COLUMBUS (AP) — David Lighty apparently likes the floor at Value City Arena — and that’s very good news for Ohio State coach Thad Matta.

Lighty lit up Wheelersburg for 32 points and flirted with a triple-double to lead Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph to a 71-62 victory Friday night in a Division III state semifinal.

A member of Ohio State’s incoming ‘‘Thad Five’’ recruiting class, Lighty was spectacular after getting off to a rocky start, making the most of his first start on the court which will be his home for his collegiate career.

The first-team Associated Press All-Ohioan hit just one of his first six shots while trying to do too much. Once he settled into the rhythm of the game, he finished 10-of-19 from the field including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers and 10-of-11 at the line. He also had 11 rebounds and eight assists to go with four steals and a blocked shot.

On top of that, he scored all the points in an 8-0 run that put the Vikings ahead to stay.

VASJ (21-5) meets top-ranked Cincinnati North College Hill (25-1) in the championship game Saturday afternoon. North College Hill defeated Archbold 49-34.

Darryl Rushton added 17 points for VASJ, ranked No. 8 in the final regular-season AP rankings. The Vikings are seeking their fifth state title, following championships in 1991, ’92, ’94 and ’95. They are making their first appearance at the state tournament since losing in the 1997 finale.

Camden Miller, a third-team all-stater, had 19 points, Nick Carrington 15 and Drew Spradlin 14 for Wheelersburg (23-3), making its fifth trip to the state tournament.

With the score tied at 50 early in the final period, Lighty took over, plain and simple.

He drove the left baseline for a layup in traffic and, after a Wheelersburg turnover, he again drove the baseline and in the face of a defender went high for another layup. While the Pirates continued to have trouble at the offensive end, Lighty hit four straight foul shots.

After the Pirates drew to 58-54, Lighty danced through the middle of the congested lane for a finger roll.

With VASJ holding on to a 62-56 lead and just over a minute left, Rushton took an ill-advised shot on the fast break. The ball glanced high off the glass and bounded off the front of the rim but Lighty came from the weak side to jam the ball in.

It brought what remained of a crowd of 12,599 to its feet and effectively ended Wheelersburg’s hopes of a comeback.