The Buckeye Valley boys basketball team’s five seniors have done a lot for the program over the years. Tuesday night, in their final regular season home game, they did a little more.
The Barons, on the strength of seniors Dylan Herbert, Max Stokey, Connor Matlack, Clark Newland and Robert Wade, raced out to a 21-10 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. The seniors played every second of the first — a period BV turned into a lopsided 62-38 win over visiting Highland.
Stokey and Newland combined for the team’s first 10 points as Buckeye Valley (14-7) rolled out to a 10-2 advantage midway through the first. Herbert had four of the next seven and the lead swelled from there.
Wade got in on the act with a bucket early in the second as the Barons used a 23-8 quarter to take a convincing 44-18 lead by the break. BV won the third 10-9 while Highland smoothed out the scoring summary with an 11-8 fourth.
Stokey finished with a game-high 18 points while Newland added 10, Herbert chipped in seven and Jack Rotondo, Troy Scowden and Wade had six apiece.
Next up, Buckeye Valley will host either 11th-seeded Eastmoor Academy or 16th-seeded Hamilton Township in the second round of the Division II district tournament next Saturday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
Olentangy 63, Centennial 59
The Braves came out of the locker room on fire, outscoring the visiting Stars 21-12 in the third quarter to turn a halftime deficit into a lead it parlayed into a non-league win Tuesday night in Lewis Center.
Travonne Jackson, who finished with four three-pointers and a game-high 29 points, knocked down a couple free throws to bring Centennial within one, 60-59, with a minute left. Austin Brown split a pair to double Olentangy’s lead on the other end, though, and after a pair of critical stops, Jake Elmore cashed in on two more to seal the deal.
Josiah Seymour led the Braves with 20 points in the win while Elmore had a pair of threes and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line on his way to a 10-point performance. Caleb Gossett was also steady, finishing with eight points.
Jaylen Gilbert complemented Jackson’s big night with 18 points for the Stars.
With the regular season officially behind it, Olentangy (10-12) will take its show on the road to play the winner of seventh-seeded Thomas Worthington and 26th-seeded Marion Harding in the second round of the Division I district tournament next Friday. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
FROM MONDAY
The outright Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League champion showed it can win non-league games as well, as the Delaware Christian boys basketball team put a bow on the regular season with a 54-42 win over visiting Marion Christian Monday night in Delaware.
The Eagles (14-8) created all the separation they’d need in the first half, racing out to a 20-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. DCS ballooned its edge by another three points by the break thanks to a 13-10 second.
Marion Christian won the second half, 25-21, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Nathan Stewart, Pryce Johnson and James Vasek all scored in double figures for the Eagles. Stewart had a game-high 23 points and two of the team’s four threes. Pryce Johnson added 15 points, Vasek had 11 and Dayne Johnson smoothed out the scoring summary with five.
Blake Brugger and Claeb Haller led Marion Christian with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Next up, DCS will turn its attention to the Division IV District Tournament, where it will host Cardington-Lincoln Tuesday night. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
