Oak Hill rallies for win in Div. III

ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS — Breanna Butler scored 18 points to lead Oak Hill to a 47-43 win over defending champion Versailles in a Division III semifinal on Thursday.

Oak Hill seeks its first title on Saturday against South Euclid Regina.

The Oaks (25-1) trailed by five entering the fourth, but Lakin Caudill made two foul shots with 1:09 left to give Oak Hill a 43-41 lead.

Taylor Hale added two more 11 seconds later and Mikie Strite put in a pair of free throws with 22.3 seconds left to put the game away.

Emily Frey scored 20 points for Versailles (18-9), which committed 25 turnovers.

South Euclid Regina 59, Findlay Liberty Benton 30

Therany Dunnigan scored 17 points to help South Euclid Regina stay undefeated.

Jackie Cook scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Tay’ler Mingo also had 11 points for Regina (26-0), which seeks its sixth state title.

The Royals had trouble shaking Liberty Benton (23-2) in the first half.

But Mingo, the AP’s Div. III player of the year, drove the lane for a basket seconds before halftime to make it 30-23. She opened the third quarter with a layup to further expand the Royals’ lead, and Regina went on to outscore Liberty Benton 29-5 in the second half.

Caite Craft led Liberty Benton with 11 points in the school’s state tournament debut.

Berlin Hiland 73, Carey 42

Junior guard Noelle Yoder scored 22 points to lead No. 2 Berlin Hiland in a Division IV semifinal.

The Hawks (26-1) will play Columbus Africentric on Saturday in a repeat of last year’s title game, which Hiland won for its fourth championship since 2000.

Karli Mast added 16 points and AP Division IV co-player of the year Hilary Weaver finished with 11.

Hiland used is up-tempo play and deep bench to carry a 39-23 lead into the break. The Hawks had 11 players register at least two minutes in the opening half and seven scored.

Carey (23-3), playing in its first semifinal, scored the first six points of the third but Yoder quieted the rally with back-to-back layups and the Blue Devils never got within 12. Karrah Windu scored 15 points for Carey.

Cols. Africentric 39, Convoy Crestview 33

Ashar Harris scored 15 points and Shardai Morrison-Fountain added 11 as Columbus Africentric held off a late rally to defeat top-ranked Convoy Crestview.

Melissa Eickholt gave Crestview its first lead at 26-25 when she made two free throws with 2:04 to play, but Raven Ferguson scored 40 seconds later to put the Nubians ahead. Africentric made 11 of 13 free throws in the last 1:26 to pull away.

The Nubians (22-4) held a 15-11 lead at the half and used six points by Harris to increase the lead to 25-19 heading into the final quarter.