Pickerington Central boys beat St. Edward 74-42, Tigers advance to DI state title

DAYTON, Ohio (WCMH) — Pickerington Central beat St. Edward 74-42 in the Division I boys basketball state semifinals Saturday to advance to their second state championship in school history.

The Tigers last played in the title game in 2012 when they beat Toledo Whitmer 45-40 for the program's first championship.

In the win over the Eagles, Pick Central shot better than 55% from the field with Devin Royal dropping 19 points, Markell Johnson adding 13 points and Rasheem Biles contributing 12 points. Ohio State football commit Alex "Sonny" Styles had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win.

The Tigers trailed St. Edward 11-2 in the opening minutes but outscored the Eagles 29-4 to close out the first half and take a 31-15 lead at the break. The Tigers kept their foot on the gas in the second half and did not allow St. Edward to get closer than 10 points in the third quarter followed by a dominant fourth quarter.