Down 50-33 with 1:09 left in the third quarter, things weren’t going so well for the Delaware Hayes boys basketball team.
By the time Friday’s game against visiting Dublin Scioto ended, though — the team’s home opener — the Pacers were all smiles. A 22-5 run in a little more than a quarter will do that for a team.
Nate Griggs capped the surge with a short jumper with 11 seconds left in regulation. He was fouled on the play, and after calmly canning the ensuing free throw, things were knotted at 55-all. The Pacers, with all the momentum, won the extra session 9-2 to seal the deal.
Griggs scored 21 of his 24 points in the second half, including seven of Hayes’ nine points in OT. Terin Kinsway was also a force down the stretch, collecting 13 of his 19 points in the second half to go with 11 rebounds.
The duo got it done on the defensive end as well. Griggs switched to one of the Irish’s best players at halftime, Victor Mwamba, and held him scoreless in the second half. Kinsway, meanwhile, moved over to guard Dapreis Owens at half and held him to just six points after he scored 17 in the first two quarters.
“I thought Terin’s leadership willed us tonight at several key times,” Hayes coach Jordan Blackburn said. “Obviously that’s what you expect out of a four-year starter, though.”
As sweet as the win was, Blackburn couldn’t ignore the slow start.
“We were not ready to play tonight, and that is completely on me,” he said. “We had several good practices leading up and I thought we were good to go. Obviously, we were not … and Scioto deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Olentangy Liberty 69, Westerville South 62
The Patriots started fast and finished strong to pick up a key OCC win over the host Wildcats Friday in Westerville.
Liberty led 21-10 after the first quarter and, after seeing South claw back into things in the second and third, won the fourth 22-19 to seal the deal.
Ben Roderick was one of three Patriots in double figures, closing with a game-best 24 points. Nick Nakasian had 13 and Henry Hinkle added 10.
Teays Valley Prep 70, Olentangy 62
Sean Marks had a team-best 24 points, pulling to within three of 1,000 for his career, and Noah Gossett canned six triples on the way to an 18-point night, but it wasn’t enough as the Braves fell to a talented Teays Valley Prep squad Friday in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
The difference in the game was the first quarter — a period in which Olentangy was outscored 16-8.
Olentangy Orange 67, Westerville Central 62
The Pioneers outscored the visiting Warhawks 21-15 in the third quarter and 18-14 in the fourth to flip a halftime deficit into a solid OCC win Friday in Lewis Center.
Bryson Lane led the charge with a 26-point outburst while Luke Ballinger added 13.
Chas Dixon led Central with 18.
Hilliard Bradley 50, Olentangy Berlin 29
A.J. Mirgon poured in a game-best 16 points as the visiting Jaguars rolled to a league win over the Bears Friday night in Delaware.
Grant Schrieber led Berlin with 12 points.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delaware Hayes picked up its play after a slow start, but couldn’t overcome a scoreless first quarter en route to a 64-42 OCC loss to host Scioto Friday in Dublin.
The Pacers trailed 15-0 after one and 32-15 by halftime.
Alexis Amabile had a team-best 13 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line, to lead Hayes. Piper Adkins added eight and Alyssa Griner had six in the setback.
Pleasant 37, Buckeye Valley 35
The Barons rolled out to a 20-12 halftime lead with the Spartans and former coach Travis Stout in town, but Pleasant rallied late to clip BV Friday in Delaware.
Pleasant outscored Buckeye Valley 11-9 in the third to chip away at the lead before posting a 12-6 fourth to complete the comeback.
BV’s Hannah Cowan led all scorers with 17 points.
Olentangy Berlin 43, Hilliard Bradley 40
The Bears used a 19-13 second-quarter push to take a one-point halftime lead they parlayed into an OCC win over the Jaguars Friday night in Hilliard.
Berlin’s Jessica Nation led all scorers with 21 points while Maddie Goodman added eight in the win.
Westerville Central 52, Olentangy Orange 37
The Pioneers led at halftime, but were outscored 18-8 in the third quarter and 16-10 in the fourth as the host Warhawks posted a non-league win Friday in Westerville.
Lauren Perone led Orange with 14 points while Central’s Karmen Long had 19 to lead all scorers.
Also: Olentangy 31, Westerville North 30
