The Olentangy Orange girls basketball team was a bucket away from its second win of the season, down a point with possession in the final seconds, but Lancaster’s Kali Persinger stepped into the driving lane and took a charge with 0.8 seconds left to help her team hold on for a 29-28 non-league win Tuesday night in Lewis Center.
The game was tight all the way through, but didn’t look like it was going to come down to the final shot when the Gales’ Reese Poston scored inside to make it a 28-23 game with two minutes to play.
Kayla Delmore changed that with a three-point play, though, slicing the Pioneers’ deficit to just two points, 28-26 with 1:33 to play.
Lancaster’s Kara Weaver split a pair at the line to balloon the edge to three, but Ellie Beck scored inside on the other end to make it a one-point game with 35 seconds left.
That’s the way it stayed, too, despite both teams getting chances to add to their point totals.
The Gales missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity at the line two different times, but the Pioneers turned the ball over after gaining possession on both occasions, the second being the charge that all but sealed the deal.
Lancaster led 7-4 at the end of the first quarter, but Orange managed to take an 11-8 lead into halftime thanks to a strong second quarter from Mairin O’Brien. The teams combined for eight points in the quarter … and O’Brien had seven of them.
The game was tied at 17 after three as O’Brien and Kayla Delmore scored to help the Pioneers end the quarter on a 5-0 run.
The Gales went up by as many as seven points in the fourth, leading 24-17 after a three-pointer by Poston, but Madison Yanka split a pair of free throws and Emma Delmore drilled a three set up by an offensive rebound to set up the final few minutes.
O’Brien led Orange with 10 points while Poston had a game-best 12 for Lancaster.
Marysville 63, Delaware Hayes 49
The Pacers outscored the hosts 32-25 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to make up for a slow start as the Monarchs picked up a non-league win Tuesday night.
Marysville outscored Hayes 16-7 in the first quarter and 22-10 in the second to take control.
Chloe Jeffers had 20 points to lead the Pacers while Alexis Amabile chipped in 18.
Ava Krutowskis and Tinley Graves had 16 points apiece to pace the Monarchs.
Olentangy 47, Hilliard Davidson 32
The Braves dominated the middle two quarters, allowing a combined 12 points — six in each quarter — to pull away from the host Wildcats and secure a non-league win Tuesday night in Hilliard.
Meg Spohn led Olentangy with 15 points while Kennedie Doup added 10, including seven in the fourth quarter.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Dylan Thompson hit three of his game-high five threes in the third quarter as Buckeye Valley built a 45-39 third-quarter lead it parlayed into a 63-55 non-league win over visiting Calvert Tuesday in Delaware.
Thompson finished with a game-best 23 points in the win while Jack Rotondo and Troy Scowden finished in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Barons trailed after the first quarter, but used a 16-9 second to take a 30-27 halftime lead. They outscored the Senecas 18-16 in the fourth to cement the win.
Delaware Hayes 45, River Valley 39
Down at the half, the Pacers outscored the visiting Vikings 25-17 in the second half to notch a non-league win Tuesday night in Delaware.
Jesse Burris scored seven of his game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help the Pacers close things out.
Ryan Smudz was also solid in the win, closing with 14 points. Ethan Bell led River Valley with 15 points in the setback.
Olentangy 48, Hilliard Davidson 34
The Wildcats raced out to a one-point lead after one, but the host Braves outscored them in each of the final three quarters, including 16-10 in the fourth to cruise to a non-league win Tuesday in Lewis Center.
Zack Wieging poured in a game-high 19 points for Olentangy while Tavian James and Luke Elmore had eight each. Ryan Paris led Davidson with 17 points in the setback.
Newark 58, Olentangy Liberty 56
The Patriots built a 31-27 halftime lead, but the visiting Wildcats outscored them in each of the last two quarters to rally for a non-league win Tuesday night in Powell.
Drew Ballinger closed with a game-best 16 points while Grant Burkholder and Elijah Hinton finished with 10 apiece for Newark.
Ty Foster had 16 and Cooper Davis added 14 for Liberty.