5C Classic Sunday Recap
State champions and high level prospects took over Sunday at Capital University
COLUMBUS, Ohio - - Catching the final four games of the 5C Classic on Sunday afternoon, along with many Division 1 college coaches and a host of fans, this was an action packed day from start to finish. First there was a Central and Northeast Ohio showdown between Pickerington Central and Ursuline High School in an interesting matchup. Upper Arlington faced New Albany, which was an underrated game between two even teams. Westerville North and Lutheran East played in a game of state champions. The last contest was a rematch of last season’s state semi final game, Lakota West and Reynoldsburg. Recap how these games went and what happened in these potential electric clashes below.
Ursuline 74 - Pickerington Central 65
The first matchup on the docket was the third game of the day, but it put two touted players in the area as Pickerington Central’s Landon Evans and Ursuline’s Jaylen Gunther, both of whom hold multiple offers from different schools.
Evan’s first half was slowed down after picking up two fouls in the first quarter then his third with 5:50 left in the first half, leading him to sit the rest of the second quarter. A 16-9 run ended the first half with the Irish holding a 36-27 advantage.
Ursuline sprinted out of the halftime locker room on a 21-5 run that put them ahead 49-32, the biggest deficit the Tigers had faced to that point in the game. But Pickerington Central turned up the defensive pressure and forced some turnovers and missed shots from the Irish, making their way back into the game.
Evans hit some tough shots in the fourth quarter, scoring six of his eight total points in the frame, him and Aaven Synder continued to compete and keep Pickerington Central alive in the game. The Tigers slashed the lead to as little as one, but could not get the one stop they needed to put them in position to take the lead.
A layup and two free throws from Elijah Smith put Pickerington Central in a 60-59 hole with just under four minutes remaining. Unfortunately, that was their last big swing, a 14-6 run to end the game for Ursuline sends the Tigers to a 5-2 overall record after the 74-65 loss.
MVP’s: Ursuline - Jaylen Gunther (30 points)
Pickerington Central - Aaven Synder (22 points)
