The Lima Central Catholic High School boys basketball team defeated Villa Angela-St. Joseph 64-62 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III state championship game on Saturday at Ohio State's Value City Arena to claim the program's second state title.
The Thunderbirds (25-4) led the game wire-to-wire and hung on in the game's final moments to be crowned champions, but the game remained close throughout the second half.
LCC took a 34-25 lead into the locker room at halftime thanks in large part to senior guard Martyce Kimbrough's hot shooting and 18-point first-half output.
VASJ (22-8) battled back in the final two quarters – even tying the game on a few occasions – by driving to the basket and using its height advantage to score points in the paint, but could never take the lead.
Kimbrough finished with a team-high 22 points. Sophomore Xavier Simpson scored 18 points and junior Jake Williams added 12 points.
The Vikings were led offensively by junior Carlton Bragg, who scored a game-high 23 points. Junior Derek Pardon tallied 17 points and fellow junior Brian Parker added 15 points.
VASJ was attempting to become the first boys basketball program to win at least one state championship in every OHSAA division.
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