By Ben Stroup
The Buckeye Valley girls basketball team didn’t start the way it wanted to, but bounced back with a dominant third quarter en route to a 56-30 MOAC-Red Division win over visiting Galion Friday in Delaware.
“We weren’t as focused in the first half … and I think part if it was we had success against them the first time we played and part of it was we have Orange tomorrow,” BV coach Landon Fraker said. “Our focus at halftime was to pick up the intensity, especially on defense, and the girls did that.”
The Barons outscored the Tigers 18-4 in the third to break open what was a 26-18 game at the half.
Morgan Scowden led BV with 14 points while Megan Veneman finished with 13. Kelsey Shearer added nine points, Logan Hatcher finished with seven points and seven rebounds and Alaina Radcliffe had seven points of her own in the win.
Buckeye Valley returns to action today against visiting Orange. Tip is set for 5 p.m.
Olentangy 66, Hayes 25
Kelly Meade poured in 18 points on a night she was recognized as the school’s all-time scoring leader, boosting the Braves to a lopsided 66-25 league win over the visiting Pacers Friday in Lewis Center.
Gillian Feasel added 11 points and Celeste Clark had 10 in the win.
Meade’s 18 points gave her 1,218 for her career. She broke the previous mark — Rob Sanders’ (‘82) 1,170 — with a school-record 34 points in a win over Mount Vernon earlier this week.
Granville Christian 40, Delaware Christian 35
Elizabeth Blackburn scored a career-high 22 points to go with four rebounds, but it wasn’t quite enough as Delaware Christian fell to visiting Granville Christian 40-35 Friday in Delaware.
The Eagles, who trailed 33-15 heading into the fourth quarter, outscored Granville Christian 20-7 before running out of time in the final frame.
Erin McCullough backed Blackburn with five points and six assists while Liz Sullivan finished with six rebounds and two points in the setback.
Also: Worthington Kilbourne 46, Orange 36; Liberty 54, Thomas Worthington 44; Big Walnut at Franklin Heights, late.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Brendon White found Drew Rosi open under the basket and Rosi knew what to do with it, sinking a layin as time expired to give Liberty a thrilling 43-41 OCC-Central Division win Friday in Powell.
Rosi finished with a team-best 12 points while Spencer Mitchell added 11 and White finished with 10.
Big Walnut 49, Franklin Heights 47
Austin Becker poured in 15 points, including the game-winner in the final seconds as Big Walnut rallied for a league win over visiting Franklin Heights Friday in Sunbury.
The Golden Eagles outscored the Falcons 16-4 in the second after falling behind 16-9 in the first.
Zac Chucta backed Becker with 11 points in the win.
Also: Worthington Kilbourne 59, Orange 46.
HOCKEY
Josh Rochon scored the equalizer with 37.7 seconds left and Matt Gutkosi hammered home the game-winner with 1:41 left in overtime to send Orange to a thrilling 4-3 win over host Liberty Friday night.
The win wiped out what was a big-time comeback for the Patriots, who scored three unanswered after falling behind 2-0 in the early going.
Hunter Shepherd scored off a feed from Rochon with 6:14 left in the first and Mark Murley scored an unassisted tally in the final minute to give Orange a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
That’s when Liberty took over. Trenton Klosz and Jimmy Bursinger scored in the second, Bursinger’s of the shorthanded variety, to even things up before Bursinger gave the Patriots their first lead of the evening with 13:35 left in the third.
BOYS BOWLING
Olentangy 2,199, Worthington Kilbourne 2,047. Medalist: McMaster (O) 416.
GIRLS BOWLING
Olentangy 1,826, Worthington Kilbourne 1,547. Medalist: Hupp (O) 338.
—
Follow Ben Stroup on Twitter @delgazette_ben.
