DELAWARE – Chloe Jeffers and Alyssa Griner sparked a 15-0 first-quarter run and the Delaware Hayes girls basketball team cruised to a 55-34 win at rival Buckeye Valley in non-league play Monday night.
Jeffers, who buried a pair of three-pointers during the run, finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals to lead the Pacers before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.
“Everything we do kind of runs through her both offensively and defensively,” Hayes coach Lou Tiberi said. “She’s going to guard our opponent’s best offensive player and offensively, we’re going to get the ball in her hands as much as possible – not just as a shooter, but a playmaker.
“She caught a knee in the (thigh) muscle. She’s one person we can’t afford to lose for any extended period. So, hopefully, she’ll be sore for a couple of days and be ready to go Friday.”
Chelsea Edington knocked down a three-pointer from the right wing to give the Barons a 4-2 lead with 5:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Karli Theis knocked down a three for the Pacers two possessions later off an Alexis Amabile feed and Hayes never trailed again.
Griner did most of her damage on the defensive end with three steals. She also had a basket and an assist, which came on Jeffers’ second three to give Hayes a 17-4 lead with 1:07 remaining in the opening frame.
“We had seen them play a couple of times and knew that they struggled with a little bit of pressure,” Tiberi said. “So, we put in a trap for the first time since I’ve been (here). We didn’t get any great traps, but we made them pass the ball a little bit and it got us going a little bit.”
Griner finished with 11 points and six steals for the Pacers (5-3).
BV was held to just two field goals in the first half and trailed 30-13 at the break.
“We just played two steps behind tonight,” BV coach Mike Daniels said. “Every now and then we have those types of games and we picked the wrong one because (Hayes) shot lights out.”
Paige Garrett and Edington knocked down threes on consecutive possessions to pull BV within 46-31 with 5:41 remaining in the game, but that’s as close as it would get.
“(Edington) has really stepped up this season and taken it to the next level,” Daniels said. “She’s worked on her shot and is able to get it off quicker. Now, she’s able to get to the basket, which makes her more of a threat.”
Amabile had 10 points and six rebounds, Theis had five assists to go with four points and Jordan Lantz added four points and six boards for Hayes. Lantz battled through an Achilles injury early in the season and illness over the last couple of days.
“We got her Achilles healthy and now we got a cold,” Tiberi said. “But the little that she’s played the last couple of games – she’s been solid.”
Grether led the Barons (4-2) with 14 points on the strength of eight free throws in nine attempts. She also had five rebounds to lead the team. Edington added 10 points and four boards.
“Dani is having a great season,” Daniels said. “She’s strong … she got beat around in there a little bit. But she’s been one of our consistent scorers with Chelsea and Paige, who’s had a great season so far this year.”
Next up, Hayes plays at home Friday night against Worthington Kilbourne in OCC-Cardinal play and BV returns to MSL-Ohio play Friday night at Columbus Academy. Both games are scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Jason Foster had 16 points while Elias Lewis and Ryan Cutler added 12 apiece to lead Olentangy Orange to a convincing 67-44 non-league win over visiting Hilliard Darby Monday in Lewis Center.
The Pioneers led 19-12 after the first quarter and scored 30 points in the second to balloon their lead to 49-26 by the break.
Parker Hambel led the Panthers with 14 points in the loss.
