West Branch wins first two

YOUNGSTOWN — The West Branch girls flag football team opened with a pair of victories Sunday.

The Warriors defeated Rootstown, 32-2, and Newton Falls, 35-0, at Rayen Stadium.

It was the first day for girls flag football games sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

West Branch will play this Sunday at Liberty High School against Champion and Marlington.

Rambo gets two firsts

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Westminster College senior thrower Shelby Rambo was a double-winner Saturday at West Virginia’s Marty Pushkin Invitational.

Rambo, a Crestview High School graduate, won the women’s discus with a toss of 131-feet-0 and the shot put at 40-feet-8 3/4. Both events had 25 throwers.

Westminster will split its team on Friday and Saturday to compete at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational and the Tim Weaver Invitational, hosted by West Liberty.

Massillon wins first basketball state title

DAYTON — The Massillon boys basketball team reached the state tournament for the first time in 81 years and came home with its first state championship Sunday.

The Tigers rallied from a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat defending Division II state champion Westerville North in a 68-63 overtime thriller in front of 4,642 fans at University of Dayton Arena.

Massillon’s previous best finish was as state runner-up in 1937 under coach Paul Brown, better known as a football coach.

Trailing 45-30 with less than 2 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter, the Tigers clawed back to lead 57-51 with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Westerville North countered with a 7-1 run of it own over the final 1:56 of regulation to tie the game at 58-58.

With seconds remaining, Warriors senior Jacob Medhane had a fastbreak opportunity when Tigers junior Xavier Williams blocked the potential game-winning layup from behind, sending the game to overtime.

In overtime, Williams scored six points as Massillon held a 10-5 edge for the victory.

Massillon shot 10-of-12 from the floor in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Gio Jackson had a team-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting with nine rebounds. Williams and Isaiah Lamp added 10 points apiece. Braylon Gamble grabbed 10 rebounds.

Massillon finishes with a school-best 27-1 season and a 24-game winning streak

Westerville North (26-2) made its fifth trip to the state tournament.

Lutheran East makes it four in a row

DAYTON — The Cleveland Heights Lutheran East boys basketball team became the first in OHSAA history to win four straight state championships.

The Falcons did it by beating Gahanna Columbus Academy, 50-36, in the Division V state final Saturday in front of 2,813 fans at University of Dayton Arena. It was their 28th consecutive postseason victory and ninth straight state tournament appearance.

Lutheran East had another dominating performance by taking a 28-10 halftime lead and leading by as many as 29 points at 45-19.

Devontey Perkins scored 18 points and Dylan Zeigler added 14 to lead Cleveland Heights Lutheran East to a 50-36 win over Gahanna Columbus Academy in the 2026 Division V state championship game.

Six-foot-7 junior Devontey Perkins had a 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 12 rebounds and sophomore Dylan Zeigler added 14 points for the Falcons.

Lutheran East finishes at 25-2 with an all-underclassman starting lineup with all five players averaging in double figures.

In the regular season, the Falcons played five teams that reached the state tournament.

They defeated Division VI state champion Berlin Hiland (57-54), Divison II state runner-up Westerville North (51-49) and Division IV state runner-up Cleveland Glenville (71-59). The two losses were to Division I state semifinalist Lakewood St. Edward (62-58) and Division IV state semifinalist Zaneville Maysville ( 82-76).

Wheeling Central repeats in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Wheeling Central boys basketball team repeated as the West Virginia Class AA state champion.

The No. 1 Maroon Knights held No. 2 Wyoming East to 11 field goals over the final three quarters for a 55-39 win in the Class AA state championship game Saturday at Charleston Coliseum.

Eli Sancomb — the two-time Gatorade West Virginia Boys Basketball Player of the Year– led Wheeling Central with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Luke Sancomb and Max Olejasz each had 10 points.

The Maroon Knights have completed a 23-0 season, including wins over Ohio Division III state runner-up Steubenville (82-72), Oak Glen (84-41), and extended their winning streak to 35 games.

Top-seeded Arizona holds off Utah State

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, Motiejus Krivas had 11 points and 14 rebounds and top-seeded Arizona beat No. 9-seeded Utah State 78-66 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Tommy Lloyd.

The Wildcats (34-2) take an 11-game winning streak into Thursday’s game against No. 4-seeded Arkansas in the West Region in San Jose.

The Wildcats will be looking to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since doing so in both 2014 and 2015. They began their March Madness run by breezing to an opening 92-58 victory over Long Island on Friday.

Arizona, which won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, led the whole way in front of a loud, red-clad contingent of fans that made it feel like a home game some 400 miles from campus.

But the Aggies (29-7), who won the Mountain West regular-season and tournament championships, didn’t fold despite trailing 51-33 five minutes into the second half after giving up a 9-0 run.

The Wildcats then went cold from the field and the Aggies pulled to 58-54 on a 3-pointer by Drake Allen.

It was 60-56 when Bradley, the Big 12 player of the year, finished a fast break with a high bank shot, was fouled and converted the three-point play for a seven-point lead.

Allen hit a 3-pointer for the Aggies before Bradley answered with a jumper and a free throw on consecutive possessions.

Brayden Burries had 16 points and nine rebounds for Arizona, while Koa Peat had 14 points and 10 boards.

Led by the 7-foot-2 Krivas, the Wildcats outrebounded the Aggies 54-26.

Garry Clark scored 13 for Utah State, MJ Collins had 12 and Allen 11. Mason Falslev, the Mountain West player of the year, was held to eight points.