STATE CHAMPS: Olentangy Orange defeats Reynoldsburg
The Pioneers dominated the third quarter and capture their first ever title
DAYTON, OH - In an unprecedented all Central Ohio state championship, Olentangy Orange came away as the undisputed best team in Division I with a commanding 56-41 win over Reynoldsburg in front of a crowd of 7,545 fans at UD Arena on Saturday.
Considered two of the top teams in Ohio all season, fans have long awaited a showdown between two squads that were a combined 51-3, with only one loss from an in-state team.
But for those that expected a tightly competitive game, could only come away impressed with the dominant team effort from the Pioneers, a squad that for the previous two seasons was just on the cusp of making the state tournament but can now celebrate the program’s first state championship.
It wasn’t a pretty first half for either team, as both teams shot 30% or below from the field as Orange took a 17-14 halftime lead. Yet while the Pioneers led for nearly the entire game, it was a 30-12 third quarter advantage for Orange that ultimately put the Raiders out of reach.
“We didn’t trust ourselves, we were a little tentative,” Orange head coach Anthony Calo said after the game in regard to their slow start. “I told them ‘don’t worry about making mistakes.’ Effort is effort. Ask yourself if you’ll be proud of the effort you put in and if you are, we’ll be alright.”
