Taft, Ottawa-Glandorf advance to the state championship game: Ohio Division 3 boys semifinals recap

Photos and video by Ben Jackson

Cincinnati Taft is a game away from celebrating the end of its "revenge tour" with a state championship.

After a tough loss to Worthington Christian last year in the state semifinals, Taft has had revenge on its mind all season, and the Senators are going to the Division III state championship game after beating Lutheran East 56-43 on Friday in Dayton.

Rayvon Griffith scored a game-high 17 points, while Brandon Cromer and Mekhi Elmore added 11 each.

Cody Head and Jesse McCulloch led Lutheran East with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Taft used dominant second and fourth quarters to pull away from Lutheran East.

Ottawa-Glandorf 53, Africentric 48

The stars came out to play Friday morning for Ottawa-Glandorf and Africentric, and one of the top sophomores in the state came out on top against one of the best juniors in the state.

Ottawa-Glandorf sophomore Colin White scored 31 points, and Africentric junior Dailyn Swain countered with 32, but the Titans eked out the win after overcoming an 11-point deficit with a strong fourth quarter.

The 6-foot-4 White grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked five shots. The 6-foot-8 Swain made 13 of his 18 field-goal attempts and went 6-for-6 from the line.

Ottawa-Glandorf will play Cincinnati Taft for the Division III state championship at 10:45 a.m. Sunday at University of Dayton Arena.

Taft-Lutheran East photo gallery: