February 27th News

By Shaun Spence

February 27, 2008, 8:32AM

Shaun Spence - ohioHSsports.com

Check back each and every weekday for the top prep headlines from across the state. Here are a list of summaries from some of the major stories around Ohio for Monday, February 25th:

Boys Basketball: Cincinnati Withrow Advances to District Final

Withrow avoided a major upset by rallying to defeat Talawanda 79-71 in overtime. The Tigers were shocked to find themselves trailing as they headed into the fourth quarter. Despite Talawanda leading for most of the game, senior forward Chris Gomes tied the game at 66 late in the fourth quarter. The district semifinal game would need to be decided in overtime. University of Cincinnati recruit Yancey Gates recovered from a slow first half (6 points) to pour in 16 points in the third quarter. The 6-foot-9 senior added another 11 in the final quarter and overtime, giving him 33 for the game. Andrew Flint led the Braves with 20 points. The Cincinnati Enquirer

Boys Basketball: Columbus Africentric Defeats Berne Union

In a Division IV district semifinal at Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, Africentric came away with a 55-42 victory over Berne Union. Africentric made 13 of 16 free throws down the stretch to seal a trip to the district final. The Nubians (15-6) were led by Tim Mapp, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds. Up next for Africentric is top seeded Worthington Christian (22-1) on Saturday in the district title game. The Columbus Dispatch

Boys Basketball: Findlay Prepares for Top-Seeded Perrysburg

On Thursday night, Liberty-Benton High School will be the host for a Division I district semifinal between Perrysburg (20-1) and Findlay (13-8). After an impressive regular season where they were so close to perfection (Perrysburg lost to Sylvania Southview in the final game), the Yellow Jackets are primed for a long posteason run. Perrysburg, the No. 5 team in the state, is led on offense by Neal Linthicum (14.9 ppg), David Heiber (13.6 ppg), and Charlie Hughes (12.1 ppg). Point guard David Boyce runs the show and is averaging 8 points and 9 assists per game. The underdogs are led by 6-foot-1 junior guard Luke Kraus, who is averaging 21.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. The Courier

Indoor Track: Cleveland Heights Dominates at Akron

As the indoor track season gets underway, it is no surprise that Cleveland Heights is off to a great start. Future Ohio State runner Jared Hall became the fastest 800-meter high school runner in the country with a time of 1:52.19. Dontave Cowsette won the 400 (49.30), and Bryan Underwood won the 200 (22.85). Sylvester Watts, Wael El-Halaby, Hall, and Dontave Cowsette won the 4x400 (3:18.59) and now hold the top two times in the nation. The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Don't see news from your area of the state? Post a comment below with your local paper's web address and we'll feature your prep coverage throughout the week.