Team Columbus defeated Team Cleveland, 94-91, in the inaugural Battle for Ohio Celebrity Charity basketball game Saturday afternoon inside a sweltering St. John Arena.
Seventeen former Buckeyes took part in the game, including Ron Lewis and Evan Turner, who led Columbus with 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Team Cleveland was paced by the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson, who led all scorers with 27 points. Juby Johnson contributed 20 points.
Michael Redd, Greg Oden, Ron Stokes and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman served as the coaches for Team Columbus, while Clark Kellogg was on the bench for Team Cleveland.
At halftime, Jon Diebler defeated former Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary star Dru Joyce III in a three-point contest.
During pre-game festivities, Coleman refereed to the game as “the beginning of a tradition.”
An estimated 2,000 fans attended the game, despite temperatures reaching 80 degrees inside the arena. Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and current Buckeyes Aaron Craft, Evan Ravenel, Amir Williams and Amedeo Della Valle were among the attendees.
