Hilliard Bradley coach Mike Limbird is far from unfamiliar with the Orange Pioneers, seeing how he was on the Orange bench as an assistant just a season ago.

Limbird’s Jaguars did a solid job staying with the Pioneers in the first half, but the host team took charge in the second and closed things with an 81-64 Ohio Capital Conference Capital Division victory Friday night at Orange High School.

“We have a veteran team that understands where the ball needs to be,” Orange coach John Betz said. “They’re unselfish and they help each other. There’s always somebody else ready to step up. (Senior) Jason Hoskins knocked down a couple shots in the first half. When they double our guards, we have to have those other guys step up.”

Orange (7-1, 6-0 OCC Capital) had some difficulty in the first half despite leading for most of the game, as Hilliard Bradley (4-5, 1-5) double-teamed senior guards Taylor Rieger and Zach Joseph whenever they touched the ball. The plan worked well early on, as the Jaguars took a 16-15 advantage five minutes into the game.

“Mike knows exactly what we do, so he doubled our guards,” Betz said. “Zach struggled a little tonight despite scoring 12. I think they got in his head with the double. Mike does a great job as a coach and they’re going to be very good.”

But Hoskins and the rest of the team picked up what if any slack there was. The other three starters — Hoskins, senior Cameron Sheehan and senior Jalen Davis — and junior sub Jordan Combs combined for 14 of the Pioneers’ 26 first-quarter points, helping Orange to a 26-20 lead after one.

But Limbird’s crew would not go away. Orange pushed the lead to 13 points, 33-20, early in the second quarter and led by 11, 47-36, at the half, but Hilliard Bradley picked up the defense and offensive effort, cutting the deficit to six points, 60-54, with 1:48 left in the third.

“They weren’t going to back down, and we knew that,” Betz said. “I think everyone was a little high-strung. I know I was, the kids were, and you could kind of sense that. The normal flow and the normal ease of shots coming off our hands just wasn’t quite there, but it’s an OCC win, and we’ll take it.”

But the Pioneers scored the final seven points of the quarter boost the lead back to 13, 67-54, and picked up the defensive effort in the final period, holding the Jaguars to just 10 points in the final period.

“I’d like to see our defense play better, but our defense plays pretty well when they have to,” Betz said. “It’s a game of runs, and when our guards get it going, we can score quickly.”

Rieger topped all scorers, hitting three three-pointers, going 9-of-12 from the line and finishing with 30 points on the night. Sheehan added 13 points for Orange, including a thunderous dunk in the third quarter.

Joseph still managed 12 points for the Pioneers despite the hawking Jaguar double team. Davis also finished with eight points while Hoskins and Combs added seven each, both hitting a three-pointer apiece.

Marquis Copeland topped the Hilliard Bradley scorers with 23 points, draining a game-high four threes on the night. Jake Forrest also had 15 points for the Jaguars.

sports@delgazette.com