OHSAA State Championships: Friday Standouts

The OHSAA State Championships brought seven title games to UD Arena, on Friday Division's II, III and IV were played with some standout performers all day! In this article we'll break down the standouts from those state title games.    It's very rare to see a player come off the bench and have the impact Andrejcik had in a state title game but he played with confidence and shot the ball extremely well off the catch from 3-point range. Coach Siegfried after the game credited Andrejcik for coming in at 7 A.M. before school almost every day to get hundreds of shots up before his first morning class. That work ethic paid off on the biggest stage as Andrejcik's smooth shooting was one of the key differences in a tight game. In the end, the Leopards senior experience pushed them over the edge.     The guard duo of Burnett and [player_tooltip player_id='1432009' first='Jaiden' last='Arnold'] have ran through the CMAC the past two seasons and they went out with a bang. After going to the locker room down 19 points, Aiken quickly rattled off a 15-0 run which was fueled by aggressive play on both ends of the court by Burnett. A guard who applies a lot of pressure as a ball handler, Burnett is consistently in attack mode. Able to make rhythm jumpers or get all the way to the rim, Burnett is a tough cover when he has a head of steam.     One of the most exciting players to watch in the state, Nichols has taken a huge leap this season as he became the go to guy for the Panthers. One of the elite shooters in Ohio, Nichols can fire away from way downtown and makes shots both off the dribble or spot-up at a high percentage. Nichols has also grown as a ball handler and does an excellent job of playing through contact and earning trips to the foul line. I was impressed by the efficiency that Nichols had on Friday, shooting 11/21 from the floor and 10/12 from the foul line. Considering all the ball handling Nichols does and how he's tasked with breaking pressure consistently, it's remarkable Nichols only had two turnovers and Maysville as a team only had five.     In the state tournament, nobody has shot it better than Watson the past two seasons as he's 14/19 from 3-point range in the state semifinals and championship games the past two years. When his feet are set, few players shoot the basketball as well as Watson does. Since last season Watson has gotten considerably stronger and had eight defensive rebounds to end possessions for the Panthers. With all five starters returning next season for the Panthers, we'll see if they can run it back as state champions.     Castro's quickness and ability to beat the initial defender off the dribble was crucial for Glenville as he pushed the pace off the dribble and led the game with five assists. An acrobatic finisher at the rim, Castro hung in the air and hit a few crazy floaters and layups. I'll be curious to see what steps Castro takes as a senior, the Tarblooders are losing a lot of size next season and could start three small guards. This change in personnel could see more full court defensive pressure where Castro can use his quickness to pressure ball handlers.     Vickerstaff absolutely caught fire on Friday as he knocked down five 3-pointers and a couple of them were ridiculous shots after fly by defensive closeouts and heavily contested. One of the bigger senior stock risers this entire season, Vickerstaff has fit in perfectly with Glenville and spoke about his preparation this off-season after the game and his attention to detail was impressive. An under the radar name in the class of 2025, college programs should take a look at Vickerstaff this spring as an unsigned senior playing AAU.     This was a rout of epic proportions as Westerville North dominated from start to finish and showed why they are one of the best teams in the state regardless of class. While seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1480850' first='Tai' last='Perkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1432010' first='Micah' last='Young'] filled up the stat sheet with steals and fast break buckets, the flashes Cornett III had were extremely bright as a defender, ball handler and finisher. With his size, length of strides and ability to change directions off the dribble, Cornett III has a ton of upside down the road. Watch out for him with Nova Village 16 U group this spring as he could be a hot name in the class of 2027.

The OHSAA State Championships brought seven title games to UD Arena, on Friday Division's II, III and IV were played with some standout performers all day! In this article we'll break down the standouts from those state title games.