Friday games to watch
There are no shortage of high quality games on Friday in Central Ohio. Find out which ones to watch here
There are a handful of great games in Central Ohio on Friday. Let’s get into the top ones here.
#2 Newark (10-1) at #7 Pickerington North (8-3)
Outside of the teams in the OCC-Capital, all other OCC teams are playing crossover matchups on Friday. No crossover matchup has bigger stakes than Newark at Pickerington North. In a matchup of teams that once battled it out in the 2017 district finals, when Pickerington North head coach Jason Bates cut down his first pair of nets in a successful tenure as head coach, the Panthers are looking to hold home court against a Newark team that has been rolling this year. The Wildcats are undefeated against the former powers of the old OCC-Ohio, taking down both Pickerington Central and Reynoldsburg already this season. Pickerington North is looking to bounce back after an upset loss to New Albany on Tuesday. Newark has the stronger team, but Pickerington North has the best player in Arness Lawson. This game should be a very fun one in Picktown on Friday.
Relive that classic district final matchup from seven years ago here.
#3 Westerville North (8-2) at #12 Dublin Scioto (8-3)
Westerville North hits the road for a matchup against one of the more improved teams in Central Ohio when they visit Dublin Scioto. The Irish are in the midst of a gauntlet of a schedule, falling to Big Walnut on Tuesday after taking on Delaware Hayes last Friday. The road gets no easier for Scioto when they host one of the elite all-around teams in all of Central Ohio basketball. Scioto is going to need a hot shooting night and its top players to play to the peak of their potential in order to upset a Westerville North squad that, when playing to the best of their respective ability, is as good as anyone in Central Ohio.
#15 Gahanna Lincoln (8-4) at #5 Reynoldsburg (7-3)
A classic former OCC-Ohio matchup takes place at Reynoldsburg as Gahanna makes a short trip southeast. The Lions are coming off back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Westerville Central and Grove City and are looking for a major bounce back. There is no bigger bounce back opportunity for them than this matchup as Reynoldsburg is as talented as any team across the state. The Raiders are 2-0 in 2024 after ending 2023 with three-straight losses. Reynoldsburg has faced a really tough schedule and has faired very well through 10 games. A win on Friday will give the Raiders a great non-conference victory and should hopefully help their OHSAA RPI ranking, which currently has them at No. 19 - no, not in the state. In Central Ohio. But I digress.