When time expired and Gahanna had escaped with a win over Westerville North 60-54 in overtime in a Division I district final yesterday, coach Tony Staib leapt into the arms of an assistant, and the players whooped it up as if they had won a state championship.

To many in the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, the boisterous celebration might have seemed a bit over the top for Ohio's No. 2-ranked Division I team, but the Lions' first district title was a long time coming.

"This is my 20th year in coaching, counting my years as an assistant, and so many times when you set goals for a team, you fall short of them," Staib said.

"We made this goal of winning district at last year's banquet, and I'm so proud we could stay focused and do this for our community. We had a lot of former players and alumni come out here today, and they've waited a long, long time for this moment."

Sixth-seeded Westerville North, which eliminated Gahanna in a district semifinal in 2009, came within a whisker of pulling the biggest upset of this year's tournament.

The Warriors (18-5) charged back from nine points down in the fourth quarter. Westerville North's Matt Rhodes made a three-pointer from deep in a corner to tie the game at 50-50 with 29 seconds left in regulation. Gahanna then barely got off a final shot.

In overtime, Tony Jackson made a hanging shot in the lane with 36 seconds left to give second-seeded Gahanna a four-point cushion that it wouldn't relinquish. Jackson scored 25 points, including the Lions' final six. He finished 10 of 14 from the field.

Jackson's performance was critical because top scorers Stevie Taylor and Rob Brandenberg combined for only 18 points on 8-of-26 shooting.

"We folded under pressure in the fourth quarter, and we can't allow that," Jackson said. "When we got to overtime, we played with a greater sense of urgency. I'm new here, but winning a first title in school history is a great accomplishment and something none of us will forget."

Ralph Hill, a Dayton recruit, scored 22 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to pace North.

"In overtime, we had a couple of decent possessions, but Gahanna is so explosive, once they get four to six points ahead, we had to play the fouling game," Westerville North coach Kevin Thuman said. "We gave it our best shot and gave ourselves a chance to win."