Division 2 Region 7 District Finals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Columbus, Region 7, in Division 2 is made up of a lot of former Division 1 teams. These teams are some that benefit from more division as it gives them a better chance to make it down to Dayton. The question with this region is could the three Westerville teams win district champions? District Finals are Thursday, February 27th, and Friday, February 28th at <a href="https://www.google.com/maps?q=717,E,17th,Avenue,Columbus,43211" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a><a href="https://www.google.com/maps?q=717,E,17th,Avenue,Columbus,43211" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Taft Coliseum</a>. Thursday, February 27th, 6 pm is between 5. Big Walnut vs 6. Franklin Heights and 8 pm 10. Westerville South vs 3. Licking Heights. Friday will feature 6 pm 1. Westerville North vs 12. St. Charles and 8 pm 9. Worthington Kilbourne vs 11. Westerville Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thursday 6 pm – 5. Big Walnut vs 6. Franklin Heights</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2791313,"width":"263px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Brody-Hatfield.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Brody-Hatfield.jpeg?w=1013" alt="" class="wp-image-2791313" style="width:263px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Big Walnut</strong> finished the season with a 14-9 record this year with some high-quality wins over Olentangy, New Albany, Bishop Watterson, and Mansfield Senior. This team can score it at a high level with the number of scoring players they have on their squad with some good size. They have 4 true players that can affect to win games. The bigs in Senior Brandon McCruter and Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2476447' first='Carson' last='Scholl'] provide a lot of length for Big Walnut. They both are tall and long and move well which can make it difficult to score around the rim for opposing teams, but both also pose mismatch issues as they both can step out and score the ball. Then the guard duo of junior [player_tooltip player_id='1729404' first='Brody' last='Hatfield'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2125740' first='Eli' last='Stumpf'] can put the ball in the rim efficiently. Stumpf provided an unlimited-range shooter and Hatfield plays more of a point guard role but can absolutely put points on the board in a multitude of ways.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Franklin Heights </strong>finished the season with a 16-7 record this year and when you look at their schedule you realize this team has a high floor and is super consistent. They beat all the teams they should have and then played some of the better teams really close this year. This is a 5 and 6 seed match and will be interesting to see if the Flacons can make this a game they win. They have the size to match up with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1432038' first='Kent' last='Hairston'] and Sincere Osbourne who are both listed over 6'6”. Then their best player is senior [player_tooltip player_id='1790798' first='Noah' last='Kershaw'] who can score the ball at a high level. He is listed as 6'5 and could be a real mismatch issue for Big Walnut as he already is for other teams he has played this year. You can expect Kershaw to make shots from all over the floor in this one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Thursday 8 pm - 10. Westerville South vs 3. Licking Heights</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2765195,"width":"292px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Xaiver-Jones-G31.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Xaiver-Jones-G31.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2765195" style="width:292px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westerville South </strong>is one of the younger teams in the Columbus area with the talent that will make them a team to watch out for not only in this game but the years to come. They finished the season with a 9-14 record and beat Canal Winchester to match themselves up with Licking Heights, the same team they lost the season opener to. With a young team like theirs, consistency is usually a problem that they need to figure out but they are dangerous. They play hard, hit shots, and have the talent to make any game dangerous. Even though the Wildcats are young senior point guard Amari Hodes and senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1503914' first='Tyler' last='Kielmeyer'] set the tone with this team. They both have a lot of experience and play with high motors. They have a freshman in [player_tooltip player_id='2751440' first='Xavier' last='Jones'] who has a ton of confidence and can score the ball at high volumes. Then junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2794360' first='Hassan' last='Kaba'] is another scorer for this team who has great touch from inside the arc. These four players make any game winnable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Licking Heights </strong>finished the season with an 18-4 record and one of the most impressive seasons from a Columbus team that not many expected. They are on a 10-game win streak haven't lost in over a month and have only lost 1 game in the year 2025. These are impressive stats as they have some big wins over Bishop Watters, Westerville Central, and Westerville South this year. This team plays really hard and is tough to score on. They make you work for everything. They have the top 5 fewest points allowed in Division 2 in the state according to <a href="https://x.com/MartinRPI/status/1894061091635781743/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martin RPI</a>. So good luck scoring against them. A big reason is junior big [player_tooltip player_id='1985935' first='Nate' last='Lovinsky'] is a huge reason for this defensive powerhouse. He has a massive paint presence on both ends of the floor and is a great rim protector. Having a good rim protector in high school is a big-time game-changer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Friday 6 pm – 1. Westerville North vs 12. St. Charles</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2743430,"width":"263px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Micah-Young-G27.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/Micah-Young-G27.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2743430" style="width:263px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westerville North </strong>is the unanimous favorite to win this region and be a team down in Dayton for the whole season. This speaks to how talented this team is and how well they play together. The Perkins brothers and [player_tooltip player_id='1432010' first='Micah' last='Young'] have played a lot of varsity basketball and done it together. This can be seen with their 19-2 record which is 2nd in most points scored and point differential even though they have the 6th toughest schedule in the division according to <a href="https://x.com/MartinRPI/status/1894056183666790492/photo/1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Martin RPI</a>. This shows the talent this team has. It is going to be tough for any Division 2 team to stop [player_tooltip player_id='1480850' first='Tai' last='Perkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140886' first='Tyson' last='Perkins'] with the ultimate glue guy in Young.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>St. Charles </strong>has a 9-14 record but played in a really difficult Central Catholic League this year. This game will be a very uphill battle, but they are battle-tested and will compete in this game. They have upperclassmen lead the team with some young point guards. They can make this a game if they take care of the ball and do not get sped up.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Friday 8 pm – 9. Worthington Kilbourne vs 11. Westerville Central</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Worthington Kilbourne </strong>comes into this one with a 9-14 record with a sectional final win over Mount Vernon. This does not seem like a good record, but they have one of the toughest schedules in the state. So, you can expect a battle-tested team that will be afraid of any team they play this postseason. They have some good wins this year and will come into this game as the higher-seeded team. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='2052129' first='Zach' last='Wolford'] is the catalyst for winning on the team. He set an example of doing the small things to help win you games. He plays with an extremely high motor and is tough. Then can step out and hurt you from deep.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2789427,"width":"275px","height":"auto","sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"right"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Josh-Henderson-G35.2.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/Josh-Henderson-G35.2.jpeg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-2789427" style="width:275px;height:auto" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Westerville Central </strong>is coming off of an impressive district semifinal win over Thomas Worthington. This team had an unexpectedly poor regular season but has the talent to be a tough out for anybody. The Warhawks finished the regular season 9-13 record but have been putting it together a little bit recently. Ohio commit [player_tooltip player_id='1708714' first='Josh' last='Henderson'] is one of the most talented players in the state and he can score with the best of them in Ohio. He exploded for 37 points in their previous game and he is someone you cannot stop but try to contain. So it will be interesting to see who can do it because when he gets going they are tough to stop. Then his running mate Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1432022' first='Amare' last='Spiva'] is one of the best defenders there is. He is an explosive, strong, and physical player who can score when needed and is tough to stop in transition. It will be exciting to see how far this Warhawk team can go after a rough regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->