DAYTON — Ohio crowned boys basketball state champions in each of its four divisions on Sunday at the Univeresity of Dayton Arena.
Each of these stories was originally compiled by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Division IV
RICHMOND HEIGHTS 62, BERLIN HILAND 35
Richmond Heights won its third consecutive state championship, defeating Berlin Hiland 62-35 in the Division IV title game at the University of Dayton Arena.
Richmond Heights joins Cincinnati North College Hill (2005-07), Columbus Wherle (1988-90) and Dayton Stivers (1928-30) as the only schools in Ohio history to win three straight state crowns.
The Spartans also extended to 21 games their postseason winning streak, sixth longest in Ohio history.
Berlin Hiland (23-7) finishes runner-up for the third time to go along with state titles in 1992, 2011 and 2012. The Hawks have played in 14 state tournaments, tied for fifth-most in Ohio history.
Hiland scored the game’s first five points, but Richmond Heights (19-9) ended the first quarter on a 12-2 run and stretched its lead to 25-14 at halftime. Richmond Heights made 8-of-11 shots in the third quarter, including three treys, and led 44-22 heading to the final eight minutes.
Demaris Winters Jr. connected on five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 19 points for the Spartans. Dorian Jones scored 13 points and Hosea Steele Jr. added 12.
Nick Wigton, whose buzzer-beating three-pointer in the second overtime elevated the Hawks into the state championship game, scored a team-high 16 points in the final.
Divsion III
LUTHERAN EAST 45, HARVEST PREP 36
Cleveland Heights Lutheran East won its second straight state title, and third in four years, defeating Canal Winchester Harvest Prep 45-36 in Sunday’s Division III state championship game at the University of Dayton Arena.
Playing in its record seventh consecutive state tournament and ninth overall, Lutheran East claimed its fifth state title (2005, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024) and became just the seventh school statewide with at least five boys basketball state championships.
Harvest Prep, playing in its eighth state tournament, finished runner-up for the third time (2007, 2015, 2024) to go along with a state championship in 2019.
Four different players scored in an 11-2 Falcons’ burst that turned a one-point deficit into a 24-16 advantage, with three minutes left in the first half.
Lutheran East (23-5 overall) still led 30-22 at halftime, and expanded the margin to as many as 15 points early in the fourth quarter. An 8-0 spree by the Warriors cut that lead in half, but back-to-back layups in transition by the Falcons put the game out of reach.
Lutheran East’s Jesse McCulloch scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds while playing all 32 minutes. Chris Hill joined him in double figures with 10 points.
Seven different players scored for the Warriors (24-5), led by Khalil Daniel’s nine points.
Division II
Ohio High School Athletic Association)
KETTERING ALTER 68, MAYSVILLE 54
Kettering Archbishop Alter used a 13-0 third-quarter run to break open a tight game and defeated Zanesville Maysville 68-54 in the Division II state championship game at University of Dayton Arena.
The Knights (23-7) won their fourth state title and becomes the 14th school with at least four boys basketball state crowns.
The Panthers (26-4) were playing in their first boys basketball state championship game in just its second state tournament appearance.
The teams put on a 3-point shooting display for the record books, combining for an all-divisions state championship game record 22 threes. Maysville made 14 treys, most of any team in any division in a state championship game.
Alex Bobb hit 6-of-20 shots beyond the arc for Maysville to set a new Division II state title game record for made threes. Jordyn Watson drilled five treys; both he and Bobb made eight 3-pointers during the state tournament, tying the Division II two-game state tournament record.
The first half was played on even terms, as both teams made nine field goals, collected 14 rebounds and committed four turnovers.
Maysville held a 6-5 edge in treys in the first half, but Alter led 27-24 at intermission.
The gap was 31-28 when Alter embarked on a 13-0 run over a span of four minutes in the third quarter.
R.J. Greer and Joe Brand accounted for all 13 points during the burst that gave the Knights a 44-28 bulge with 90 seconds remaining in the third period.
Maysville’s Bobb and Watson combined to make six triples in the fourth quarter alone, but the Knights drained 8-of-10 free throws down the stretch and never let the lead fall below nine points.
Four players scored in double figures and accounted for 66 of Alter’s 68 points. Brand was 7-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three, and finished with a team-high 23 points. Greer scored 17, Brady Conner had 13 and Gavin Leen added 12.
Bobb led all scorers with 24 points, while Watson finished with 17.
Division I
CLEVELAND ST. IGNATIUS 66, CENTERVILLE 56
Cleveland St. Ignatius claimed its second basketball state championship in school history, defeating Centerville 66-56 in the Division I title game at the University of Dayton Arena.
St. Ignatius, in the state tournament for the third time in four years and eighth time overall, won its first state title since 2001 to go along with a runner-up finish in 1998.
Centerville played in its fourth consecutive state tournament and claimed its third trophy; the Elks won the Division I state title in 2021 and finished runner-up in 2022.
The Wildcats scored the final nine points of the first half, then outscored Centerville 15-8 in the third period. An extended 24-8 run turned a 24-21 Centerville lead with 4:31 left in the half into a 45-32 St. Ignatius avantage after three periods.
Six players scored at least eight points in a balanced offensive effort for the Wildcats. Jack Zapolnik led the way with 14 points, and joining him in double figures were Matt Ellis (12), Michael Lamirand (11) and Reece Robinson (10).
Jonathan Powell had 17 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Elks. Three others scored in double figures: Eli Greenberg (15), Ethan Greenberg (11) and Baboucarr Njie (10).