The Olentangy Liberty girl’s basketball team is in the OHSAA playoffs for a third straight season. Since a modest 6-4 start, the Patriots have won 15 of their last 16 games and are one of the hottest teams in Ohio. For the first time in the program’s history, the Patriots won every conference game, turning in a dominant 10-0 record. The feat extended their inter-conference winning streak to 18 consecutive matchups; they haven’t lost to a conference opponent since December 2022.

On February 28th, in the first round of the OHSAA playoffs, the Patriots breezed by the Tri-Valley Scotties 54-34. Their victory was highlighted by spectacular performances from a pair of Juniors, Maria Stack and Claire Mikola. Stack had her first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Mikola flexed her versatility with 21 points, 5 assists and 5 steals. March 2nd saw Olentangy Liberty face Canal Winchester in the second round. By halftime, the Patriots had a 17-point advantage and despite a comeback effort they held on to win 60-53. Mikola turned in another impressive stat line with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Meanwhile, senior guard Emma Karagheuzoff had 4 three-pointers en route to a 14-point performance. 

A name that did not light up the stat sheet in the first two matches was Gigi Bower, the Patriots’ lead scorer, and Ohio University basketball commit. Through two tournament games, Bower has shot 36% from the three-point line (6-14), but she has yet to make a shot inside the arc (0-9). Still, Bower’s regular average of 16.0 points a game forces defenses to guard her diligently regardless of her previous performances. She will look to get back on track in Olentangy Liberty’s regional semifinals date versus the number 1 seeded Pickerington Central. 

Preview

The 23-3 Pickerington Central Tigers are winners of 9 straight games and have soared to MaxPreps 8th overall ranking in Ohio. During their 9 game winning streak the Tigers average margin of victory is 46.5 points including dominant victories of 78 and 94 points. In their two tournament games Pickerington Central has commanding wins of 36 versus Olentangy Berlin and 34 versus Teays Valley. The Tigers haven’t faced a top 25 Ohio ranked team since their three point December victory against the number 7 Magnificat Blue Streaks; that battle was the only top 25 team Pickerington Central played this year. The Patriots enter the match as winners of 6 straight and they have risen to MaxPreps 22nd overall ranking in Ohio. This year, Olentangy Liberty went 1-1 in their top 25 head-to-heads. That included February’s twelve point loss to the 13th ranked Marysville Monarchs and January’s 11 point win over the 3rd ranked Olentangy Braves.

Pickerington Central brings a challenge for Olentangy Liberty that not many Ohio teams can offer. The Tigers have a top 50 player in the nation, Berry Wallace. Wallace, a 5 star senior forward and Ohio Press Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) player of the year, averages 17.1 points per game and is committed to the University of Illinois. Besides her, though, Pickerington Central has numerous contributors including Rylee Bess, Blossom Wallace and Zoe Coleman. Bess, a junior guard, puts up 13.4 points per game and was selected to the OPSWA 2nd team. Sophomore Blossom Wallace was an OPSWA honorable mention and has consistently improved over the course of this season. Both Blossom Wallace and freshman Zoe Coleman were selected to the Ohio Capital Conference 2nd team. 

On the other end of the court, the Patriots are one of the most formidable opponents Pickerington Central has faced this season. Gigi Bower was voted as a top five player in Ohio D1 by OPSWA, getting a first team nod alongside Pickerington Central’s Berry Wallace. Claire Mikola was selected to the 3rd team after stuffing the stat sheet with 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game. By grabbing 5.9 rebounds and dropping 7.6 points per game, Maria Stack earned an OPSWA honorable mention. The veteran guard Emma Karaghuezoff led the Patriots in three point percentage (35%) and made the second most three pointers on the team (33). Overall, Olentangy Liberty has one of the most balanced attacks in the entirety of Ohio with a handful of players that can act as game changers.

This marks the Patriots second trip to the regional semifinals in program history, their first came in 2015. For Pickerington Central, this position is much more common because it is their 9th consecutive regional semifinals appearance. Only on two separate occasions have the squads faced off in the playoffs. In 2018, Pickerington Central grabbed a first round victory, 54-12. Then the next year, in 2019, Pickerington Central won 56-21 in the second round. The regional semifinal, also known as sweet sixteen, matchup between the Patriots and Tigers will tip off at 8:15 tonight. It is categorized as a home game for Liberty, but will be played at a neutral site: Otterbein University. The surging Patriots will look to upset the top seeded Tigers and advance to their first ever regional finals; while the Tigers hope to keep their winning streak alive.