By Ben Stroup
Nick Hyatt scored 20-plus points on the strength of five three-pointers for the second straight game, pouring in a game-high 26 points Tuesday in Columbus, but it wasn’t enough as host South handled Buckeye Valley 80-67.
The Bulldogs (5-2), thanks to nine first-quarter points from Carter Williams, rolled out to a 21-10 edge after one. The Barons (5-2) played virtually even the rest of the way, but couldn’t shake the slow start.
“Even though we took the loss, it was a good game for us … I think it will help us in the long run,” BV coach Andy Gast said. “We like to schedule quality teams for our non-conference games, and South is pretty darn good. They get up and down, they’re fast and athletic … we really don’t see too many teams like them in our league.”
Hyatt did what he could to keep his shorthanded team in the mix.
“Nick had a really nice game,” Gast said. “He played a ton of minutes to make up for a number of our guys who’ve been hit with the illness bug and shot the ball really well.”
Mitch Rotondo backed Hyatt with 17 points, Braxton Wells added 11, Grant Kelly chipped in nine and Elijah Jackson finished with four for the Barons.
Williams led South with 19 points.
Mount Vernon 62, Hayes 57, OT
The Pacers’ Zach McIntire split a pair of free throws with a fraction of a second left in regulation, sending the game into overtime, but the host Yellow Jackets made good on nine of their 10 free throws in the extra session to notch a 62-57 OCC-Capital Division win Tuesday in Mount Vernon.
“We traded baskets to start the OT, but they went 9-for-10 at the line (in overtime) and we shot two free throws. That was the difference,” Hayes coach Jordan Blackburn said. “They did a good job attacking.”
Hayes battled despite playing without guard Will Yoakum (foot) and forward Derrick Buford (concussion). Both should be ready to go for the Pacers’ next game Dec. 28 at Watkins Memorial.
“I’m proud of the way the guys played tonight,” Blackburn said. “The kids played hard. I can’t say enough about their effort.”
McIntire finished with a game-best 24 points, Bourget finished with 11 and freshman Terin Kinsway had nine in the setback.
Delaware Christian 73, Granville Christian 55
Delaware Christian led from start to finish, coasting to a solid 73-55 MOCAL win over host Granville Christian Tuesday night.
The Eagles (4-4, 4-0 MOCAL) forced 18 steals thanks to a full-court press Granville Christian never quite figured out, using the smothering defense to build a 42-26 halftime lead.
Brady Gregory led all scorers with 23 points thanks in part to connecting on four of DCS’s nine three-pointers. Andrew Dunnevant added 14 points and Riley Michalak chipped in 13 in his first start of the season.
Worthington Kilbourne 65, Olentangy 63
Matthew Gierhart knocked down a pair of free throws with 11.6 seconds left to send the host Wolves over the Braves in OCC-Capital Division action Tuesday night.
Carter Kinnaird led Olentangy with 16 points.
Liberty 57, Hilliard Davidson 40
The Patriots used a huge fourth quarter to get it done Tuesday, outscoring the host Wildcats 24-10 in the final frame to notch their third straight win.
Brendon White finished with a game-best 18 points for Liberty. Spencer Mitchell added 15 and Ben Roderick had 12 in the win.
Orange 66, Franklin Heights 44
The Pioneers stayed perfect Tuesday, improving to 8-0 with a 66-44 OCC-Capital Division win over visiting Franklin Heights.
Cam Barron led Orange with 18 points, Colin Shepherd added 16 thanks in part to three three-pointers and Evan Lewis finished with 10 points in the win.
Also: New Albany 57, Big Walnut 33
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Liberty, trailing heading into the fourth quarter, used a big push down the stretch to handle visiting Hilliard Davidson 51-47 in OCC-Central Division action Tuesday in Powell.
The Patriots, who are now 8-0 overall and 6-0 in league play, stayed perfect thanks to a 16-9 fourth quarter.
Alexa Fisher led the way with 16 points while Lauren Hofer and Bre Yashko added 13 and 11, respectively.
Pleasant 49, Buckeye Valley 36
Buckeye Valley scored the first five points of the second half to take a third-quarter lead, but host Pleasant went on a 19-5 run to take control en route to a 49-36 MOAC win Tuesday in Marion.
For the second straight game, Logan Hatcher led the Barons, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds in the setback.
Kelsey Shearer was also solid, closing with eight points, while Tess Hughes added six points and seven boards.
Also: New Albany 67, Big Walnut 26; Mount Vernon 59, Hayes 40.
—
Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @delgazette_ben.
