DELAWARE – Freshman Troy Scowden already had the look of an impact player when he first stepped onto the court for the Buckeye Valley boys basketball team.
He backed it up scoring seven points, pulling down two rebounds and blocking two shots in his first quarter of action against rival Delaware Hayes in the Barons’ opener Nov. 30.
But, his production tapered off and he finished with nine points and five rebounds and fouled out as BV lost by 19.
He’s had similar performances as the season has gone along. But in Thursday night’s 72-58 win over River Valley, he put in his most complete effort and he did it by taking his father’s advice.
“My dad’s always taught me since I started playing basketball – if you don’t get the ball go to the rim,” he said. “If you sprint there, you can get easy buckets.”
Scowden went for 23 points, 11 rebounds and added three blocks, two steals and a couple of assists.
“From start to finish – I thought that was one of Scowden’s best performances,” BV coach Andy Gast said. “He’s been a little inconsistent – he’s been in foul trouble that’s really killed him in a lot of our previous games. But he really played well tonight.”
He started strong, scoring six of BV’s first 13 points, adding a block and a steal as the Barons went on a 13-2 run to take the lead. They never trailed again.
“Troy is great player,” Gast said. “He’s only a freshman, but he showed a lot of his skill-set tonight. He played really hard. He has spurts and shows flashes, but when he plays hard all the time – he’s really good.”
Scowden’s performance mirrored the team’s, Gast said.
“We’re playing a mix of young kids and old kids,” he said. “We need to find that consistency every night. But I thought we played really well from the first quarter to the final buzzer tonight.”
Dylan Herbert had 16 points and four assists, Max Stokey added 12 points and seven rebounds and Jevin Beard had five assists, five rebounds and three steals to back the Barons (6-7, 3-5).
RV threatened on a couple of occasions, pulling within 26-25 toward the end of the half. But threes by Herbert and Jack Rotondo created some separation and gave the Barons a 34-27 lead at the break.
BV extended the run to 22-2 in the third quarter. Seven different players found the basket in the frame and the Barons led 55-36 through three.
“I thought our half-court defense tonight was excellent,” Gast said. “River Valley can really score the ball – they have great shooters. I thought our work in practice this week really showed.”
Dylan Johnson scored nine of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Vikings pulled within 10 on a couple of occasions – a reminder of BV’s comeback in Caledonia earlier this season.
But there would be no final rally. Scowden knocked down three of four free throws down the stretch to keep the lead in double digits.
“I was like, ‘Oh, no – this is going to be just like the first game,’” Scowden said. “But we held it off. I’ve been working on my free throws. I’m not doing too well this season, but I’ve been working on them.”
Ethan Bell added 17 points and three assists and A.J. Kenney pulled down 10 rebounds for the Vikings (5-8, 1-7).
BV returns to action Saturday night at Clear Fork in league play. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Delaware Christian got it done on the defensive end, allowing no more than four points in any one quarter en route to a lopsided 43-11 Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League win over visiting Northside Christian Thursday night.
The Eagles didn’t exactly get off to the fastest start themselves, up just 14-6 at halftime, but they outscored the Lions 29-5 in the second half to account for the final margin.
Lyssi Snouffer led the way with 20 points and 23 rebounds while Emma Rindfuss added three threes and a career-high 11 points in the win.
Grace Saxton led Northside Christian with five of her team’s 11 points.
WRESTLING
Westerville North 64, Olentangy Orange 3; Olentangy Liberty 62, Westerville South 11
GIRLS BOWLING
Buckeye Valley 1,779, Galion 1,390
BOYS BOWLING
Galion 1,996, Buckeye Valley 1,860
