OHSAA Divisions III and IV state semifinals top performers

Michael Roth March 20, 2021 @ 11:39 AM

The OHSAA Division III and IV state semifinals were held at UD Arena on Friday. I caught three of the four games, seeing Botkins, Worthington Christian and Lutheran East advance to the state title game. Here were the top performers from those contests. [player_tooltip player_id="1041442" first="Jayden" last="Priddy"]-Powell, 5’10 PG Botkins 2021: Powell was a microwave scorer for Botkins, getting a bucket at the most important times throughout the game. I thought Powell played at his own pace and used pump fakes and pivots to help create space for mid-range jumpers. There were a couple layups Powell would’ve wanted back if the Trojans weren’t able to make a dramatic comeback, but Powell really shined for Botkins in this high pressure situation. [player_tooltip player_id="809590" first="Josiah" last="Harris"], 6’7 PF Richmond Heights 2022: Harris actually didn’t have a huge height advantage over the Botkins bigs, but still ended the afternoon with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Harris had a couple moves that showed why he’s regarded as one of the top prospects in the state for his class. Harris is dangerous from the face up position, as he can shoot or put it on the floor with either hand. [player_tooltip player_id="809594" first="DJ" last="Moore"], 6’3 PG Worthington Christian: Moore is somebody I’ve been high on for a long time, but he’s never played better than on Friday evening to lead his team to the state title game. Moore was creating space for his jump-shots exceptionally well, Taft couldn’t stay in front of him all game. In the closing moments, Moore hit the game tying and game winning bucket in isolation situations. Moore is somebody you want with the ball in his hands in crunch time and proved it with a cold blooded mid-range pull-up as time expired. I’ve said this for a long time, but I think Liberty got a steak with Moore. [player_tooltip player_id="918993" first="BJ" last="Busbee"], 6’2 SG Lutheran East 2021: Busbee has played a bench role all season for the Falcons, and his energy was never more crucial than against Ottawa-Glandorf. Busbee hit three 3-pointers off the bench, helping spark a run when OG held an early lead. Busbee also had two assists to no turnovers in this one and played good defense. To win a state title you need production from everybody, and Busbee was one of the reasons Lutheran East moved on. [player_tooltip player_id="918991" first="Collin" last="Albert"], 5’11 PG Lutheran East 2021: Albert could teach every young guard how to finish off of two feet. I just love the way he’s in control when attacking the basket and going up for layups. Albert also took care of the ball with four assists and no turnovers. Albert played what might’ve been the most in control game of his career, playing like a senior point guard should. [player_tooltip player_id="1106195" first="Brennen" last="Blevins"], 5’11 PG Ottawa Glandorf 2021: Blevins is a shot maker from the outside. What he lacks in size and burst, he makes up for it with skill and accuracy with the shot. Every time Blevins had even a foot of space, it seemed like the ball was going in. Blevins finished with a game high 23 points, on 7/15 shooting from the floor and 5/5 from the charity stripe. His and-1 layup to cut the deficit to one point was very impressive. [player_tooltip player_id="967132" first="Owen" last="Nichols"], 6’7 PF Ottawa Glandorf: Nichols handed the Lutheran East full court pressure very well throughout the game. I honestly didn’t know he could put the ball on the floor like that. Nichols was a +8 in over 26 minutes on the floor. In a 6 point loss, that shows his impact on both ends perfectly.