Reynoldsburg 88, Pickerington Central 73
A decisive fourth quarter paved the Raiders' way towards an OCC-Buckeye co-title
Written by 270 Hoops staff writer Greg Glasser
PICKERINGTON, OH — After Reynoldsburg accomplished the greatest season in program history last year, which featured an appearance in the state championship game and a 26-2 record overall, the bar was already set incredibly high for a team that graduated three starters to duplicate that success.
And while they take pride in putting together a difficult non-conference schedule, a 7-5 start to this season naturally raised some questions.
Has Reynoldsburg fallen off?
Are the Raiders no longer a top team in Central Ohio?
But as they entered Friday night’s game at league foe and longtime rival Pickerington Central, the Raiders had won five straight, with their two most recent victories over a strong regional contender in Newark and a road win against Trotwood-Madison.
All of a sudden, the Raiders were in a position to at least share a portion of a league title and position themselves for a favorable seed in the district tournament.
Standing in their way were the Tigers, who although hasn’t beaten the Raiders in over three years, the team on the south end of The Battle of 256 generally raises their standard of play in the rivalry, most recently when they fell just three points short of victory at Reynoldsburg on January 6.
For three and a half quarters, the Tigers looked as if they could play spoiler to Reynoldsburg’s goal of winning the OCC-Buckeye. Pickerington Central led 41-40 at halftime and although they gave up a lead three minutes into the third, the Tigers faced just a five-point deficit around the four minute mark of the final period.
