Central Ohio high school basketball: Showcases to put on your calendar this season
With the boys and girls high school basketball seasons underway, fans with or without an attachment to particular teams or players might be devising their schedules to see central Ohio’s top squads over the next few months.
The good news is there are several events that will feature the best of the best from Greater Columbus and beyond, and all fans need to do to see multiple games is buy one ticket.
Here are several showcases to put on your calendar:
Battle in the 614 (girls, Dec. 16-17 and boys, Jan. 13-15 at Ohio Dominican)
The third Battle in the 614 on the boys side is set for Jan. 13-15 at Ohio Dominican, but it will begin with a two-day, 11-game slate of girls games Dec. 16 and 17 at ODU.
The highlight should be a clash between Division I power Reynoldsburg and defending Division III state champion Africentric at 5 p.m. Dec. 16. Four more defending district champions are in the field in Dublin Coffman and Westerville South (Division I), Harvest Prep (Division III) and Fisher Catholic (Division IV).
Defending Division I state champion Akron Hoban and runner-up Pickerington Central are in the boys field, as are Division II regional champion Ready and Division III state semifinalists Africentric and Harvest Prep. Nineteen boys games take place from 12:30 p.m. Jan. 13 through the evening of Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
GIRLS
Saturday, Dec. 16
Hartley vs. Mechanicsburg, 12:30 p.m.
Worthington Christian vs. Waterford, 2 p.m.
DeSales vs. Teays Valley, 3:30 p.m.
Reynoldsburg vs. Africentric, 5 p.m.
Gahanna Lincoln vs. Kettering Alter, 6:30 p.m.
Upper Arlington vs. Thornville Sheridan, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 17
Johnstown vs. Harvest Prep, 1 p.m.
Watterson vs. River Valley, 2:30 p.m.
Fisher Catholic vs. Newark Catholic, 4 p.m.
Westerville South vs. DeSales, 5:30 p.m.
Dublin Coffman vs. Chillicothe Unioto, 7 p.m.
BOYS
Saturday, Jan. 13
Olentangy Berlin vs. Columbus Academy, 12:30 p.m.
Marion Harding vs. Gnadenhutten Indian Valley, 2 p.m.
Marysville vs. Watterson, 3:30 p.m.
Olentangy Orange vs. Grove City, 5 p.m.
Westerville South vs. Africentric, 6:30 p.m.
Ready vs. River Valley, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 14
Bexley vs. Ironton, 12:30 p.m.
Westerville Central vs. Dayton Belmont, 2 p.m.
Newark vs. Austintown Fitch, 3:30 p.m.
Westerville North vs. Kettering Alter, 5 p.m.
Hilliard Bradley vs Akron Hoban, 6:30 p.m.
Gahanna Lincoln vs. Lexington, 8 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15
Hilliard Davidson vs. Harvest Prep, 11 a.m.
Fairbanks vs. North Union, 12:30 p.m.
Johnstown vs. Thornville Sheridan, 2 p.m.
Heath vs. New Albany, 3:30 p.m.
Northridge vs. Zanesville Maysville, 5 p.m.
Pickerington Central vs. Parkersburg (West Virginia) South, 6:30 p.m.
Hartley vs. Teays Valley, 8 p.m.
Capital City Coaches for a Cure Classic (Dec. 17-18 at Capital)
The fifth year of this boys event includes seven games over two days to start the last full week before Christmas, including a meeting between Pickerington Central and two-time defending Division IV state champion Richmond Heights.
The Spartans entered this season with 49 consecutive wins, including a 70-26 rout of Convoy Crestview in the state final last March. They were only the third team in the four-division era, which dates to 1988, to win a repeat title.
Sunday, Dec. 17
Dublin Coffman vs. St. Charles, 1:30 p.m.
Harvest Prep vs. Springfield, 3:10 p.m.
Pickerington Central vs. Richmond Heights, 4:50 p.m.
Reynoldsburg vs. Cleveland Heights, 6:40 p.m.
Olentangy Liberty vs. Pickerington North, 8:20 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 18
Upper Arlington vs. Worthington Christian, 6:45 p.m.
Northland vs. Cincinnati Taft, 8:15 p.m.
The Challenge (Jan. 6 at Africentric)
It is Africentric’s turn to host the eighth annual showdown between City League and OCC teams.
The Challenge is the brainchild of brothers Jason and Michael Bates, who coach Pickerington North and Africentric’s boys, respectively. The OCC won four of six games last year at North.
Games begin at 1 p.m. with Linden-McKinley facing Worthington Kilbourne, which is coached by former Ohio State guard Ron Lewis.
Linden-McKinley vs. Worthington Kilbourne, 1 p.m.
Hilliard Bradley vs. South, 2:45 p.m.
Eastmoor Academy vs. Pickerington North, 4:30 p.m.
Pickerington Central vs. Walnut Ridge, 6:15 p.m.
Westerville North at Africentric, 8 p.m.
Flyin’ to the Hoop (Jan. 12-15 at Kettering Fairmont)
Four central Ohio boys teams will participate in the annual four-day extravaganza in suburban Dayton, which dates to 2004 and this year features 33 teams in 19 games.
Both Pickerington schools and Walnut Ridge — led by senior and Duquesne signee Dominique Aekins — return to the event, while Reynoldsburg is appearing for the first time. The Raiders will face Orlando (Florida) Oak Ridge, which was ranked 20th in a preseason poll by SB Live and features junior five-star forward Jamier Jones, a transfer from IMG Academy. Ohio State is among Jones’ reported 11 offers.
Games involving central Ohio teams
Saturday, Jan. 13: Walnut Ridge vs. Dayton Dunbar, 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 14: Pickerington Central vs. Lima Senior, 4:45 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15: Pickerington North vs. Cincinnati St. Xavier, 1:15 p.m.; Reynoldsburg vs. Orlando (Florida) Oak Ridge, 4:45 p.m.
Classic in the City (Jan. 13-15 at Pickerington Central)
Central will host 24 girls games involving 12 area teams, including Africentric and the host and Division I state semifinalist Tigers, over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.
Marysville, led by first-team all-state senior forward JoJo Eberhart, is in the field and will play two games.
Three of the top girls teams from Ontario are participating, including provincial champion Oakville King’s Christian Collegiate as well as North York Crestwood Prep and Niagara Falls Niagara Prep. King’s won the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championship in November.
Saturday, Jan. 13
Pickerington North vs. Dayton Thurgood Marshall, 9 a.m.
Olentangy vs. Bellbrook, 10:30 a.m.
Westerville South vs. Chillicothe Unioto, noon
Africentric vs. Clarksville (Tennessee) Christian, 1:30 p.m.
Cincinnati Princeton vs. Niagara Prep, 3 p.m.
King’s Christian Collegiate vs. St. Albans (West Virginia), 4:30 p.m.
Dublin Coffman vs. Louisville (Kentucky) Mercy Academy, 6 p.m.
Crestwood Prep vs. Pickerington Central, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 14
Gahanna Lincoln vs. Hamilton Badin, 9 a.m.
Batavia West Clermont vs. King’s Christian Collegiate, 10:30 a.m.
Upper Arlington vs. Louisville Mercy Academy, noon
Crestwood Prep vs. Hudson Western Reserve, 1:30 p.m.
Niagara Prep vs. Springboro, 3 p.m.
Olentangy Liberty vs. Clarksville Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Marysville vs. Louisville (Kentucky) Butler Traditional, 6 p.m.
New Albany vs. Thornville Sheridan, 8 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15
Niagara Prep vs. Clarksville Christian, 9 a.m.
Westerville South vs. Winchester (Kentucky) George Rogers Clark, 10:30 a.m.
Hamilton Badin vs. King’s Christian Collegiate, noon
Marysville vs. Crestwood Prep, 1:30 p.m.
Upper Arlington vs. Avon (Indiana), 3 p.m.
West Clermont vs. Western Reserve, 4:30 p.m.
Canal Winchester vs. Louisville (Kentucky) Central, 6 p.m.
Dublin Coffman vs. Pickerington Central, 7:30 p.m.
Jared Sullinger Play by Play Classic (Jan. 20 at Reynoldsburg)
One of eight Scholastic Play by Play events nationwide, the Jared Sullinger Classic boys showcase moves to Reynoldsburg this season from Pickerington Central.
Nine of the 12 teams are from central Ohio.
Harvest Prep and defending City League champion Northland begin the day at 10:30 a.m., followed by two 2023 regional champions facing off at noon when Pickerington Central plays Africentric.
The host Raiders will face Garfield Heights, whose top player is sophomore five-star point guard Marcus Johnson. Johnson earned a scholarship offer from Ohio State on May 1.
Harvest Prep vs. Northland, 10:30 a.m.
Africentric vs. Pickerington Central, noon
Olentangy Liberty vs. Pittsburgh Imani Christian, 1:45 p.m.
Garfield Heights vs. Reynoldsburg, 3:30 p.m.
Olentangy Orange vs. Walnut Ridge, 5:15 p.m.
Westerville North vs. Akron Buchtel, 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio high school basketball showcases to put on your 2023-24 calendar
