OHSAA State Championships: Saturday Afternoon Standouts

The OHSAA State Championships came to UD Arena for a weekend with seven state title games. In this article we'll break down the standouts from Division V and VI state title games which were played on Saturday morning.    One of the best defensive point guards in Ohio, Hill had four steals and led the game with seven assists as well. If you want an old school point guard, look no further than Hill. With his ability to get to the lane, Hill did a nice job of feeding his bigs and cutters with on time passes to score in the paint. Add in the swarming defense and a couple floaters at the rim and Hill had a complete performance that you'd expect out of a senior floor general, not a Sophomore. On a young team that has now won three state titles in a row, only Hill and [player_tooltip player_id='1705939' first='Tj' last='Crumble'] had state championship experience heading into the game. That experience showed as Hill made big plays at both ends and Crumble had some monster putback layups.     The second part of arguably the top defensive backcourt in Ohio, Harrison had FIVE steals on Saturday as he was excellent at pressuring ball handlers and forcing the opposition to play rushed and make mistakes. Offensively, Harrison hit one of the biggest shots of the game on a transition 3-pointer on the wing. On a day where the Falcons struggled to shoot from 3-point range, Harrison went 2/3 from long distance and had the second best +- of any player on Lutheran East.     One of the fastest rising players in the midwest, Singleton continues to improve and had a monster performance on the biggest stage in Ohio. An impressive athlete, Singleton used his physical gifts to get three steals and finish above the rim in transition. I'm also impressed with the balance Singleton plays with as a ball handler, finishing off two feet and getting set on pull-up jumpers. Lutheran East had so much trouble guarding him that Singleton drew 11 fouls. After the game, Singleton earned offers from Eastern Michigan and Davidson and I expect high majors to come calling sooner rather than later.     I was really impressed by the depth and ball movement that Monroe Central played with as they had a handful of players who could pass and shoot the basketball. Allen is a different level of athlete for a Division VI team to deal with as he was able to guard multiple positions defensively, use his quick first step to attack the rim and use his size for rebounds and layups. With Allen's combination of size, speed and ball handling, he's a tough match-up for any small school in Ohio. While Monroe Central had a balanced performance across the board, Allen was the X-factor in my eyes.     A legendary career for Niekamp who ended on the biggest stage and fell one game short of winning Marion Local's fourth basketball state title. Niekamp can stretch the floor as a center and also did a nice job passing against consistent double-teams that were thrown his way. Marion Local's best offense all game was getting Niekamp the ball on the block and either letting him score or kickout to a shooter. Very impressive high school career for Niekamp, who will have a chance to make his mark on the GMAC tournament champions next season.

The OHSAA State Championships came to UD Arena for a weekend with seven state title games. In this article we'll break down the standouts from Division V and VI state title games which were played on Saturday morning.