By Ben Stroup
Buckeye Valley’s girls basketball team put together one of its best efforts of the young season Tuesday, starting fast en route to a 52-30 MOAC win at Galion.
“We turned up the pressure on them a little in the first half and that really got us going,” BV coach Landon Fraker said. “I thought our posts played well, (guard) Megan (Veneman) played well again and everyone got to play.”
The Barons (2-3, 2-1 MOAC) led 20-5 after the first quarter and never looked back, ballooning the edge to 36-12 by halftime.
Veneman finished with a game-high 12 points to headline a balanced offensive attack. She also spread the wealth, closing with a team-leading five assists.
Alaina Radcliffe finished with 10 points, Morgan Scowden closed with nine and Kelsey Shearer had eight in the win while Logan Hatcher finished with eight rebounds and Tess Hughes added seven rebounds and four steals.
Delaware Christian 41, Northside Christian 26
Erin McCullough had a monster night, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks to lead Delaware Christian to a 41-26 win over visiting Northside Christian Tuesday in Delaware.
The Eagles, up just 23-19 at halftime, used a 10-0 third-quarter spurt to pull away.
“I wasn’t happy with our defensive effort in the first half,” DCS coach Jackie Boggs said. “But they responded well in the third quarter not allowing any points.”
Liz Sullivan backed McCullough with seven points and seven rebounds, Madie Morgan finished with seven points and Elizabeth Blackburn added six boards.
Olivia House led the charge on the defensive end, limiting Northside’s leading scorer to just 10 points.
New Albany 60, Hayes 32
The Pacers played better, but struggled to slow down visiting New Albany en route to a 60-32 OCC-Capital Division setback Tuesday in Delaware.
Hayes was led by Katie Blair and Brandy Bauer, who finished with eight points apiece.
Also: Orange 53, Mount Vernon 52; Worthington Kilbourne 63, Big Walnut 37; Olentangy at Franklin Heights, late.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Hayes had trouble finding its form early and never quite recovered, falling to host New Albany 56-37 in its OCC-Capital Division opener Tuesday night.
“Their pressure kind of took us out of our offense,” Pacer coach Jordan Blackburn said. “At times, especially early, it caused us to make some mistakes. The good thing, though, is our mistakes are correctable.”
The Eagles led 14-8 after the first quarter before taking control with an 11-4 second. Hayes chipped at the deficit with a 14-11 edge in the third, but New Albany sealed the deal with a 20-11 fourth.
Freshman Terin Kinsway was a bright spot for the Pacers, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Cole Barton also played his best varsity game, handling pressure well and playing with poise, Blackburn said.
Zach McIntire, Hayes’ leading scorer, finished with 14 points in the loss.
The result marked the seventh straight time the home team has won in the series.
Also: Worthington Kilbourne 55, Big Walnut 47; Orange 61, Mount Vernon 41; Olentangy 70, Franklin Heights 37; Delaware Christian 63, Northside Christian 20; Liberty at Marysville, late.
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Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @delgazette_ben.
