Olentangy holds off Berlin, 33-26

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The Olentangy girls basketball team didn’t have its best night on the offensive end in Friday’s OCC-Cardinal clash against visiting Olentangy Berlin.

The Bears had a lot to do with that but, fortunately for the Braves, their defense was just as disruptive on the way to a 33-26 win.

Not only was it disruptive, it set up what proved to be the biggest shot of the night … and many others. After Berlin’s Maddie Goodman cashed in on a pair of free throws to even things up at 24 with less than three minutes to play in the game, Jonna Spohn stepped in a passing lane, collected a steal and found an open Kennedie Doup in the left corner. Doup took care of the rest, burying a three-pointer to give her team a 27-24 lead with 2:15 left.

Instead of Berlin getting off a shot to potentially put it ahead, Olentangy took control … and never trailed again.

The game was close throughout, but that was the boost the Braves needed as the final outcome was cemented at the free throw line. After the Bears’ Courtney Suchan split a pair at the line, Olentangy forced Berlin to foul on the next trip down the floor. Doup split a pair to push the lead back to three and, after Goodman split a pair for the Bears, Meg Spohn hit two from the stripe to all but seal the deal.

Meg Spohn finished with a game-best 10 points in the win while Doup chipped in eight.

Goodman led Berlin with nine points while Jocelyn Franz and Mia Raines added six apiece.

Westerville South 57, Big Walnut 42

Aja Austin scored a game-high 24 points and Megan Rispress and Leila Jones added nine each to lead the Wildcats to an OCC-Capital Division win over the visiting Golden Eagles Friday night in Westerville.

South outscored Big Walnut 15-6 in the second quarter and 19-9 in the third to take control. The Eagles used a 20-point fourth — a quarter that saw Abby Brown score nine of her team-best 19 points — to try and claw back into things, but the hole was too big to climb out of.

Jordan Walters backed Brown with seven points while Abbey Coleman and Maddy Stumpf had six each for BW.

Westerville North 62, Delaware Hayes 37

The Pacers fell behind 17-9 after a quarter and never recovered as the visiting Warriors remained undefeated with a lopsided OCC-Capital Division win Friday night in Delaware.

Hayes was within striking distance at the half, down 33-22, but North won the third quarter 15-9 and the fourth 14-6 to smooth out the scoring summary.

The Warriors’ Charia Smith and Imari Martin led all scorers with 17 points apiece while Telijah McCollum led the Pacers with eight. Hayes’ Chloe Jeffers, Myah Byers, Porter Barickman and Alexis Amabile, who scored her 1,000th-career point in the setback, all finished with six points.

Buckeye Valley 35, Columbus Academy 30

Chelsea Edington hit a pair of threes — the 105th and 106th of her career — as part of a 13-5 third quarter the Barons parlayed into an MSL-Ohio win Friday night in Delaware.

Points were at a premium early as Academy led 14-10 at the break. BV picked it up in the third, though, and held on down the stretch.

Paige Garrett led the Barons with 11 points while Edington had nine in the win.

Also: Hilliard Davidson 55, Olentangy Orange 33; Dublin Coffman at Olentangy Liberty, late.

BOYS BASKETBALL

After dropping seven straight to start the season, Delaware Hayes notched its second win in a row with a 46-42 OCC-Capital Division triumph over host Westerville North Friday night in Westerville.

Down 29-28 to start the fourth, the Pacers outscored the Warriors 18-13 down the stretch to seal the deal. Jesse Burris, who poured in a game-best 23 points in the win, had 14 in the fourth quarter alone, and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Jayson Enke also finished in double figures for Hayes, closing with 11 points in the win.

Carter Reese had a team-leading 11 points for North.

Also: Westerville South 52, Big Walnut 49; Olentangy Liberty 58, Dublin Coffman 56.

Olentangy’s Meg Spohn, right, shoots over Olentangy Berlin’s Jocelyn Franz during the first half of Friday’s OCC-Cardinal Division showdown in Lewis Center.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2021/01/web1_spohn.jpgOlentangy’s Meg Spohn, right, shoots over Olentangy Berlin’s Jocelyn Franz during the first half of Friday’s OCC-Cardinal Division showdown in Lewis Center. Ben Stroup | The Gazette
Hayes’ Amabile scores 1,000th-career point in loss to Warriors

By Ben Stroup

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