It’s the final day of the Ohio High School Athletic Association Southwest district finals.
Across Cincinnati, boys hoopsters competed to advance to the OHSAA regional semifinals. Over the first two days of district-final action, 12 Cincinnati teams punched their ticket from Division I all the way to Division VII.
Four Cincinnati schools were in action on March 8. Sycamore kicked off the day in Division I, while Taft wrapped things up in Division IV. Here’s what happened.
Taft basketball falls to Northridge, 81-68
It was a tale of two halves for the Senators as Taft’s season came to a close in the district finals. Top-seeded Northridge came out on top inside the Cintas Center, 81-68.
The Senators couldn’t have asked for a much better start. Taft went on a 13-5 run in the final two minutes of the first quarter, claiming a 29-7 lead. Though Northridge put tripled their scoring output in the second quarter, Taft still held a 16-point advantage at the half.
While it took the Polar Bears time to warm up, their offense kicked it into overdrive in the second half. A 25-point third-quarter performance cut Taft’s lead to just 6 points, and the final quarter was much of the same. Another massive scoring run was too much for Taft to keep pace with as the Senators fell, 81-68.
Taft ends the season as district runner-up with an overall record of 16-6. The Senators will part with five seniors this offseason: Kingston Ross, Antwan Hinton, Tyrek Banks, Ronald Patterson and Narthey Maddy.
CHCA ends season against Archbishop Alter, 65-54
After Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy held a 12-point lead at halftime, Archbishop Alter stormed all the way back to win 65-54.
The Eagles controlled the first half with dominant shooting. CHCA hit 10 triples in the first half to lead 36-24 heading into the halftime break.
Alter made significant defensive adjustments in the second half, erasing the 12-point deficit to lead by 7 points at the end of the third quarter. Alter’s Peyton Bakos scored 9 straight points by himself to give the Knights the lead.
CHCA wouldn’t go down without a fight. Jason Caimano, who ended the game with 25 points and seven 3-pointers, cut the Eagles’ deficit to 1 point with just over five minutes to go. That was as close as the Eagles would get as Alter finished on a 19-9 advantage.
The Eagles end their season with a 15-10 overall record after completing a perfect 7-0 conference season. CHCA will graduate seven seniors this offseason: Griffin Ridner Richard, Adam Papp, Jason Caimano, Dillon Fox, Cole Canter and Isaiah Hinman.
Wyoming secures third straight district title against Urbana, 59-31
The Cowboys are riding to the regional tournament once again following a 59-31 win over Urbana.
Wyoming took control early, taking a 29-14 lead into the halftime break. The Cowboys’ offense was firing on all cylinders as they shot over 60% from the floor.
Urbana put up more resistance coming back from the locker room, doubling their score in the third quarter. It wasn’t enough to make a dent in the Cowboys’ lead, as seniors Kellen Wiley and Darren Grey poured on the points. Wyoming went on a 15-0 run until Urbana finally scored again with 2:18 left in the game; that bucket was Urbana’s only make of the final quarter.
Wyoming’s stellar senior class has led the team all season and today was no exception. Gray led all scorers with 17 points on 8-10 shooting, with Wiley close behind with 15 points on 7-12 shooting.
After marching all the way to the Final Four last season, the Cowboys are showing why they’re once again state championship contenders in 2026. Wyoming improved to 23-2 with the win and will face the winner of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Alter on March 12.
Sycamore playoff run ends against Centerville, 49-28
Sycamore knew it was facing an uphill battle on March 8, as the 13th-seeded Aviators took on top-seeded Centerville.
A slow start made the upset bid more difficult, as Centerville claimed a 12-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Aviators weren’t discouraged and kept battling, staying within striking distance while down 27-21 entering the fourth quarter.
Centerville then began a parade to the free-throw line. The Elks shot 19 free throws in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points at the charity stripe to control the fourth quarter and win the game.
Sycamore was led by freshman standout Isaiah Hill, who finished with 15 points and two blocks. The Aviators season comes to a close as district runners-up with an 11-13 record. Sycamore will graduate three seniors: Ryan Drasnin, Michael Johnson and Ryan Lynn.
Boys high school basketball district final results
March 8
OHSAA Division I
Centerville 49, Sycamore 28
Sycamore (11-13): Hill 6 2 15, Johnson 2 0 5, Debrosse 0 1 1, Koppenhoeffer 2 1 5, Drasnin 1 0 2. Totals: 11 4 28.
Centerville (17-6): Keeley 6 2 15, J. Sam 3 3 11, T. Sam 1 7 10, Rohrer 2 4 9, Houston 0 2 2, Craver 1 0 2. Totals: 13 18 49.
Halftime: C 21-15. 3-pointers: S 2 (Hill, Johnson), C 5 (Keeley, J. Sam 2, T. Sam, Rohrer).
OHSAA Division IV
Northridge 81, Taft 68
Alter 65, CHCA 54
Wyoming 59, Urbana 31
Wyoming (23-2): Billingsley 3 1 7, Wiley 7 1 15, Fray 8 0 17, Evans 3 0 7, Teras 4 0 8, Bornholdt 2 0 5. Totals: 27 2 59.
Urbana (21-4): Moss 2 0 4, Lantz 2 0 4, Underwood 4 1 9, Dixon 5 0 14. Totals: 13 1 31.
Halftime: W 29-15. 3-pointers: W 3 (Gray, Evans, Bornholdt), U 4 (Dixon 4).
March 7
OHSAA Division I
Princeton 64, Hamilton 49
Princeton (20-3): Santiago 2 3 8, Mercer 9 2 20, Phillips 6 0 13, Gill 8 2 20, Jordan Ramos 1 0 3. Totals: 26 7 64.
Hamilton (14-10): Simms 3 0 6, Bryant 4 0 8, Gilbert 1 1 4, Johnson-Perdomo 5 8 19, Jones 4 1 10, Moak 1 0 2. Totals: 18 10 49.
Halftime: P 26-22. 3-pointers: P 5 (Santiago, Phillips, Mercer 2, Gill 2), H 3 (Gilbert, Johnson-Perdomo, Jones).
St. Xavier 55, Fairfield 43
St. Xavier (17-6): McGeady 5 3 14, Ryan 3 2 9, Veith 4 6 14, Gruber 3 0 6, Sorce 0 4 4, Kinney 1 0 3, Schaefer 1 2 4, Bareswilt 0 1 1. Totals: 17 18 55.
Fairfield (10-14): Kalenda 1 1 3, Arington 1 3 5, Jones 4 3 13, Akbar 0 2 2, Cunningham 1 3 6, Ross 2 0 5, Freeman 3 3 9. Totals: 12 15 43.
Halftime: X 24-14. 3-pointers: X 3 (McGeady, Ryan, Kinney), F 4 (Jones 2, Cunnigham, Ross).
Oak Hills 42, Lakota East 28
Lakota East (14-10): Smith 3 3 10, Shaw 3 0 8, Bowman 1 0 2, Washburn 2 0 5, King 1 1 3. Totals: 10 4 28.
Oak Hills (17-7): Ball 4 1 9, Dean 3 8 15, Kraus 2 4 8, Kornmann 3 1 7, Herzog 1 0 3. Totals: 13 14 42.
Halftime: OH 14-9. 3-pointers: LE 4 (Smith, Shaw 2, Washburn), OH 2 (Dean, Herzog).
Wayne 50, Moeller 49 (OT)
Moeller (18-6): Trenz 3 4 10, Kelly 7 0 15, Lang 3 0 8, Donald 4 2 10, Davis 3 0 6. Totals: 20 6 49.
Wayne (19-4): Ward 5 1 11, Post 3 3 11, Thompson 1 4 6, Chiver 3 1 8, Heisle 4 3 14. Totals: 16 12 50.
Halftime: W 24-23. 3-pointers: M 3 (Kelly, Donald 2), W 6 (Post 2, Chivers, Heisle 3).
OHSAA Division II
Aiken 57, Troy 28
Troy (13-12): Winfield 2 0 4, Luis 2 0 5, Atkins 2 0 3, Hall 2 1 5, Gifford 2 1 5, Ownes 1 0 3, Hart 1 0 2. Totals: 12 2 28.
Aiken (13-11): Carr-Short 4 1 1 10, Blye 3 0 6, Washington Jr. 6 5 17, McNeill 4 0 9, Ross Jr. 3 0 9, Koita 1 0 2, Baldwin 1 0 2, Patterson 1 0 2. Totals: 23 6 57.
Halftime: A 24-8. 3-pointers: T 2 (Luis, Ownes), A 5 (Carr-Short, McNeill, Ross Jr. 3).
OHSAA Division III
Trotwood Madison 62, Goshen 61
Badin 66, Tecumseh 40
Tippecanoe 59, La Salle 58
OHSAA Division V
Summit Country Day 67, West Liberty Salem 40
North College Hill 65, Preble Shawnee 52
Versailles 64, Williamsburg 46
OHSAA Division VI
Tri-Village 78, Oyler 42
OHSAA Division VII
Cincinnati College Prep 56, Cedarville 53
March 6
OHSAA Division II
Winton Woods 55, Anderson 48
Northmont 53, Loveland 41
OHSAA Division VI
Troy Christian 60, Deer Park 45
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Final day of Cincinnati boys basketball district championships
Reporting by Chase Souder, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
