The Upper Arlington girls basketball team started the third quarter with a 6-1 run and ended it 6-0 to build a late cushion it parlayed into a 45-41 OCC-Central Division win over host Olentangy Orange Friday night in Lewis Center.
The Pioneers’ Madison Yanka drilled a pair of three-pointers late in the first half as her team built a 24-19 lead by the break. The Golden Bears found their form in the third, though, getting back to even when Ceylone Brooks tied it at 25 with a pair of free throws.
Ellie Beck put Orange back on top, snapping the skid with a hoop before a steal at the other end led to a bucket by Jordan Sullivan and a 29-25 Pioneer edge. UA again had an answer, though, responding with a quick 6-0 spurt to go up 31-29 heading into the fourth.
Down 33-30 with under six minutes to play, Emma Delmore got Orange a little closer with a free throw and, after she missed the second of two, Mairin O’Brien secured the offensive board and scored to even things at 33.
Sullivan hit two free throws with 2:51 left, tightening the score to 37-35, but the Bears sealed the deal from the charity stripe. Quinn Buttermore went 2-for-2 with 1:51 left and, after Alyssa Gest made the first of two with 1:18 to go, she tracked down a miss on the second and scored a put-back bucket to balloon the lead to 42-35 and all but end things.
O’Brien hit a corner three with 15 seconds left, but UA dribbled out the clock from there.
Westerville South 42, Delaware Hayes 28
The Pacers were outscored 14-4 in the first quarter and never recovered, falling to the visiting Wildcats in OCC-Capital Division action Friday night in Delaware.
Chloe Jeffers led Hayes with nine points while Samantha Toney finished with eight.
Leila Jones had a game-high 17 points for South.
Whitehall 41, Buckeye Valley 39
The Barons outscored the Rams 10-2 in the third quarter, taking a 28-22 lead into the fourth, but the host Rams used a 19-11 fourth to eke out an MSL-Ohio win Friday night in Whitehall.
Emily Huston and Kayla Helms had nine points apiece for BV while Whitehall’s Daniya McDonald led all scorers with 18 points.
Dublin Jerome 39, Olentangy Berlin 26
The Bears played virtually even with the host Celtics in the middle two quarters, but scored just four in the first and two in the fourth on the way to a league loss Friday night in Dublin.
Kadince Conley led Jerome with 15 points while Layla Merriweather closed with 11 for Berlin.
Also: Hilliard Darby 33, Olentangy 20.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cooper Davis was as aggressive as he was accurate, knocking down 17 of his 20 free throws on the way to a game-high 22 points to lead Olentangy Liberty to a 52-41 OCC-Central Division win over host Hilliard Bradley Friday night.
After a scoreless first quarter, Davis went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe before knocking down a triple. James Hummel also hit a three in the quarter as the Patriots built a 19-13 halftime edge.
Davis was again blanked in the third, but more than made up for it with 13 fourth-quarter points to help his team cement the win.
Alex Okuley and Nick Boysko backed Davis with eight points apiece while Norris finished with a team-best 17 for the Jaguars.
Dublin Jerome 57, Olentangy Berlin 36
The Celtics built a 30-16 halftime lead and never looked back, rolling to a league win over the host Bears Friday night in Delaware.
Jerome, which had 10 different scorers, all but sealed the deal with a 20-10 third. Daviyon McDonald and Luke Kuhlman finished with 10 points apiece in the win while Jason Inbody collected a team-best eight points for Berlin.
Westerville South 61, Delaware Hayes 52
The Pacers outscored the host Wildcats over the course of the final three quarters, but a slow start proved to be the difference Friday night in Westerville.
Drey Carter had six of his team-best 21 points in the first quarter as South built a 16-6 first quarter lead it parlayed into the win.
Jake Lowman finished with 18 points to lead the Pacers while Jesse Burris had 15.
Also: Worthington Kilbourne 53, Big Walnut 48; Upper Arlington 56, Olentangy Orange 53.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Ohio Wesleyan 79, Allegheny 70
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Ohio Wesleyan 69, Waynesburg 39
