Princeton beats St. John’s to set up 1-vs.-2 matchup

ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS — Marquis Horne scored 18 points and Ohio State signee Jordan Sibert made numerous big plays in a tide-turning 13-0 run to lead Cincinnati Princeton past Toledo St. John’s 55-41 on Friday night in a Division I state semifinal at Value City Arena.

The victory sets up a dream matchup in today’s championship game between the second-ranked Vikings (25-1) and No. 1 Columbus Northland.

The Vikings closed the game on a 26-9 run.

Sibert, a 6-foot-4 junior who has verbally committed to the Buckeyes, finished with 15 points. First-team All-Ohioan Orlando Williams, headed for Miami (Ohio), added 10 points.

Michael Taylor scored 18 points and Tim Simmons had 11 points and 10 rebounds for St. John’s (20-6).

The game was almost a stalemate — two heavyweights slugging in a defensive crouch — until Sibert broke free to touch off a 13-0 run.

He ended the third quarter by driving the right baseline for a layup with a second left to give the Vikings their fourth and fifth unanswered points and a 34-32 lead.

Early in the final quarter, he scored inside. After a Titans miss, he took an alley-oop pass from Stefon Johnson for a dunk. He then stole the ball on the press, and that resulted in Horne’s bucket underneath after an assist by Johnson.

Horne then had a steal and swooped in for a flying layup to make it 42-32.

St. John’s never got closer than seven points again.

Akron SVSM 75, Cols. DeSales 61

Michael Hammonds scored 25 points and Daylen Harrison added 23 to lead the Fighting Irish (22-4) over Columbus DeSales on Friday.

Nick Kellogg, a second-team All-Ohioan, led eighth-ranked DeSales (22-4) with 25 points. Ike Ariguzo added 13 before fouling out.

No. 3-ranked SVSM took control with a 12-0 spurt in the second quarter and never trailed, although DeSales did get as close as six points in the final minutes before the Fighting Irish pulled away again.

Day. Thurgood Marshall 62, Circleville Logan Elm 53, OT

Shawn Robinson forced the extra session with a 3 and Juwan Staten hit all 12 free throws including six in overtime to lead Dayton Thurgood Marshall past Circleville Logan Elm in the other Division II semifinal.

Robinson’s 3 from the right of the top of the key came with nine seconds remaining and kept Marshall (22-4) alive. Staten totaled 24 points and Robinson had 15. DeAngelo Gates added 10 points and 15 rebounds for Marshall.

Tim Congrove had 18 points, first-team all-stater Brandon Amann had 17 and Logan Hauserman added 13 for Logan Elm (24-2), making its first trip ever to the state tournament.

Logan Elm didn’t have a field goal in the fourth quarter as a 10-point lead melted away.