DAYTON, Ohio — The 34-year wait was worth it.
Archbishop Hoban took down powerful Pickerington Central Sunday night in Dayton to win the OHSAA Division I boys basketball championship. It's the first such title for the Knights since 1989, and it took a fourth-quarter surge to get the job done.
With the game tied at 31 heading into the final eight minutes, Hoban (27-3) caught fire offensively, making 72.7% of its shot attempts and blowing the game open with an 11-3 run. Sam Greer made the go-ahead layup to start the fourth, and William Scott Jr. scored seven of his 13 points.
Perhaps more notable was the Knight's performance against Devin Royal, who was named Ohio's Mr. Basketball just days before. The four-star Ohio State commit scored just three points in the fourth quarter and 15 for the game on only 5 of 15 shooting, and the Tigers (24-6) never trailed by less than six over the game's final six minutes.
Logan Vowles had a game-high 17 points and was 5 of 9 from 3-point range. The senior also hauled in seven rebounds, while his Knights teammate Scott had eight.
Archbishop Hoban had not even played for a state championship since that day in 1989, when current head coach T.K. Griffith helped the Knights to a double overtime win over North College Hill as a player. The win also caps a banner day for Northeast Ohio boys basketball teams, which swept all four titles in their respective divisions.
