Jack Rotondo hit a clutch three late, Jevin Beard had a pair of steals that led to huge buckets and Dylan Thompson scored on a strong drive to the basket in the final seconds as the Buckeye Valley boys basketball team erased a 15-point deficit with less than four minutes to go to escape with an 85-83 MOAC win over host River Valley Friday night.

“This was one of the most incredible comebacks I’ve ever been a part of … and we did it with three freshmen on the floor,” BV coach Andy Gast said. “There were plenty of times we didn’t execute early on, we’re still young, but the kids just kept playing.”

The Barons were down 63-54 at the start of the fourth. But, after River Valley went on a bit of a run to bump its advantage even higher, BV went to work.

“We just kept chipping away,” Gast said. “We started pressing and I think that really flustered River Valley.”

When all was said and done, BV scored 31 points in the final frame.

Dylan Herbert, who fouled out before the Barons even went on their surge, finished with a game-best 30 in the win. Troy Scowden added 20 and Thompson had 15.

Delaware Hayes 71, Hilliard Darby 47

The Pacers started the second half with a 27-5 run, ballooning a 38-28 edge into a 32-point lead to all but seal the deal en route to a league win over the Panthers Friday night in Hilliard.

Nate Griggs led the charge with 17 points while Paul Burris and Addison Harvey added 14 apiece. Terin Kinsway and Jwan Lyles hit double figures for the Pacers as well, pouring in 13 and 10 points, respectively. The duo also combined for 19 rebounds in the win.

“Our guys had to battle some early adversity and stayed the course,” Hayes coach Jordan Blackburn said. “I thought we passed the ball well.”

The Pacers assisted on 24 of their 29 field goals, with Harvey dishing out a team-best seven.

“Defensively, we had some possessions in both halves that didn’t meet the standard, but hey, anytime you have five guys in double digits and are in the 70s, it gives you a great opportunity for success.”

Westerville South 79, Olentangy 69, OT

The visiting Wildcats went a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line in overtime, outscoring the Braves 15-5 in the extra frame to escape with a league win Friday in Lewis Center.

Olentangy, down 35-29 at halftime, used a 21-15 third-quarter push to get back to even.

Noah Gossett hit five three-pointers on the way to a team-best 15 points for the Braves. Alex Sieve added 13 points and Caleb Steele had 11 in the setback.

Dublin Scioto 41, Olentangy Berlin 31

Points were at a premium Friday in Dublin, but the host Irish were able to put together a nice stretch late to knock off the Bears.

With the game tied at 27 through three, Scioto won the fourth quarter 14-4 to seal the deal.

Jacob Moeller led Berlin with 11 points in the setback.

Also: Tree of Life 77, Delaware Christian 65; Canal Winchester 57, Big Walnut 53

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Olentangy Liberty opened Friday’s league showdown against rival Olentangy Orange with a 16-3 first-quarter run and never looked back, rolling to a 57-25 win in Lewis Center.

Teegan Pifher led the way with 15 points while Caitlin Splain had 11 in the win.

Riley Duffy had 10 points for the Pioneers.

Delaware Christian 48, Northside Christian 16

The Eagles outscored the host Lions in all four quarters, including 10-0 in the third, and cruised to a win Friday in Westerville.

Lyssi Snouffer led the charge with 26 points in the win.

Westerville South 77, Olentangy 61

Bridget Stafford had a team-leading 18 points, Liv Margolies added 12 and Meg Spohn finished with 10 to lead the Braves in Friday’s loss to the host Wildcats.

Hilliard Darby 60, Delaware Hayes 44

Alexis Amabile had 12 points and Jordan Lantz added eight as the Pacers fell to the visiting Panthers Friday night in Delaware.

Darby built its cushion in the first half, outscoring Hayes 32-19.

Big Walnut 40, Canal Winchester 28

The Golden Eagles got it done on the defensive end Friday, holding the host Indians to double-digit scoring in all four quarters en route to a solid league win.

Avery Schone led BW with 12 points while Alyssa Tarney had seven.

Also: Dublin Scioto 49, Olentangy Berlin 39