FAIRBORN – Even if Pickerington Central boys basketball coach Eric Krueger struggled to find the right words at times, he was certain about a few things after a 44-42 loss to Hilliard Bradley in a Division I state semifinal March 21.
Central’s defense made it difficult for the Jaguars to run their desired sets for most of the night at Wright State, fulfilling what Krueger has emphasized throughout a 12-year tenure atop the program.
“This deep in the tournament [with] two really good teams, it will be a possession-by-possession type of game,” Krueger said. “We definitely anticipated the type of battle we had, so that did not surprise me.”
In a game that featured six ties and only two lead changes, Central used a 10-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to finally forge ahead two minutes into the fourth. Typical of the back-and-forth nature of the game, Bradley answered with a 4-0 run, only for Tigers junior forward KD Smith’s 3-pointer to tie it at 42 with 1:30 to go.
After a full timeout from Bradley 19 seconds later, Krueger knew what was coming – sort of.
The Jaguars ran the clock inside 10 seconds before Kypton Norris missed a 3-pointer, but Jayden Reed-Davis got the rebound and put it back for the winning layup with less than a second to go.
“We buckled in defensively for a long possession and got the shot [from Bradley that] we wanted, but the ball just came off our hands and it went right into [Reed-Davis’ hands] for a layup,” Krueger said. “It’s basketball. Sometimes it’s going to go that way.”
Reed-Davis also broke up a long inbounds pass to end the game.
That ended a season that saw Central (18-9) get hot at the right time, putting together a season-best six-game winning streak to reach state for the first time since 2023.
“Going back to last year and a tough loss in the district [final, 75-59 to Olentangy Liberty], just coming back, being prepared and being able to take that journey has been amazing,” senior guard Aaven Snyder said. “It was all about preparation and the journey. It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life.”
Junior forward Landon Evans’ 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists led Central. Junior guard Albee Moore added 11 points and three assists and senior forward Titus O’Neal chipped in nine points and five rebounds.
Bradley coach Brett Norris lauded Central’s defense, which held the Jaguars 14 points below their season average.
“Our offense was starting way out on the floor most of the night, so credit to them,” Norris said. “Evans was getting downhill and we had to step up, and in the last couple possessions we finally adjusted.
“It’s just one of those games that before the game, one of our assistant coaches said, ‘We’d love to have 50 [points].’ So we kind of knew this was the kind of game it would be. When you get to this point in the year, you have to win at all tempos. We knew it would be physical. We’re two programs that know each other well.”
High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Pickerington Central proud of defensive effort in state semifinal loss
Reporting by Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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