2009 STATE CHAMPIONS
Division I: Columbus Northland (27-1)
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A year after watching his team lose while sitting on the bench due to his father's decision to suspend him, Northland star and 2009 Ohio Mr. Basketball Jared Sullinger delivered in the clutch, draining two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to lift the Vikings past Princeton 60-58 in a clash of Ohio goliaths and nationally-ranked teams before 12,104 at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. Northland, the No. 16 team in the USA Today Super 25 and No. 1 team in the state poll, finished the season 27-1, while Princeton, ranked No. 15 by USA Today and No. 2 in the state, wraped its season at 25-2.
Division II: Akron St. Vincent St. Mary (23-4)
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Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s most notable alum – NBA superstar LeBron James – was on hand to watch his alma mater in the Division II basketball state championship, and the fighting Irish didn’t disappoint. In a back-and-forth match up with Dayton Thurgood Marshall in front of 11,160 fans at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center, SVSM edged the Cougars 59-53 for its fifth state championship in school history. The Irish have made the state Final Four nine times. SVSM (23-4) trailed 29-23 at the half but amped up its defense outscoring Marshall 35-24 in the second half forcing 16 turnovers in the game, including seven steals.
Division III: Cleveland Central Catholic (24-3)
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Something took place during the Division III state championship game that had not happened since 1931. Defiance Tinora’s scoreless first quarter was the first time in 78 years that a team had not scored a single point in a quarter of a state championship game. Cleveland Central Catholic’s 45-38 win over the Rams marked the first state title in program history.
Tinora’s 38 points was a D-III finals record low. Tinora’s scoreless first quarter was the first since Lancaster St. Mary’s failed to score in the fourth quarter of the 1931 Class B final. It was the fourth scoreless first quarter in state finals history and the first since Rome High School failed to do so in the 1930 Class B final.
CCC was led by junior Chall Montgomery who had 16 points and six boards. Derrick Buford and Brandon Campbell each scored 10 points and had four rebounds. Campbell dished out seven assists. As a team the Rams shot a miserable 13.6-percent from 3-point range (3-of-22) and were just 14-of-52 from the floor overall (26.9-percent). Tinora committed 17 turnovers. A crowd of 12,041 at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center witnessed the Ironmen (24-3) run out to an 11-0 lead after one quarter and then rally to head home with the hardware.
Tinora’s 38 points was a D-III finals record low. Tinora’s scoreless first quarter was the first since Lancaster St. Mary’s failed to score in the fourth quarter of the 1931 Class B final. It was the fourth scoreless first quarter in state finals history and the first since Rome High School failed to do so in the 1930 Class B final.
CCC was led by junior Chall Montgomery who had 16 points and six boards. Derrick Buford and Brandon Campbell each scored 10 points and had four rebounds. Campbell dished out seven assists. As a team the Rams shot a miserable 13.6-percent from 3-point range (3-of-22) and were just 14-of-52 from the floor overall (26.9-percent). Tinora committed 17 turnovers. A crowd of 12,041 at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center witnessed the Ironmen (24-3) run out to an 11-0 lead after one quarter and then rally to head home with the hardware.
Division IV: Oak Hill (25-2)
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The Oaks lifted the Division IV state championship trophy for the first time in school history in a 48-43 double overtime win over Kalida at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center in front of 13,582 fans. Kalida led 33-30 late in the fourth quarter. Coming out of a timeout, Oak Hill set a screen freeing up forward Ryan Borden for a three-point bucket from the corner to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In overtime, Kalida clung to a 38-35 lead but with 30 seconds left Oak Hill ran the same play to Borden and he sunk an off-balanced shot from beyond the arc sending the game into double overtime. Oak Hill and Kalida were knotted midway through the second overtime but a costly Wildcats turnover with Oak Hill up 43-40 forced by the Oak's defense down the stretch sealed up the state championship. For Kortokrax, who is Ohio’s all-time leader in coaching wins, the title game loss appeared to mark the end of his 34-year tenure at Kalida, however several months later he was retained for the 2009-2010 season.
In overtime, Kalida clung to a 38-35 lead but with 30 seconds left Oak Hill ran the same play to Borden and he sunk an off-balanced shot from beyond the arc sending the game into double overtime. Oak Hill and Kalida were knotted midway through the second overtime but a costly Wildcats turnover with Oak Hill up 43-40 forced by the Oak's defense down the stretch sealed up the state championship. For Kortokrax, who is Ohio’s all-time leader in coaching wins, the title game loss appeared to mark the end of his 34-year tenure at Kalida, however several months later he was retained for the 2009-2010 season.