By Ben Stroup
Mitch Rotondo poured in a team-best 14 points while Jesse Tomlinson and Grant Kelly finished with 12 apiece to lead the Buckeye Valley boys basketball team to a solid 55-52 MOAC-Red Division win over host Galion Saturday night.
The Barons (3-1, 2-0 MOAC) made their move in the third quarter. Down 16-12 after one and 26-25 at the break, BV used a 23-11 third-quarter surge to take control.
The Tigers, who outscored the Barons 15-7 in the fourth, had a couple looks at a potential game-tying three on the final possession, but came up empty.
Galion used its size to stay in the game, outrebounding Buckeye Valley 33-18. The Barons, though, got it done with quickness. They forced 15 turnovers in the win.
Braxton Wells backed the Barons’ top three scorers with eight points and three rebounds while Nick Hyatt finished with seven points and a team-leading five assists.
BV returns to action Saturday against visiting Marion Harding.
Orange 71, Licking Heights 46
The Pioneers picked up their second win in as many days, improving to 2-0 with a solid non-league win over host Licking Heights Saturday.
Orange led 20-11 by the end of the first quarter and never looked back. The Pioneers outscored the Hornets 21-9 in the second and 18-10 in the third before clearing the bench.
Eleven different Orange players scratched the scoring column, including Colin Shepherd, who hit a game-high four three-pointers on the way to a 21-point performance. Grant Gossard was also steady, finishing with 14 points.
Delaware Christian 76, Tree of Life 54
The Eagles used a 47-point first half to set the tone and cruised to a decisive 76-54 MOCAL win over host Tree of Life Saturday in Columbus.
Delaware Christian outscored the hosts 23-11 in the first and 24-17 in the second before a 16-9 third-quarter surge all but ended things.
Roger Gill scored a game-high 18 points on the strength of four three-pointers while Adam Standley finished with 17 points. Brady Gregory, who hit three threes, backed the duo with 11 points in the win.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Erin McCullough had a double-double, 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Elizabeth Blackburn stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four assists and five rebounds as Delaware Christian soared to a 51-25 MOCAL win over host Tree of Life Saturday in Columbus.
Abbey Evans was also solid, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds.
The Eagles scored 14 points in each of the first three quarters, limiting the hosts to eight or fewer in each frame, before smoothing out the scoring summary with a 9-3 fourth.
DCS returns to action Tuesday against visiting Northside Christian.
Hilliard Darby 62, Hayes 30
Brandy Bauer finished with a team-leading 13 points as Hayes dropped a non-league showdown Saturday in Hilliard.
WRESTLING
Gary Byas (145), Logan Broskie (152), Hunter Knipp (182) and Bryce Houston (220) each won their respective divisions to lead Orange to the team title at Saturday’s Golden Bear Invitational in Upper Arlington.
The Pioneers, who got runner-up showings from Chris Wallace (160), Adam Kreutzer (195) and Albert Van Fossen (heavyweight), finished with 288 points while host Upper Arlington and Pickerington North smoothed out the top three with respective totals of 257 and 171.5.
Matt Hipsher (106), Cole Jackson (113), Connor Evans (138) and Christian Hipsher (170) nabbed third-place finishes while Robert Ageykeum finished fourth.
Also: Liberty 1st (289) at Tony Pizzuro Memorial; Olentangy 8th (81.5) at Olentangy Invitational.
BOYS SWIMMING
Upper Arlington 122, Liberty 64; Orange 112, Dublin Scioto 51; Hayes 3rd (65) at Columbus Academy Relays.
GIRLS SWIMMING
Upper Arlington 132, Liberty 54; Orange 97, Dublin Scioto 71; Hayes 3rd (86) at Columbus Academy Relays.
HOCKEY
Springboro 4, Olentangy 2; Liberty 2, Dublin Coffman 1; Orange 10, Thomas Worthington 3.
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Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @delgazette_ben.
