Opening Night Games to Watch

Opening night in Central Ohio hoops has no shortage of primetime games

With the high school basketball season tipping off a week later than usual, we’ll have to wait until December 1 for games to begin. While scrimmages, previews and foundation games have been going on for a few weeks now, what happens this weekend will actually count. Let’s take a look at some of the top games to watch on opening night.

#13 Gahanna Lincoln at #11 Westerville South

The OCC’s two longest tenured head coaches square off on opening night as Tony Staib and Gahanna Lincoln travel to nearby Westerville South to take on Ed Calo’s squad. Expect a great battle in the backcourt between Gahanna’s KJ Reynald and Westerville South’s Kruz McClure, while the front court matchup between the Lions’ Jonathan Whiteside and the Cats’ Tyler Kielmeyer will be intriguing as well. Any time you can see two well coached teams go head to head this early in the season is a special treat.

#20 Dublin Coffman at #15 Grove City

The Adam Banks era will begin for Dublin Coffman on the road when the Rocks travel to Grove City to take on Eric Saxton’s Greyhounds. Expect a ton of threes to be put up and for Grove City senior Kraig Gilbert to throw down a thunderous dunk or two in this matchup. Perhaps Coffman is seeking revenge from an upset in the 2015 district semifinals when Grove City took out the top-ranked Rocks (haha, probably not but the historian in me couldn’t help myself).