Photo by Kim North Monroe Central’s Cooper Howell and Wheeling Central’s Max Olejasz both leap for the opening tipoff during the two team’s meeting on Feb. 3 in Woodsfield.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — It’ll be a familiar venue and a familiar opponent on Saturday for the Wheeling Central Maroon Knights and Monroe Central Seminoles, who are meeting for an OVAC 3A championship rematch inside Ohio University Eastern’s ECO Center, tipoff set for 4 p.m. Saturday.

Matter of fact, the word of the day might be ‘familiar’ for the two teams.

Saturday will be the sixth meeting between the Knights and Seminoles between last season and this current campaign.

“I mean, six times in two years, that’s a lot of games against the same team,” Wheeling Central head coach Mel Stephens said. “But they’ve all been good games and I think they benefited both teams. I think those three games last year helped both of us to win a state championship. Hopefully it works out the same way this year, hopefully all three games help both of us achieve that goal again.”

Wheeling Central is the defending WVSSAC Class 2A state champion, while Monroe Central is the defending OHSAA Division VI state champ.

“I think anytime you play a team the caliber of Wheeling Central you are just excited for a chance to compete at a high level,” Monroe Central head coach Mason Lang said. “To be the best version of yourself you need to push yourself to your limits. We know everytime we play these guys we need to bring our A game. These are the types of games that competitors love to play in.

“I feel the boys are extremely focused and excited for an opportunity to compete in such a great environment. Right now we are focusing on the little things and trying to be the best version of ourselves come Saturday afternoon.”

In last year’s OVAC championship, Wheeling Central claimed a 60-56 victory. The Maroon Knights are undefeated this season at 14-0, including a pair of wins over Monroe Central, who is 15-3. The two team’s most recent battle came on Feb. 3 in Woodsfield, where Wheeling Central won 66-60.

Wheeling Central, the top seed in OVAC 3A, defeated Martins Ferry in the semifinals, while Monroe Central, the three seed, went on the road and beat Columbiana to advance to the ECO Center.

“The beginning of the season, we set one of our goals, to try to get in that top four of our class in the OVAC, to be able to play for a championship,” Stephens said. “We took that first step the other night. We realize it’s hard to beat a good team three times, but we came into the gym after the Ferry game, and really focused on what we needed to improve on from the first two times we played [Monroe Central].”

“We’ve had a couple pretty good days of practice, so we’re feeling pretty good right now, we know it’s gonna be a tough, tough battle. But, that’s why we play these games. We are playing for an OVAC championship, number one, and number two, trying to get ready for tournament time in West Virginia.”

Wheeling Central is led by the reigning Evans Award winner, senior Eli Sancomb, who has put up preposterous numbers this season. The Liberty commit is averaging over 30 points and 10 rebounds per game, and scored 36 points with 12 rebounds against Martins Ferry. Junior guard Luke Sancomb is second on the team in scoring, and is a potent 3-point shooter. Junior Nico Kusic has taken a step forward as a ball-handler and a defender for the Maroon, while seniors Max Olejasz and Steven Brodegard provide plenty of length, Olejasz often providing a scoring boost as well, such as his 17-point performance against Ferry.

“They are the best team in the valley and have the best player in the valley,” Lang said. “We are excited to get to compete against a team of this caliber again and know that these are the type of games that can go a long way towards preparing us for the district tournament.

“We have to control their transition game, and make them play in the half court. Defend without fouling, end good defensive possessions with a rebound and make them guard multiple actions on the offensive end.”

The Seminoles are led in scoring by juniors Cooper Howell and Corbin Farnsworth. Howell is averaging over 18 points per game with seven rebounds and four assists, while Farnsworth averages 15 points and seven rebounds as well. The Seminoles are littered with shooting, with seniors Caedyn Silva, Blake Yontz, and Max Demchak all dangerous from outside.

“They’re a very good team,” Stephens said. “They lost two really, really good players from last year and really picked right up where they left off last year. All their kids can shoot the ball. They can all handle the ball. They run a really good offense with a lot of screening action. That was one of our focuses both times we played them, was being able to navigate screens and try to get out on shooters. Along with that, you have to box out and rebound. That’s one of the keys on our board every single game.

“They’re very good and they showed that by going on the road the other night and getting a big win in the semifinals. We got them last year in his championship game so I’m sure they’re looking for a little revenge there.”

Stephens was complimentary of Howell, who missed the two team’s first meeting this season with an injury.

“He makes a big difference for them,” Stephens said of Howell. “He understands the game, he can score, he does a lot of things for them. Probably the most important part is just his leadership.”

While Wheeling Central seeks to repeat as OVAC champs, Monroe Central is looking for another title after winning their first-ever OVAC title in 2024, competing in 2A at the time.