Delphos St. John's Finished 29-0. Cameron Elwer Scored 28 in a 56-47 Final.

Delphos St. John's finished 29-0. On the last night of the 2026 OHSAA boys basketball tournament, Cameron Elwer scored 28 points in a 56-47 win over Kalida at University of Dayton Arena. The OHSAA championship recaps say he left with 2,768 career points, sixth on the state record list, and the Blue Jays left with a fourth title.

Ohio played six other finals in the same building. Cincinnati Princeton beat Hilliard Bradley 59-28. Massillon Washington beat Westerville North 68-63 in overtime. Trotwood-Madison beat Steubenville 48-47. Cincinnati Wyoming beat Cleveland Glenville 73-48. Cleveland Heights Lutheran East beat Gahanna Columbus Academy 50-36. Berlin Hiland beat Maria Stein Marion Local 54-51 in double overtime. Seven scores, one arena.

The roster behind those brackets is a national count. The NFHS 2025-26 summary lists boys basketball at 539,883 participants in 18,799 schools, the most schools of any boys sport. The 2024-25 NFHS release had counted 540,704. The newer figure is the next survey. A Dayton basketball rec night is smaller than UD Arena. It still needs a court and a clock.

Who won Ohio’s 2026 boys basketball state titles?

Seven schools, seven scores, one arena in Dayton. One champion was 29-0. Two finals needed overtime.

• Division I: Cincinnati Princeton 59, Hilliard Bradley 28. Both teams were 25-3. Princeton’s first title, in its third tournament.
• Division II: Massillon Washington 68, Westerville North 63 in overtime. Massillon was 27-1. First title, first tournament since 1945.
• Division III: Trotwood-Madison 48, Steubenville 47. Trotwood was 23-4. Steubenville was 26-2 and in its first tournament since 1952.
• Division IV: Cincinnati Wyoming 73, Cleveland Glenville 48. Wyoming’s first championship-game appearance.
• Division V: Cleveland Heights Lutheran East 50, Gahanna Columbus Academy 36. Lutheran East was 25-2 and won a fourth straight title.
• Division VI: Berlin Hiland 54, Maria Stein Marion Local 51 in double overtime. Hiland was 26-3. Marion Local was 26-2.
• Division VII: Delphos St. John's 56, Kalida 47. St. John's was 29-0. Kalida was 17-12.

Princeton had finished runner-up in 1972 and 2009. Westerville North came in as the reigning Division II champion. Columbus Academy has finished runner-up in each of its three tournaments, in 1981, 2025, and 2026. The association wrote the year next to the score. A rec gym can write the court next to the age group.

How did Delphos St. John's finish 29-0?

Cameron Elwer scored 28, including 14 of 16 free throws, and St. John's led 36-25 at halftime in a 56-47 win.

The OHSAA recap says Elwer also had seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals, on 6-of-16 shooting. He scored 10 in the first quarter and 10 of the team’s 11 points in the third, including the first six after halftime, when the lead reached 17. Andrew Elwer scored nine and Easton Elwer scored six. The brothers were a combined 5 of 8 from three. St. John's shot 16 of 32, including 8 of 16 from three, and 16 of 21 at the line. Owen Grime led Kalida with 18. It was St. John's 13th state-tournament appearance, seventh-most in Ohio, and its fourth title. Kalida was runner-up for the third time, after 1988 and 2009, and won a title in 1981. A Columbus basketball rec game can publish a smaller line: age group, court, 6:00.

How did Trotwood-Madison win by one point?

Darius Dennis hit a pull-up in the lane with nine seconds left, and Steubenville’s last shot bounced off the rim as time expired. The score was 48-47.

Dennis finished with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and four steals. Trotwood-Madison scored the first six points, led for more than 30 of the 32 minutes, and still trailed 47-46 with 22 seconds left, Steubenville’s only lead. Cole Bowers scored 22, including both free throws that tied it with 31 seconds left. Santino Haney split a pair nine seconds later for 47-46. That was an 11-3 Steubenville run over 2 minutes and 57 seconds. Dennis then scored from inside 10 feet. Je’Carious Reaves added 10 points and seven rebounds. The teams took 101 shots and were credited with 17 steals on 24 turnovers. Trotwood was 23-4 and won its second title, after a Division II crown in 2019. Steubenville was 26-2 and in the tournament for the first time since a 1952 runner-up finish. A one-point final still had a published site. A Cincinnati basketball weeknight needs the gym name before the last possession.

Which finals went to overtime?

Two of them. Massillon Washington won 68-63 in overtime. Berlin Hiland won 54-51 in double overtime.

Massillon trailed 45-30 with 4:08 left in the third after Westerville North’s 21-5 run, then closed on a 15-1 run to lead 57-51 with 2:12 left. North’s 7-1 finish tied it at 58. Xavier Williams blocked Jacob Medhane’s layup at the buzzer, then scored six of Massillon’s 10 overtime points. Gio Jackson Jr. led Massillon with 17. Elijah McCree led North with 21. Damion King had 12 points and 17 rebounds. North shot 22 of 81 and grabbed 53 rebounds, 34 of them offensive. Massillon was 27-1, its most wins in a season, and in the tournament for the first time since 1945. Hiland’s double overtime was the first championship to need two extra periods since Marion Local beat Willoughby Cornerstone Christian 52-51 in the 2018 Division IV final. Ryan Zerger had 18 points and 11 rebounds and played all 40 minutes. Alex Miller had 11 points and five steals in 40 minutes. Grant Kremer scored 22 for Marion Local, including the threes that forced each extra period. Hiland won its last 21 games and a fourth title. A Cleveland basketball gym that runs long still needs the next court’s start written down.

How many boys play high school basketball?

539,883 in the NFHS 2025-26 count, at 18,799 schools. That is the most schools of any boys sport in the summary.

The year before, the NFHS release of Sept. 9, 2025, counted 540,704 boys in basketball. Girls basketball in the 2025-26 summary is a separate line, 362,382 participants in 18,259 schools. Both groups often want the same floor. A Dallas basketball gym, a Houston basketball gym, and a Chicago basketball rec center already stack a school practice, a rec game, and a second age group on one night. The 539,883 assigns none of those courts. The gym schedule does.

What should a rec director copy from UD Arena?

The division, the opponent, the site, and the score. A rec game can publish age group, opponent, court, and start before anyone drives.

Lutheran East became the first OHSAA school to win four straight boys basketball titles, with 28 consecutive postseason wins, and the recap still names the opponent and the 50-36 score. Princeton’s Amire Gill scored 24 on 10-of-12 shooting in a 59-28 win, the program’s first title. Wyoming’s Kellen Wiley and Carlyle Billingsley each scored 20 in a 73-48 win, the program’s first championship game. Specificity is the habit. Put the court in the league dashboard before a coach texts “we moved” from the lobby. Indianapolis basketball and Atlanta basketball families already know what a posted score looks like.

Which cities should treat seven finals as a gym problem?

Any city whose weeknight already stacks more than one basketball game in one building.

Dayton hosted all seven. Cincinnati had Princeton in Division I and Wyoming in Division IV. Cleveland had Glenville in the Division IV final and Lutheran East in Division V. A rec league in Cleveland can have the same overlap on a Tuesday: two age groups, one parking lot, two tip times. The Ohio soccer finals showed five matches in one stadium with five scores. Basketball’s version is seven games and one arena. Phoenix basketball gyms have the same math without a state final attached.

What should a director check before the next basketball night?

Each game needs its own court and start. Seven finals in one arena were still seven games.

• Every age group has a court number, plus the name of the gym.
• A 29-0 age group and a one-point age group are separate time slots.
• The next court keeps its own start when the game before it goes to overtime.
• The door matches the court, so the family is using this week’s pin.
• Coaches and parents see the same assignment.
• If you cite demand, cite the source: OHSAA for the seven scores, NFHS for the 539,883.

St. John's title was a 29-0 season and a 56-47 final. The state wrote both down. A rec league can write the court down. Brands that want to be on that night can sponsor a game. Directors can request a demo. Coaches Pick stays free for league owners, including the home page families already use to find a league.