Maysville 82, Lutheran East 76

GAME OF THE YEAR?! Maysville knocks "The Lue" from the ranks of the unbeaten behind Jordyn Watson's 45 points

Written by 270 Hoops staff writer Luke Harrington

Smithville, OH - In the fifth annual “Battle at the Berkey”, fans from all over the buckeye state poured in to Smithville high school to watch the most anticipated matchup of the event: A clash between two defending state champions.

The Division Four state title defender Maysville Panthers (14-1) from the Zanesville area seemed to have brought their entire town with them to this one, as it was clear early it was going to be a de-facto Panther home game on a neutral site. Since an opening day loss to Cincinnati Taft, this senior-laden squad had rattled off 14 straight behind defending player of the year Gator Nichols.

The back-to-back-to-back Division Five state championship defender Lutheran East Falcons came into this one at 15-0, ranked #2 in the state overall, and #70 in the country via MaxPreps.com. They also touted a star studded roster featuring the top ranked sophomore in the state: three-star point guard Dylan Ziegler, who currently holds offers from Ohio State, Nebraska, and Creighton.