COLUMBUS – There was no comeback this time. There was no need for one.
Harvest Prep won its second straight Division IV state title and beat Fort Loramie in the state tournament for the second straight season with a 51-31 decision Saturday in the state championship game at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. A crowd of 4,892 watched as the Warriors, down 7-6 after one quarter, outscored the Redskins 45-24 the rest of the way.
Last year Harvest Prep trailed Fort Loramie by 18 points in the state semifinals before mounting a historic comeback en route to the school’s first state championship. This time around the Redskins were the ones who needed the comeback and they didn’t get it. In fact, the Redskins didn’t get much.
Held to their lowest scoring output of the season and below 40 points for just the second time, Fort Loramie had a miserable day shooting. The Redskins hit just 7-of-40 shots from the floor (17.5-percent) and were 15-of-30 from the free throw line. They also committed 23 turnovers, which led to 17 Harvest Prep points.
Senior Janel Olberding, who will run track at Ohio State, led Fort Loramie with 10 points. Clair Ruhenkamp (Grand Valley State volleyball recruit) chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.
Harvest Prep was led by Xavier commit Shicole Watts who had a game-high 17 points. Junior Jaren Francis added 14 and junior Sarah Crowder had 10. Seniors Chelsea McKnight (Miami, Ohio recruit) and Ayrealle Beavers (Loyola, Ill. recruit) had eight and seven assists, respectively.
The Warriors shot just 7-of-26 in the first half but hit 14-of-25 shots in the second to pull away.
*Player of the Game: Shicole Watts, Sr., Harvest Prep – The Xavier recruit dominated inside. In addition to her 17 points, Watts also had 12 rebounds, eight steals and three blocks.
*Stat of the Game: The only two stats Fort Loramie won were rebounding and fouls. The Redskins outrebounded the Warriors 41-31 and had 17 offensive boards. They also committed just nine fouls to Harvest Prep’s 21.
Division IV JJHuddle All-Tournament Team
Shicole Watts, Sr., Harvest Prep (Player of the Tournament)
Chelsea McKnight, Sr. Harvest Prep
Ayrealle Beavers, Sr., Harvest Prep
Janel Olberding, Sr., Fort Loramie
Clair Ruhenkamp, Sr., Fort Loramie
JJHuddle All-Ohio Teams (Coming the first week of April)
The first annual JJHuddle All-Ohio Girls Basketball Teams will be announced the week of April 4. The teams will feature five-player first, second and third teams and will have a 10-player honorable mention. The teams will encompass all divisions and will be selected by a media panel that includes the best in the business: Tom Jenkins (Ohio Girls Basketball Report), Mark Lewis (ESPN HoopGurlz) and Dan Olson (Collegiate Girls Basketball Report).
