In need of a win to keep its title hopes alive, the Delaware Hayes boys basketball team did just that, outscoring visiting Dublin Scioto in each of the last three quarters to put the finishing touches on a 58-45 OCC-Capital Division win Tuesday night in Delaware.

The Pacers (15-4, 10-2), who entered the night in second place in the league standings behind Westerville North, held serve after a slow start. A win Friday night against host Canal Winchester — coupled with a Worthington Kilbourne upset win over North — would put Hayes back in line for at least a share of the conference crown.

Tuesday’s win was all about balance as Hayes got at least eight points from five different players. Early on, though, the Irish were hitting all the shots.

After Hayes’ Carter Piatt-Brown and Anthony Wilson scored to knot the game, 4-4, Scioto used an 8-0 run capped by a Kaden Haywood hoop to take a 12-4 lead.

The shots started to fall after that, though, as Jake Lowman hit a three-pointer to get the Pacers back on track. Hayes was 0-for-6 from deep prior to Lowman’s triple, which cut his team’s deficit to five, 12-7, with 1:43 left in the opening quarter.

Chase Griggs closed the first quarter with a bucket and opened the second with another, and, after Jesse Burris picked the pocket of an Irish player and hit a pair of free throws at the other end, Hayes owned a lead it maintained the rest of the way.

Piatt-Brown hit a three to balloon the advantage to 16-12 and, after the Irish answered inside, Jeremiah Russell hit his first of three three-pointers, Griggs scored off a nice find from Lowman and Hezekiah Russell converted a driving layup to make it a 23-14 game late in the first half.

The Irish, who were outscored 18-12 in the third quarter and 12-10 in the fourth, never recovered.

Jeremiah Russell and Piatt-Brown led the Pacers with 11 points apiece while Burris chipped in 10, Lowman added nine and Griggs finished with eight.

Haywood had a game-best 18 points for the Irish.

Watterson 65, Buckeye Valley 50

Owen Samenuk drilled five three-pointers on the way to a game-high 17 points to lead the host Eagles past the Barons in non-league action Tuesday night.

Brendan Stalf led BV with 15 points in the setback.

Also: Mifflin 66, Olentangy Berlin 57.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Olentangy Liberty girls basketball team continues to cruise, most recently picking up a 64-44 non-league win over visiting Gahanna Lincoln Tuesday night in Powell.

The win was the Patriots’ sixth straight and second in a row against a team with at least 13 wins (they beat 19-2 Marysville 54-53 Saturday night in overtime).

Six different players scored as part of a 17-9 first quarter Liberty used to set the tone. After a tight second quarter, the Patriots used a 14-8 third to create a bit more separation.

Addison Marston led Liberty with 23 points while Emma Karagheuzoff had 13 and Gigi Bower finished with 11.

Westerville North 50, Big Walnut 47

Abbey Coleman poured in 15 points and Maddy Stumpf added 11, but it wasn’t quite enough as the host Warriors notched a tight OCC-Capital Division win over the Golden Eagles Tuesday night in Westerville.

Big Walnut led 13-12 after a back-and-fourth first quarter before North got back to even, 29-29, by halftime.

The Warriors used a 15-10 third to get some breathing room before hanging on down the stretch.

Teagan Ng backed Coleman and Stumpf with six points while Megan Weakley and Denza Allen added five points apiece.

Olentangy Berlin 49, Westerville Central 44

The Bears used a big second half to get the job done, outscoring the host Warhawks 30-17 over the course of the final two quarters to notch a non-league win Tuesday night in Westerville.

Berlin’s Abbie Bell led all scorers with 16 points in the win.

Dublin Scioto 55, Delaware Hayes 34

The Pacers played even with the host Irish in the second half, but a slow start proved to be the difference Tuesday night in Dublin.

Scioto led 15-5 after the first quarter and 36-15 by halftime before both teams scored 19 second-half points to smooth out the scoring summary.

Adrionna Brown led Hayes with 15 points and three three-pointers while Sam Toney finished with nine points in the setback.