Late run dooms Pickerington Central in state semifinal
DAYTON – Pickerington Central girls basketball coach Chris Wallace glanced at the box score after Friday's Division I state semifinal and saw several statistics he felt normally would indicate a Tigers win.
Central capitalized on its size advantage to outscore Olmsted Falls 4022 in the paint. The Tigers also outrebounded the Bulldogs 23-21 and shot 56.8% (25-of-44) from the field.
“But when a team shoots 52 percent from 3-point land, it's hard to overcome that,” Wallace said. “We had one foul shot. They had 18. Those are two statistics that stand out right away.”
Third-quarter runs of 7-0 and 6-2, not to mention inside dominance thanks largely to junior forward Berry Wallace, appeared to have Central firmly in command. But a key putback from Olmsted Falls' Mia Kalich that beat the third-quarter buzzer kept the Bulldogs within two possessions, and their 3-point shooting keyed a gamechanging 12-0 run as Olmsted Falls held off Central 58-53 at University of Dayton Arena.
Danielle Cameron scored 14 of her 23 points in the fourth, including three 3pointers in four possessions that gave Olmsted Falls a 47-46 lead. The Bulldogs finished 9-of-17 from behind the arc.
Kalich, whose 12 rebounds were evenly split between the offensive and defensive glass, converted a 3-point play to lengthen the run. Central (24-5)
went scoreless for 5:17, a drought the 6foot-1 Berry Wallace snapped with a layup with 58 seconds left to make it 53-48.
“We didn't go into hero ball, where one kid decided they'd try to take over,” Olmsted Falls coach Jordan Eaton said. “They stuck to the game plan and played basketball how we always play. We took what was given on offense and defended all five on defense.”
Berry Wallace finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Central.
Olmsted Falls (25-3), which will face Cincinnati Princeton in the final Saturday night, has no players taller than 6-0 on its roster. All are listed as guards in the state tournament program.
Central point guard Madison Greene, who finished fourth in Ms. Basketball voting earlier this week, added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
“We scored 53 and that's usually enough for us to win, but this boiled down to us not guarding well enough,” Chris Wallace said. “They did a great job of getting open. (Cameron) was on our
scouting report. We knew about her. She didn't surprise us, but at the end of the day, she did a really good job of getting open, and we left her.”
The first half was nip-and-tuck, featuring four lead changes and two ties. The game was tied at 25 at halftime, largely thanks to a 10-2 run for the Bulldogs to get back in it after trailing 14-8.
Olmsted Falls made nine of 18 foul shots, including its final four to pull away. Central made its only attempt.
The Tigers were at state for the 14th time and first since 2019. They were seeking their first championship since 2018 and eighth overall.
“It's tough when you're losing the lead and they have such momentum,” Berry Wallace said. “It's hard when they have that many 3-point shooters. It's easier if they're going on a run to sit down and run down to the paint, but closing on the shooters when we're tired and they had the momentum was tough.” dpurpura@dispatch.com @dp_dispatch