court pressure, one of Harvest Prep’s strengths this season.
Fifth-seeded Harvest Prep fed off a stifling full-court press to force five turnovers and alter several more possessions in the first quarter, taking second-seeded Worthington Christian out of its rhythm. The defense also helped Harvest Prep shoot 10 for 13 from the floor in the opening quarter, and it cruised to a 61-44 win at Capital.
“On the film, it looked like when they got pressured they got pretty rattled, so we took that into consideration and tried to use it in the game,” Harvest Prep guard Zyaun Hutson said. “That’s been our key all year. A lot of teams can’t handle our pressure. We’d have a good chance at getting steals and transition buckets if we played well defensively.”
Hutson’s game-high 19 points led a balanced effort for Harvest Prep (19-6), which forced 14 turnovers.
Harvest Prep, which has won nine in a row and 13 of 14, will play Jamestown Greeneview or New Madison Trivillage in a regional semifinal Wednesday
at Kettering Fairmont.
Sam Johnson’s 17 points and 11 from Logan Woloshan led Worthington Christian, which came in having won 21 of 23.
Africentric 78, Columbus Academy 56
Led by Xavier recruit Dailyn Swain, Africentric never trailed in earning its second consecutive district title.
Swain scored a game-high 23 points, and the Nubians (20-5) advanced to a regional semifinal Wednesday against Malvern or Sugarcreek Garaway at Ohio University.
“This never gets old,” Africentric coach Michael Bates said. “I’m just super excited. We had a bump in the road when we lost our City League championship game (to Northland 60-58 on Feb. 11). The guys recovered well. It was a long two weeks before we played a (postseason) game after we lost that game, so I’m really happy with the way that they recovered and the way that they made the improvements.”