ST. CLAIRSVILLE – For the 12th time in program history, Wheeling Central has held the OVAC Boys Basketball championship trophy high in the air.

Saturday night in the Class 3A title tilt against top-seeded Monroe Central, the No. 2 Maroon Knights (15-2) took the season’s rubber-match against the Seminoles, 60-56, before a huge gathering inside the refurbished ECO Center. The championship was their third in Class 3A, the others coming a decade apart in 2008 and 2018. They have also claimed nine titles in Class 2A and (2009, 2013-17 and 2019-21).

Of the 18 years the OVAC has gone with this format, Wheeling Central has appeared in the event 14 times. They have also been runner up in 2022 and 2024.

“We’ve had some great kids and my assistant coaches do a great job of getting the kids ready to play,” veteran Wheeling Central head coach Mel Stephens said of the recipe for success. “I’ve been fortunate to have some good basketball players who were even better people.”

Wheeling Central led by 10 points, 47-37 near the end of the third quarter, only to watch Monroe Central (19-3) close to within two, 58-56, when Cooper Howell buried a three-pointer from the right wing with 24 seconds remaining.

After a timeout by both squads, Wheeling Central’s Tyler Dean connected on the back-end of a two-shot foul for a 59-56 reading at the 18.2-second mark. Following another timeout by the Maroon Knights, the Seminoles misfired on a potential game-tying trey and Eli Sancomb was fouled with 5.5 showing. The junior had just missed two free throws 23 ticks earlier and clanked the first off the rim. However, the second tickled the twine and sealed the deal.

The contest was deadlocked three times in the first quarter and the lead changed hands seven times in the first half before the Maroon Knights took control on a Tyler Dean basket that made it 19-18 at the 5:30 mark of the second quarter. The bucket ignited a 14-3 run that bumped the margin to 31-21 just prior to the half.

Leading 41-37 in the waning stages of the second quarter, Luke Sancomb came off the bench and tallied five straight points as the lead increased to 10.

“I thought Luke really gave us a spark there, and so did Braxton Billick,” Stephens said. “Max did what he needed to around the rim.

“It was a total team effort for sure” Stephens added.

A pair of free throws by Caedyn Silva pulled the Seminoles to 49-48 with 5:10 showering on the fourth quarter clock.

A bucket from Troy Anthony and a layup by Max Olejasz pushed the count to 55-50, but Monroe Central had one last rally that fell just shy.

“I think we showed that we can play with good teams. We battled,” Monroe Central head coach Mason Lang said. “We got into early foul trouble. We’ve got to play without fouling.”

Eli Sancomb led all scorers with 23 points and was voted the John Howell MVP. He also charted eight rebounds and four assists. Olejasz finished with a double-double that featured a dozen points and a game-best 12 rebounds. Dean added 13 points.

Chance Allen delivered 19 points and eight rebounds for the Seminoles. Tucker Howell also recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.

Both coaches agreed that a game like this will benefit both going forward in their respective state divisions.

“That’s the way we try to look at it,” Stephens noted. “We try to get here first and then take care of business here. Hopefully, that will pay dividends down the road for us.”

Lang said, “I think this game will help us moving ahead. Maybe we’re not as good as we think, so we’ll get back to work and get ready for the sectionals.”