Olentangy Berlin’s Layla Merriweather slices through a pair of Delaware Hayes defenders during the first half of Tuesday’s non-league showdown in Delaware.
Ben Stroup | The Gazette
After managing just three first-half hoops, mostly due to a swarming Delaware Hayes defense, Olentangy Berlin’s Layla Merriweather erupted out of the locker room, scoring 13 of her game-best 25 points in the third quarter to help the Bears pull away for a 61-45 non-league win Tuesday night.
It was anyone’s game at the break, with Berlin clinging to a 25-22 lead after the two teams took turns going on solid runs over the course of the second quarter.
With Merriweather leading the charge, things changed in the third, though, as the Bears outscored the Pacers 23-12 to take a 48-34 lead into the fourth.
Merriweather added five more in the final frame, including a three-pointer, as Berlin (5-1) held off Hayes for the win.
The Pacers looked poised to have a big quarter of their own in the second, using a quick 6-0 burst to take an 18-14 edge midway through the quarter.
Down a bucket after eight minutes of action, Hayes (2-4) took a lead with a strong start to the second. A steal led to a hoop by Reese Laaksonen, Minette Ntepah scored a put-back bucket and Hannah West converted a layin on the Pacers’ next trip down the floor to give her team an 18-14 lead with 4:09 left before the break.
Berlin had an answer, though, getting a three-pointer from Lauren Ellis out of a timeout before Ava Fate hit a pair of free throws, Merriweather scored in transition and Fate scored inside to put the finishing touches on a 9-0 run that put the Bears back on top, 23-18, with two minutes left in the half.
The second half told a different story, though, as Merriweather and company used the big third to take control.
Fate backed Merriweather with 12 points while Cami Elliott had 10 in the win.
Adrionna Brown led Hayes with 13 points while Laaksonen had eight and Ntepah chipped in seven.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Down two starters, one nursing a deep bruise on his hip and the other recovering from illness, Delaware Hayes used a balanced offensive attack and solid defensive effort to notch a 56-48 non-league win over host Marysville Tuesday night.
The Pacers’ best quarter was the second, when they outscored the Monarchs 18-10 to take a 33-24 lead into halftime.
Marysville outscored Hayes (4-0) by a point in the second half to smooth out the scoring summary.
Jesse Burris led the charge with 13 points while Jake Lowman had 12, Chase Griggs finished with 11 and Drew Banaszak finished with nine.
Jason Moore had a game-best 20 points for Marysville.
