Reynoldsburg vs Lakota West State Semifinal Recap

This was the best game I have been to this year and possibly the best game high school game I have ever seen. The athletic ability allowed for explosive offensive to flourish. Both teams played well, the best players came to play. The prospects and players in this game were off the charts. Total of 14 lead changes. Great environment.   Reynoldsburg makes it through to the State Finals winning the game 64-63 on a buzzer-beating ATO. [player_tooltip player_id='1705956' first='Xavier' last='McKinney'] scored the layup as time expired to give them the walk-off win.   Reynoldsburg will face Olentangy Orange in Dayton Next Saturday, March 22nd at 8:30 pm for the <a href="https://officials.myohsaa.org/Admin/Bracket/PublicBracket?TournamentId=4130" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Division 1 State Championship</a> game.   MVP    McKinney was in his bag in this one. He showed off his offensive tools the entire game. He finished with 12 points and had the most important points of the game. He knocked down two open threes in big moments. Was able to rip and get to the rim when Lakota West crowed him too much. Finished at the rim well and got to the line. Then on the defensive was a pest. He picked up full or right at half-court and then dictated what the offensive guard was doing. Great at making them uncomfortable and getting the ball out of their hands.    Stat Sheet Doesn't Tell the Whole Story    Typically, Nwokolo's impact on the game goes beyond what the stat sheet says, that was the case again today. He finished with a team-low 7 points, but he played the entire game and had 8 rebounds, half on the offensive end. He is an incredible defender and guarded any play on the court. He is a great option to use in a switch defense. He has displayed improved three-point shooting throughout the entire year. He is a player you want on your team and I think Toledo got a real steal with him.    Energizer Bunny    When Bowens is locked in, engaged in a game, and plays with energy he is a massive difference maker. Most teams do not have a Bowens, Reynoldsburg has a couple which creates the mismatch for a team, like today. He attacks the glass hard and uses his length and leaping ability to grab them over anyone. He is great at attacking the rim and finishing through and with contact. He puts a ton of pressure on the rim and this can be seen with his eight FT attempts. He was an efficient 5-6 and 15 points for the Raiders and this is because his 5 makes were at the rim. He played with great energy and intensity.    Bucket-Getter    Griffin played a great facilitator role for Reynoldsburg but also ended up with a team-high 16 points. He was aggressive in the first quarter and got the Raiders settled in with a tough finish in traffic on the rim. He made big-time threes in the third when they needed it. He did not just take shots but made them. The Raiders trust when Griffin has the ball in his hands because he knows when to shoot it or dish it. He finished with a game-high 8 assists.    Came Alive in the Second Half    Fisher scored all 14 of his points in the second half after struggling to hit anything in the first half. I liked how engaged Fisher stayed in the game and was impactful as a help defender in the first half. He came out in the second half aggressively to score and once he saw one shot fall, he was making everything. He hit multiple toughly contested midrange shots, including a circus shot in a big moment in the 4th. He is as skilled of scoring guards as you will find in high school and when his team needed the senior most, he stepped up and knocked down shots.    The Senior Guard    Meade-Moss played like a senior guard. He did all the small impact plays for Lakota West. He had multiple second-effort plays that resulted in offensive rebounds or a change of possession in the game. He was a solid player who did not make mistakes and could not take off the floor, he played the entire game. His shots from three-point land were not falling but that did not affect his effort level. He made impacts on the defensive end and got to the rim. He had 16 points and was there in the biggest moments of the game. I loved how invested he was in this game. Got the crowd into and everyone for Lakota West fed off his energy.    Prospect of the Game    Tyson is one of our top-ranked sophomores in the state and jumped in the most recent ranking updates. I can see why after watching him for the first time this season. He is such an impactful player for the Firebirds. He plays incredibly hard and then runs the show on offense. He is an explosive athlete that can explode off of 1 foot. He had multiple leak-out dunks after forcing a miss and beating everyone down the floor. He throws it down with power. His defense caused a lot of turnovers or tips. His length plays a big part in this along with his intensity. He made the right reads once getting into the defense. He dished out seven assists. He was able to get to the line a lot with his bursts by the first defender, with seven of his points coming at the free-throw line. He is a player that should be on everyone's college recruiting list in the 2027 class in Ohio.

This was the best game I have been to this year and possibly the best game high school game I have ever seen. The athletic ability allowed for explosive offensive to flourish. Both teams played well, the best players came to play. The prospects and players in this game were off the charts. Total of 14 lead changes. Great environment.